Jason Lawton Winslade
e-mail: jwinslad@depaul.edu
Current Position(s): Adjunct Professor, DePaul University, Writing, Rhetoric and Discourse (First Year Program): 1997- present.
Education:
PhD Northwestern University, Performance Studies, (June 2008).
Dissertation: “Thinning the Veils: Initiation and The Performance of Occultism.”
Committee: Dr. Margaret Thompson Drewal (Dept. of Performance Studies), Dr. Paul
Edwards (Dept. of Performance Studies), Dr. Richard Kieckhefer (Dept. of Religion).
M.A. University of Michigan, Theatre Studies, (1994).
Thesis: “Contemporary Native American Theatre and the Ritual Circle”
Advisors: Dr. Crisca Bierwert (Dept. of Anthropology), Dr. Bert Cardullo (Dept. of
Theatre Studies).
B.A. University of Notre Dame, English and Communication/Theatre (1992), Dean’s List.
Teaching Experience:
Writing Courses (DePaul University):
WRD 287: The Comic Book as Visual Argument
Upper level visual rhetoric course.
ENG/WRD 102 College Writing II
First Year pre-college level booster course.
ENG /WRD 108 College Reading II
First year pre-college level booster course.
ENG/WRD 103 Composition and Rhetoric I
Writing course required for first-year students.
ENG/WRD 104 Composition and Rhetoric II
Research-Oriented writing course required for first-year students.
Communication Courses (DePaul University):
CMNS 230: Performance of Literature
Explore Chicago Courses (DePaul University):
LSP 111 Unveiling Occult Chicago: Secret Societies, Magicians, and Alternative
Spiritualities
LSP 111 Tribal Chicago: Alternative Spiritual Subculture
Part of a curriculum of interdisciplinary, topic-specific seminars required for first-year
students.
Focal Point Seminars (DePaul University):
LSP 112 Power, Identity and the Superhuman in the Works of Joss Whedon
LSP 112 Burning Man and American Festival Subculture
LSP 112 Comics and Culture
LSP 112 Reading Buffy the Vampire Slayer
LSP 112 Occultism and Culture
LSP 112 Irish Myth and Politics
Part of a curriculum of interdisciplinary, topic-specific seminars required for first-year
students.
Religion Courses (DePaul University):
REL 223 Literature and the Sacred: Texts of Occultism.
Humanities Courses (Columbia College, DePaul University School for New Learning):
51-1103 Humanities for the Performing Artist
AI 281 Ritual and Everyday Life
Intermediate Performance Course (Northwestern University):
PRF ST 210-3 Performance of Drama: Ritual, Myth and Transformation.
Distribution requirement for undergraduate Performance Studies majors, workshop
seminar.
Guest Lectures (DePaul University):
Rebirth of the Goddess: Rhetoric of Wiccans, course in communication department (Dr.
Barbara Willard).
New Religious Movements: Paganism (Dr. James Lewis).
Past Academic Positions:
2011 Course designer, Cherry Hill Seminary, Phoenix Rising Academy
2009 Adjunct Professor, College of Communications, DePaul University
2002, 2003 Adjunct Professor, School For New Learning, DePaul University.
2002 Adjunct Professor, Department of Religion, DePaul University,.
2001-2003 Adjunct Professor, Columbia College, Liberal Education Department.
1998 Adjunct Professor, Northwestern University, Department of Performance
Studies.
1997 Graduate Assistant (Scene Shop), Northwestern University, Department of
Theatre.
1995 Drama Teacher, Gilmour Academy Summer Day Camp, Gates Mills, OH.
1993 Drama Teacher, Young People’s Theatre and Ann Arbor Recreation and
Education, Ann Arbor, MI.
1992-93 Graduate Assistant, Coordinator of Theatre Library, University of
Michigan.
1992 Teaching Assistant, beginning acting, University of Notre Dame.
Coordinator and Organizer Positions (Selection):
2015-present Creator, organizer and producer, Chicago Tribal Stomp (world music and dance
performance event), Chicago, IL
2015-present Creator, organizer and performer, First Harvest Celebration, (music and
performance event), Chicago, IL.
2015 Artist in Residence, Education Consultant, Life Force Arts Center,
Chicago, IL.
2012 Creator, organizer, Mapping the Occult City Conference (in conjunction with the
American Academy of Religions Conference), DePaul University
2010 Director, Coordinator, “DePaul College of Communication Performance Hour.”
2004 Creator, Organizer, Esoteric and Hermetic Studies Conference, Chicago
College of Healing Arts, Chicago, IL.
Service:
2012-2014 Representative of part-time faculty to First Year Writing Committee,
Dept. of Writing, Rhetoric and Discourse, DePaul University.
