Dr. Austin Svedjan

Biography

Austin Svedjan is a Doctoral Candidate at the University of Pennsylvania's Department of English, focusing on sexuality studies, trans queer theories, and American cultural production from the late nineteenth century to the present. They hold a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Houston and a Master of Arts in English with a certificate in Gender and Sexuality Studies from Louisiana State University. As a Doctoral Fellow at the Wolf Humanities Center for the 2025–2026 academic year, Austin is working on a project that explores trans autobiography and the literary paratext in relation to the concept of 'truth' in medical transition. Their writing is forthcoming in TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly and has appeared in the special issue of Postmodern Culture edited by John Paul Ricco. Austin’s dissertation, titled 'Literary Hygienics: Bad Sex Aesthetic Judgment in the American Classroom,' analyzes the emergence of the modern concept of 'bad sex' in connection with social hygiene and literary education in the United States. They teach courses such as ENGL 0159.401 on Gender and Society and ENGL 4515.301 focused on Hanya Yanagihara’s 'Life (The Series)'. In addition to their academic work, Austin serves as a Resident Artist at Common Press, the University of Pennsylvania's typography studio.

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