Kathryn Nowinski

Kathryn Nowinski is an Adjunct Professor in the Liberal Arts at College for Creative Studies, Detroit. Her academic and creative work explores urban social memory, affect, performances of identity, politics of aesthetics, and social processes that produce privilege and inequality. She combines lyrical research, creative nonfiction, and literary ethnography in her writing.

• MA, Anthropology, Wayne State University, 2017

Nowinski’s research interests span interdisciplinary methodologies that integrate urban anthropology, affect theory, and critical identity studies. Her work interrogates how social memory and aesthetics shape urban experiences, particularly in Detroit, and challenges traditional academic constraints through collaborative and creative practices.

Her publications and presentations focus on urban ethnography, creative nonfiction, and critiques of institutional spaces. She has contributed to edited volumes and engaged in literary readings and workshops that blend academic inquiry with community involvement.

Kathryn co-founded Room Project, a space supporting women and non-binary writers and artists. She has also worked in preparatorial and curatorial roles, including as Head Preparator for National Geographic’s Taking Back Detroit exhibit and Curator of Exhibitions at the Grosscup Museum of Anthropology.