What distinguishes public from private writing? How do we analyze self-representation and “style” in the journals of others? What are the ethical stakes of studying texts that were not necessarily intended for public view? And why are many of us drawn to journaling practices of our own?
This month, GWSS and Comparative History of Ideas double major Matthew Judd delved deeper into these questions as a featured guest on CHID’s Convos in the Office podcast. In a fascinating, expansive 50-minute conversation, he reflects on his personal engagement with the art and craft of journaling as a writer, a reader, and a scholar.
Matthew’s insights also touch on broader questions of literary self-fashioning. Drawing on Susan Sontag, Michel Foucault, and Audre Lorde, he discusses breaking with prescriptive models of diary-keeping and embracing the liberating potential of “inconsistency” in selfhood – or, as he puts it, of “being okay with constantly changing.“
Matthew’s podcast appearance provides a preview of his upcoming Winter 2025 CHID Focus Group: “Write Now: Journaling and Memory.” In this seminar, he will facilitate students’ exploration of journaling as “a unique stylistic and introspective writing form.” Students will read selected passages from published journals–including those by Susan Sontag, Anne Frank, Audre Lorde, and Lou Sullivan–while discussing these texts as literature and analyzing the significance of their publication. In addition, students will develop and reflect on their own journaling practices.
Undergraduates interested in joining the conversation can register for Matthew’s Focus Group, CHID 496 A: Write Now: Journaling and Memory. This two-credit class, scheduled for Winter Quarter 2025, will meet on Wednesdays from 3:30–5:20 in Padelford C101. Don’t miss this opportunity to engage in thought-provoking discussions on journaling as a reflective and literary form.
You can listen to Matthew’s Convo in the Office episode on Spotify. The episode will be posted to CHID’s Youtube channel soon – stay tuned!
Congratulations, Matthew, on your stellar work as a scholar and an instructor!