Reimagining What an Essay Can Be
Many readers associate essays with rigid academic structures—five paragraphs, thesis statements, and formulaic analysis. My work challenges that assumption.
These pieces explore the essay as a hybrid literary form: part journalism, part criticism, part creative writing. I often describe my approach as amphibian—able to move between poetic language and analytical insight. The goal is not experimentation for its own sake, but to align form with content, allowing structure, voice, and even visual elements to mirror the subject being explored.
These essays were published by independent arts publications that prioritize thoughtful cultural criticism and community-driven publishing.
- PopMatters — a respected independent magazine with a large global readership and strong presence in scholarly databases
- Fluid Radio — a niche publication devoted to avant-garde music and sound art
- A Closer Listen — a community-focused publication emphasizing thoughtful and constructive criticism
Each outlet reflects a shared ethos: independent publishing that supports artists and fosters cultural dialogue.
Case Study
Experimental Cultural Essays
Project Snapshot
Campaign Type: Long-form cultural criticism and creative essays
Format: Hybrid journalism / literary experimentation
Objective: Expand the interpretive possibilities of the essay form while making complex artistic ideas accessible.
1. Interview Essay: Human and Machine Creativity
Lorem — Generative AI and Artistic Identity
Published in PopMatters
Article:
https://www.popmatters.com/lorem-adversarial-feelings-interview-2635575115.html
Why It Matters
The project explores questions that have become increasingly central to contemporary culture:
- the relationship between human creativity and artificial intelligence
- authorship in an era of generative tools
- whether artistic intention can exist in algorithmic systems
Lorem’s work blurs the boundary between human and machine authorship, using generative systems to create music and multimedia art that feels both programmed and organic.
Narrative Approach
Rather than presenting the interview in a conventional question-and-answer format, the piece frames the conversation within a speculative narrative voice.
The essay opens and closes with a poetic meditation written from the imagined perspective of an AI developing self-awareness. The language intentionally reflects:
- algorithmic logic
- recursive thought patterns
- associative leaps that mirror machine learning processes
This framing device transforms the interview into a philosophical dialogue about consciousness and creativity.
Signals
This project demonstrates:
- multimedia arts journalism
- translation of complex technological ideas into accessible storytelling
- experimental narrative framing
- philosophical inquiry through cultural criticism
2. Literary Cultural Essay
Ursula K. Le Guin and the Music of the Kesh
Published in Fluid Radio
Article:
https://www.fluid-radio.co.uk/2019/02/ursula-k-le-guin-todd-barton-music-and-poetry-of-the-kesh/
Why It Matters
Few writers have reshaped speculative fiction as profoundly as Le Guin, whose work integrated:
- anthropology
- feminism
- philosophy
- myth and ritual
Her fictional cultures challenged dominant assumptions about:
- gender roles
- political structures
- spirituality and myth
This essay focuses on a particularly unusual project: the musical interpretation of Le Guin’s fictional culture, the Kesh, created by composer Todd Barton.
Structural Innovation
To reflect the playful intellectual world of Le Guin’s writing, the article incorporates an unusual element: a crossword puzzle embedded in the essay.
The puzzle references:
- ideas discussed within the article
- themes from Le Guin’s fictional anthropology
- details recognizable to longtime fans of her work
The crossword invites readers to engage with the essay interactively—printing it, solving it, and exploring Le Guin’s imaginative universe more deeply.
Signals
The project highlights:
- literary criticism accessible to general audiences
- creative structural experimentation
- integration of interactive elements within journalism
- celebration of speculative fiction’s cultural impact
3. Sound Art Interpretation
David Vélez — Sonic Philosophy
Published in A Closer Listen
Why It Matters
David Vélez works in a highly conceptual artistic space where sound intersects with philosophy and installation art.
The album explored in this essay abandons many conventions of musical composition:
- no traditional melody or harmony
- no cyclical rhythmic structure
- no composed notes in the conventional sense
Instead, the work relies on foley sounds and environmental textures, assembled into shifting sonic environments.
The resulting soundscape feels simultaneously abstract and tangible—suggesting deeper reflections about fragmentation in contemporary culture.
Narrative Strategy
Because the music itself rejects traditional structure, the essay mirrors that approach.
The piece is written as a fragmented poetic collage, using forward slashes to structure the flow of ideas:
sound / texture / interruption / memory / echo
These fragments accumulate gradually into a broader interpretation of the album’s conceptual architecture.
Rather than explaining the music analytically, the essay recreates the listening experience itself—demonstrating the principle of “showing rather than telling.”
Signals
This piece demonstrates:
- interpretation of experimental art forms
- translation of abstract theory into accessible narrative
- structural alignment between subject and writing form
- interdisciplinary cultural criticism
Lessons Across These Essays
Together, these projects illustrate a consistent philosophy of cultural journalism:
Form Should Reflect Content
Each article adapts its structure to the subject being explored.
Examples include:
- speculative narrative framing (AI interview)
- interactive crossword puzzle (literary essay)
- fragmented poetic structure (sound art criticism)
Journalism Can Be Creative Without Losing Rigor
The essays combine:
- research
- interviews
- philosophical inquiry
- literary experimentation
This balance preserves both credibility and imaginative engagement.
Independent Publishing Matters
All three pieces were published by mission-driven cultural outlets that operate outside mainstream media structures.
These publications demonstrate how independent journalism can sustain:
- thoughtful arts criticism
- supportive creative communities
- global cultural conversation.
Todd B. Gruel 