Yanara Friedland

Yanara Friedland is an Associate Professor at Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies, Western Washington University. Her work bridges creative writing, translation, and critical research, focusing on interdisciplinary studies of borders, memory, and identity. She curates the Mutter Courage reading series and oversees its internship program at BRUNA PRESS, offering students hands-on experience in curatorial and editorial projects. Friedland’s teaching emphasizes narrative construction and active listening, situating students at the intersection of lived experiences and societal structures.

Research interests include border poetics, autofiction, critical and creative interventions in archives, documentary forms, transgenerational trauma, and diaspora literatures. She investigates how spatial and temporal borders shape human experiences through essays, interviews, and literary experiments. Her classes explore mixed genre forms, living archives, and the poetics of trauma, reflecting her evolving scholarship.

Friedland’s publications include two major works: Uncountry: A Mythology (2016), which examines gaps between official history and private memory, and Groundswell (2021), a collection analyzing border narratives and material archives. Recent work appears in Western Humanities Review, Asymptote, and Matters of Feminist Practice, extending her exploration of interdisciplinary themes.

• Scientific Award: 2015 Noemi Fiction Award

In advising and curricular development, Friedland focuses on fostering student engagement with complex societal issues through narrative frameworks. Her grants and collaborations include the Mutter Courage internship program linking Fairhaven students with BRUNA PRESS. Beyond the classroom, she advocates for immersive learning practices that respond to contemporary geopolitical and cultural dynamics.

Labs/Teams: Curates Mutter Courage reading series; collaborates with BRUNA PRESS on editorial and curatorial initiatives.