About

My name is Em Colquhoun [kuh-hoon] [she/they] and I am a writer and photographer from Hull, UK.

Best known for writing about the work of Mark Fisher, my first book, Egress (2020), explored questions of community and grief in the aftermath of Fisher’s death at Goldsmiths, University of London, in 2017. I have since edited Fisher’s Postcapitalist Desire lectures (2021) and contributed various introductory essays to reissues and translations of his works.

My most recent book, Narcissus in Bloom (2023), reconsiders the political histories of self-portraiture and narcissism, arguing that both have long been symptoms of discontent and a desire for (self-)transformation.

I have spoken about my work at events hosted in Slovenia, Hungary, the United States, Sweden, Ireland, Spain, Germany, Poland, Greece, Italy, Czechia, Estonia, Mexico, Columbia, and the UK.

I have a BA(hons) in Photographic Art from the University of Wales, Newport; an MA in Contemporary Art Theory from Goldsmiths, University of London; and I am soon to complete a PhD in Philosophy from Newcastle University.

No longer loitering around the edges of academia, I am currently commissioning editor at the Canary. I have previously worked as a proofreader and copyeditor of non-fiction. In another life entirely, I held the role of exhibitions coordinator at Ffotogallery and BAFTA.

To pitch a guest article to the Canary, please email em@thecanary.co.

If you would like to hire me, have questions about the blog and its content, want to translate something published here, or just say hello, please email em@xenogothic.com.

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