Unearthing rural roots: A reflective exploration of queering place

Abstract

This creative/arts-based piece includes poetic voices from the editors of “Rural Education and Queer Identities: Rural and (Out)Rooted” alongside visual art representations from the Queer artist who provided the cover art for the volume. As contributors, Cook and Cain use reflexive poetry as a methodological exercise to engage with themes of insider/outsider perspectives in their research with LGBTQ+ participants. As editors of the volume, we found ourselves citing this practice as a rural Queer methodology to explore the tensions that arose for us as academics and educators while curating the collection. This piece explores three spaces inspired by Pennell’s chapter on being Queer across time and space in three rural settings. First, we explore rural taproots, two-steppin’ between our Queerness and temporal memories of being closeted youth. Second, we consider root systems as we two-step between our roles as educators and, as Thompson said, “agents of affirmation.” Third, we display aerial roots as we symbolically visit home as out rural scholars to unpack those early lessons. The accompanying artwork serves as further reflection into this arts-based inquiry. We conclude by providing two suggestions for future rural pedagogical practice and scholarship.