Graduate Speaker Series

Essays on Music, Adolescence, and Identity: The Adolescentia Project 

About the Talk

Essays on Music, Adolescence, and Identity: The Adolescentia Project explores music consumption, self-discovery, media culture, and memory through autoethnographic essays on albums we loved during adolescence covering three decades (1980-2010) as the music industry and socio-cultural identity landscapes in the United States significantly changed. The collection advances our understanding of music culture, identity, and adolescence in three ways. By examining these influential albums, we can better understand the role of popular culture in identity construction and the long-term impact of these formative musical experiences. 

About the Speakers

Mary Beth Ray, KLN '12, is an associate professor and chair of Communication and Media Studies at Plymouth State University. Her research interests include digital technology and culture, gender studies, popular music, and autoethnography. She is the author of Digital Connectivity and Music Culture – Artists & Accomplices (2017), editor of Essays on Music, Identity, & Adolescence: The Adolescentia Project (2024), and co-curator of The Adolescentia Project digital archive. 

Carrie Teresa Isard, KLN '14, is an associate professor and chair of Communication and Media Studies at Niagara University. Her research interests include journalism history, ethnomusicology, celebrity culture and autoethnography. She is the author of Looking at the Stars: Black Celebrity Journalism in Jim Crow America (University of Nebraska Press, 2019) and co-curator of The Adolescentia Project digital archive.