Literary infrastructures are any and all of the mechanisms through which literature is engaged. These infrastructures thus influence the presentation and impact of the literature itself, as the context informs and sometimes even molds art. The many shapes of literary infrastructure includes organizations, policies, mentalities, and/or locales.
“Infrastructures are systems that enable movement […] The definition of infrastructure does not need to be limited to pipes, roads, and wires. Infrastructures can encompass vast interdependent networks of materials, people, and nature to enable the functioning of modern life.” – Jessica Lockrem
In the Literary Houston course, we focused on and often compared local literary infrastructures both in Houston and other cities, often those our classmates hailed from. The class took a particular interest in the organizations that comprise literary infrastructure and sought to understand their varied missions and actions. With this in mind, many considered how literary infrastructures would or must evolve in the future.
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To read the white papers on this topic, click on one of the following titles:
And Suddenly, No One is Going Outside by Hania Nagy
Why the Community Center Model Does Not Work: Gentrification and Moving Past COVID-19 by Morgan Gage
Los Angeles Literary Infrastructures by Emily Dickinson
GrubStreet and Inprint: Literary Organizations That Can Learn From Each Other by Briana Gonzales
Why Is Youth Literary Infrastructure Important? by Maddie Turner
Literary Infrastructures In San Antonio by Alejandra Wagnon
Latinx Artists and Literary Infrastructure in Houston by Robert Blosser
The Fight for the Preservation of the Third Ward: Working with the Houston Coalition for Equitable Development without Displacement by Mary Claire Neal (with Jacob Tate)