2013-2015 Judge for First Year Writing Showcase
2013 Participant in Portfolio Pilot Program for First Year Writing
2012-2013 Participant in Laptop Pilot Program for First Year Writing
1999-2011 Member at Large, Religion and Theatre Focus Group, Association for Theatre in
Higher Education.
2005-2006 Planning Committee, Local Activities Coordinator, Performance Studies Focus
Group Pre-Conference, Association for Theatre in Higher Education.
2001-2003 Focus Group Conference Planner, Performance Studies Focus Group, Association
for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE).
1999 Member, Subcommittee on Emerging Voices: Artists and Scholars, Performance
Studies International
1997-99 Graduate Student Representative, Chair and Adjudicator for Junior Scholars
Panel, Religion and Theatre Focus Group, Association for Theatre in Higher
Education (ATHE).
1997-2007 Member at Large, Performance Studies Focus Group, Association for Theatre in
Higher Education.
Professional Associations:
American Academy of Religions
American Culture/Popular Culture Association
Association for the Study of Esotericism
Association of Theatre in Higher Education (Performance Studies Focus Group, Religion
and Theatre Focus Group)
Institute for the Study of Performance and Spirituality
National Communication Association
Performance Studies International
Whedon Studies Association
Scholarships/Assistantships:
2009 Rollins Travel Grant, PCA/ACA Conference, New Orleans.
1999 Farley Foundation Travel Grant, Northwestern University.
1998-99 Dissertation Year Research Grant, Northwestern University.
1996-97 University Scholar, Northwestern University.
1992-93 Research Assistantship, University of Michigan.
1988-1992 O’Dailey/O’Laughlin Memorial Scholarship, University of Notre Dame.
Other Employment:
1996-1997, 2001-present Paralegal assistant, McAndrews, Held & Malloy, Chicago.
1999-2000 Admissions assistant, Northwestern University Admissions Dept.
1994-1995 Stage Manager, Cleveland Public Theatre
Publications:
Chapters:
(2013) “‘Oh…My…Goddess’: Witchcraft, Magick and Thealogy in Buffy the Vampire Slayer” in Joss Whedon and Religion: Essays on an Angry Atheist's Explorations of the Sacred, edited by Anthony R. Mills, John W. Morehead and J. Ryan Parker, McFarland Press.
(2011) “Enrolling in the ‘Hidden School’: Timothy Hunter and the Education of the Teenage Comic Book Magus” in Supernatural Teens: Essays On Magic, Mutation, and Adventure, edited by Jes Battis, Lexington Press, Rowman and Littlefield, Ltd.
(2010) “‘The Magic Circus of the Mind’: Alan Moore’s Promethea and the
Transformation of Consciousness through Comics,” in Graven Images: Religion in Comic Books, edited by A. David Lewis and Christine Kraemer, Continuum Press.
(2010) “‘Have You Tried Not Being a Slayer?’: Performing Buffy Fandom in the Classroom” in Buffy in the Classroom: Essays on Teaching with the Vampire Slayer, edited by Jodie A. Kreider and Meghan Winchell, McFarland Press.
(2009) “Alchemical Rhythms: Fire Circle Culture and the Pagan Festival” in Handbook
of Contemporary Paganism, edited by James R. Lewis and Murphy Pizza, Brill Press.
(2003) “The (Oc)cult of Personality: Initiating the Audience in The Edwardian Mysteries” in Audience Participation: Essays on Inclusion in Performance, edited by Susan Kattwinkel, Greenwood Publishing.
Juried Journals:
(2009): “‘You’ve Got to Grow or Go’: Initiation, Performance, and Reality Television” in
Performance and Spirituality 1 (online academic journal).
(2001) “Teen Witches, Wiccans, and ‘Wanna(Blessed)Bes’: Pop Culture Magick in Buffy the Vampire Slayer” in Slayage: An Online International Journal of Buffy Studies, (1) eds. Rhonda Wilcox and David Lavery.
(2000) "Techno-Kabbalah: The Performative Language of Magick and the Production of Occult Knowledge," The Drama Review44.2, 84-100.
Reviews:
(2012) Theatre in a Crowded Fire: Ritual and Spirituality at Burning Man by Lee Gilmore, in Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies.
(2010) The Rose and the Cross: Western Esotericism in Russian Silver Age Drama by Lance Gharavi, in Religion and Theatre.
(1999) “The Edwardian Mysteries,” Theatre InSight, 10.2.
Other (as Jason Winslade):
(2010) Guest Editor, Ecumenica: Journal of Theatre and Performance, “Sex and Sacredness” issue.
(2007) “Jason Winslade Interview: Witchcraft and Esotericism in Entertainment and Commodification,” Theofantastique (Blog).
(1999) “When the Veils are Thin: Performance Genealogies and the Occult Dialectic in a
Chicago Samhain Ritual,” Religion and Theatre.
