Trinity Alum and Author Jonathan Gonzalez Hosts Campus Reading Session

Drew M. Hoidal ’29

Contributing Writer

On Thursday, April 16, author and Trinity alum, Jonathan Gonzalez ’13, paid a visit to Trinity’s campus to share works from their piece “Ways to Move: Black Insurgent Grammars,” a book published in Nov. of 2025. Gonzalez’s work explores how Black life is felt, expressed and put together. They explore the connection between racial identity and space in a creative practice. Their former projects have included dance, lectures, video art and a variety of different representations of experiences. In addition, their work has been featured in publications such as ASAP/J Journal, EAR | WAVE | EVENT and Regiones:CENTRAL, among others.

Gonzalez’s discussion was held during common hour, where audience members gathered in Garmany Hall (Austin Arts Center) to listen to them discuss their creative writing process and read excerpts from their book. Gonzalez began their discussion with a brief introduction, which then shifted to a presentation of three different passages from “Ways to Move: Black Insurgent Grammars.” The first passage they shared was titled “The Ways,” a chapter in their book that reflects the human desire for connection and solidarity. “I want to be with you in the ways that you are,” Gonzalez read, a phrase in which they’d repeated multiple times throughout the piece. The phrase was employed to express various ways in which people seek to connect and stand with one another. 

In addition, lines such as “I want to be with you in the ways with you of inferred chatter” and “I want to be with you in the ways with you in our gothic wanting” added a sense of longing, thus capturing the nuanced ways that connection can manifest. Gonzalez’s words highlight that it’s not solely about physical distance but also about shared understanding and resonance. The section of the book revolves around the act of being with others in a variety of forms. The next expert that Gonzalez read from presented a similar theme, where the interplay of phrases helped depict a story. They recalled memories from their time spent in France, describing the “dense trees” and how they’d “swim and bathe through the daylight hours in Nice.” Gonzalez’s use of imagery reinforces the sensory depth of their memories, as they ground abstract ideas of connection in vivid, lived experience. Through these reflections, Gonzalez further emphasizes how presence can have different forms, and it’s something that can be shaped by memory. In the final reading, they presented content from an excerpt titled “The Black Dance,” a piece about the “dance process of inflection,” exploring the ways in which internal and external forces influence our sense of self and connection. Gonzalez recalled a narrative and reflected on information they’d gathered through their studies of dance and culture; the excerpt included imagery from a dance studio in which performers worked to stand out while still conforming to the expectations of the dance world and striving to meet its ideals. In each reading, Gonzalez shared, there were strong themes, such as the role of embodiment, the idea that identity, memory and resistance are carried through the body, through movement, dance and everyday actions. Furthermore, they managed to articulate how the Black experience can be dissected through a function of grammar and the creative use of abstract narration to add a meaning that would explain their stories on a deeper level. 

At the end of the discussion, Gonzalez left room for audience members to raise questions about their book through a Q&A. During this conversation Gonzalez shared their creative writing habits, expressing how they “had a collaborative structure” on their work, wrestling with different dialects as they claimed, “We all don’t speak the same language,” which allowed for them to create content that includes diverse assumptions. In addition, Gonzalez touched on the beginning of “Ways to Move: Black Insurgent Grammars” and how they used vulnerability to pull readers in through a prologue. They stated, “I wrote that section almost in a fever dream; it emerged from a semitic state, and it needed to be said. It emerged as a way to begin the book.”

Gonzalez’ reading and Q&A was engaging and insightful, and the event was very useful for aspiring writers to grasp an understanding of how a piece can come together. Gonzalez demonstrated a deep dedication to refining his craft and exploring new forms of expression.