(1992) “Maximum Injustice: Indiana’s Most Oppressive Prison,” Common Sense
(University of Notre Dame) 6.4.
Juried Conference Papers/Presentations/Roundtables (Selection):
(2016) “’Get a Pic! Do a Blog!’: Multimodality in the First Year Whedon Seminar Classroom,” Popular Culture Association National Conference, Seattle, WA.
(2015) "This Class is Intended for Mature Audiences Only: Teaching Festival Culture to
First Year Students," Popular Culture Association Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA.
(2014) "Teaching and the Academic Study of Whedon," Panel organizer, presenter and
facilitator for student presenters, "Joss Whedon: A Celebration," symposium at DePaul University, Chicago, IL.
(2014) "Dancing with Pan, Flirting with Babalon: Pushing Boundaries at the Festival
Fire," Popular Culture Association Annual Conference, Chicago, IL.
(2012) “Mapping the Occult City: Exploring Magick and Esotericism in the Urban
Utopia,” pre-conference for the American Academy of Religions Conference,
(organizer and facilitator).
(2012) “When Pan Met Babalon: Challenging Sex Roles at a Thelemic/Pagan Festival,”
American Academy of Religions (AAR) conference, Chicago, IL.
(2011) “Alchemical Scholarship: Esotericism in Motion at the Festival Fire,” in “Demons
in the Academy” session, sponsored by Phoenix Rising Academy, at the American Academy of Religions (AAR) conference, San Francisco, CA.
(2011) “‘Am I Not Ripe’: Reinventing Pan at the Pagan Festival Fire,” Association for
Theatre in Higher Education, Chicago. Panel organizer and participant.
(2010) “Teaching Focal Point Seminars from a Multidisciplinary Perspective,” Focal
Point Best Practices Conference, DePaul University, Chicago. Panel participant.
(2010) “’When All Else Fails, Read Everything’: Reading, Storytelling, and Divination in
Current Vertigo Comics,” Popular Culture Association, St. Louis.
(2009) “Performing Religious Identity in Popular Culture,” Association for Theatre in
Higher Education, New York City. Panel organizer and participant.
(2009) “‘The Magic Circus of the Mind’” Reading the Tarot of Comics,” Popular Culture
and American Culture Association Conference, New Orleans.
(2008) “When the Veils are Thin: An Occult Performance Theory,” American Academy
of Religion Annual Meeting, Chicago.
(2008) “Playing with Fire: Alchemical Performance at the Pagan Festival,” Association
for the Study of Esotericism conference, Charleston College.
(2008) "'To Learn of Magic is Not Hard': Teaching Tarot in Comics," Graven Images:
Religion in Comic Books and Graphic Novels, conference at Boston University.
(2007) “Dancing at the Crossroads: Intersections of Voodoo Performance and Vodou
Practice,” Association for Theatre in Higher Education , New Orleans. Panel organizer and participant.
(2007) Roundtable on Spiritual Tourism and Alternative Spiritual Movements in New
Orleans, Religion and Theatre pre-conference for ATHE, panel participant.
(2006) “Alchemical Rhythm: Sacred Dynamic Fire and the Politics of Drumming,”
American Academy of Religions Annual Meeting, Washington D.C.
(2006) Founded and organized the Performance Ethnography working group for the
Performance Studies Focus Group, pre-conference, ATHE.
(2006) “Interventions and Radical Research: The Legacy of Dwight Conquergood,”
Performance Studies Focus Group Pre-Conference, Association for Theatre in
Higher Education, Chicago. Organizer.
Note: Essays based on roundtable published in Cultural Studies, 21:6.
(2006) “Aspects of metatextuality: using Buffy the Vampire Slayer to illustrate
performance theory and cultural studies,” part of “Across the Curriculum II:
Teaching Buffy,” Slayage Conference on the Whedonverses, Gordon College, GA.
(2006) “Occult Altar/Natives: Mad Mad House, Reality TV and Performance Initiations,”
Charming andCrafty Conference (Occultism and Popular Culture), Harvard University.
(2005) “Invoking Alchemical Performance: An Occult Manifesto for the 21st Century,” Performance Studies International Conference, Brown University.
(2004) “‘It’s Inside You, This Magic’: Magickal Embodiment and Occult Ethics in the
Buffyverse,” The Slayage Conference on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Nashville.
(2003) “Path of the Neophyte: Ethnography in a Magickal Community,” Association for
Theatre in Higher Education, New York City.
(2002) “Visceral Distance: Reclaiming Performance Frameworks Since 9/11,” Association for Theatre in Higher Education, San Diego. Chair and planner.
(2000) “Teen Witches, Wiccans, and ‘Wanna(Blessed)Bes’: Negotiating Witchcraft on Popular Television,” Panel for Religion and Popular Culture, Mid-Atlantic American Culture/Popular Culture Association, Albany, NY.
(2000) “Knowing Thyself: Spiritual Identity and the Possession of Performance,”
Roundtable discussion, Association for Theatre in Higher Education, Washington D.C..
(1999) “Dancing with the Beast: Role-Play, “The Edwardian Mysteries,” and the (Oc)cult
of Personality,” Association for Theatre in Higher Education, Toronto.
(1998) “Wiccan Performativity: Identity and Magickal Empowerment in the History and Practice of Witchcraft,” Association for Theatre in Higher Education, San Antonio.
(1997) “Conspiratorial Jouissance: The Paranoid Style of (Oc)cult Television or How I
Learned to Love The X-Files,” Competitive Debut Panel in Performance Studies, National Communication Association Conference, Chicago.
(1997) “Incarcerated Incantations: Occult Poetics and the Performance of Magickal
Resistance in a Correctional Institution,” Conference on Cross-Cultural Poetics, University of Minnesota.
(1997) “When the Veils are Thin: Performance Genealogies and Situational Tactics in a
Chicago Samhain Ceremony,” Conference on Festival and Ritual Display, Bowling Green State University.
(1997) “Performative Kabbalah: The Language of Techno-Magick and the Production of
Occult Knowledge,” Performance Studies and Technology Conference, Atlanta.
Other Scholarly Presentations:
2016 “Bowie and the Occult,” “Interrupting the Hero’s Journey,” “Pagan Consent Culture,”
Sirius Rising Festival, NY.
2015 “Sacred Space and the Genius Loci,” “Apopcalypse Now,” and “Fandom as Ritual,”
Sirius Rising Festival, NY.
2015 “Consent Culture at Festivals,” “Sacred Music for Thelemites,” Babalon Rising Festival,
IN.
2014 "Sacred Performances: Esotericism for Audiences," "Occultism and
Paganism In the Classroom," Sirius Rising Festival, NY.
2013 “Gender and Performance in Pagan Ritual,” Sirius Rising Festival, NY.
2013 “Sexuality and Gender in a Festival Setting,” Babalon Rising Festival, IN.
2012 “Performing Gender in Festival Culture,” “Supergods and Slayers,” Starwood Festival,
OH.
2012 “Kabbalah, Thelema, and Chaos Magick in Comics,” “Performing Godforms: Playing
with Deity,” Babalon Rising Festival, IN.
2009 “Occulture Clash,” “Sacred Performance,” “Pagan Studies 101,” workshops, Starwood
Festival, NY.
2005 “Wanna-Blessed-Be’s”: Wiccans and Pop-Culture, workshop, Starwood Festival, NY.
2004 “Magick, Postmodernism, and Academia,” workshop, Starwood Festival, NY.
1999 “Paganism and Performance: The Magick of Theory and Practice,” workshop, Pagan
Spirit Gathering, Wisteria, OH.
Performance Experience:
2015-present Founder/organizer/producer, Tribal Stomp, world music and dance event held
seasonally in Chicago.
2014-present Founder, songwriter, musician, performer, Secrets of the Beehive, musical group
based in Chicago, IL.
2009-present Musician, performer, “Mayan Ruins,” musical group based in Cincinnati, OH.
2008-2012 Musician, Performer, “Faebotica,” musical group based in Boston, MA.
2008 Performer, “Orpheus Rising,” Synphoria, Chicago.
2007 Researcher, performer, “Re/Actions: New Orleans,” Association for Theatre in
Higher Education conference.
1999 Adaptor, director, “Interior Castle,” Performance Studies Series, Northwestern
University.
1999 Writer, performer, “Pilgrimages and Pathworkings (Revisited),” Performance
Studies International Conference, Aberystwyth, Wales 1999.
1998 Musician, multi-media performance artist, “Digit One,” The Corp, Chicago.
1998 Ensemble member, contributing adaptor, “Animal Happiness,” Performance
Studies Series, Northwestern University.
1998 Writer, performer, “Three Steps in the Interior Castle,” The Note, Around the
Coyote Festival, Chicago.
1997 Writer, performer, “Pilgrimages and Pathworkings,” The Ziggurat, Around the
Coyote Festival, Chicago.
1996 Writer, performer, “Incantations of Escape,” Chopin Theatre, Around the
Coyote Festival, Chicago.
1995 Playwright, director, “A Whatever Day in the Alltime Lifetime,”
Cleveland Public Theatre.
1995 Director, actor, “Head Cheese,” New Plays Festival, Cleveland Public Theatre.
1994 Actor (Estragon), Waiting for Godot, University of Michigan Residential College.
1993 Actor (Banquo), A Macbeth, Ann Arbor Civic Theatre.
1991 Writer, performer, “Jazun Jetsam’s Oscillating Nostalgia Sculpture,” Cafe
Voltaire, Chicago.