P. Carl
“As a social justice advocate who has lived most of my life as a queer white woman and felt the discrimination that comes with that subject position, what does it mean to inhabit white masculinity at this time in our history?”
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“The book is honest, bracingly intelligent, plainly written, often painful, never glib—a terrific and mature addition to the canon of transition memoirs.”
“He writes with the directness and intimacy we yearn to encounter in conversation. Becoming a Man is a memoir that is jolting, honest, passionate and beautifully written. ”
“Becoming A Man is a fierce and thoughtful memoir of a transitioning body. In grappling with his own biology, gender theory, politics, and relationships, P Carl has proven himself an indispensable voice in the conversation around gender identity. His story is a galvanizing call to action: to love, embrace, and fight for transgender lives.”
“In Becoming a Man, P. Carl movingly and incisively conveys experiences that range from self-perception to mortality itself; experiences that matter to all of us, regardless of our sexual identities. Becoming a Man is a profound human story.”
“Deeply personal and moving...will captivate readers from the first page to the last.”
P. Carl is the author of the memoir, Becoming a Man: The Story of a Transition (Simon & Schuster, 2020), which Publishers Weekly described as “moving and captivating.” A section of the book was excerpted and featured in The New York Times Magazine. He is the Distinguished Artist in Residence, Department of Performing Arts, at Emerson College in Boston and is the Anschutz Fellow at Princeton University for Spring 2020. He was awarded a 2017 Art of Change Fellowship from the Ford Foundation, the Berlin Prize fellowship from the American Academy for the Fall of 2018, and the Andrew W. Mellon Creative Research Residency at the University of Washington. His work has been published in the New York Times Magazine, and is forthcoming in The Boston Globe Magazine, and Lit Hub. He is currently working on the stage adaptation of Becoming a Man, commissioned by American Repertory Theater, Diane Paulus directing.
His most recent work as a dramaturg includes Claudia Rankine’s The White Card. He is the co-founder of Howlround, a free and open platform for theater-makers worldwide that amplifies progressive ideas about the art form and facilitates connection between diverse practitioners.
Operating from the core belief that theater is for everyone, Carl seeks to use the power of live performance in concert with opportunities for international dialogue and activism to foster personal and political transformation through the shared experience of art. Discussing the founding of Howlround, Carl notes: "When you open the door, when you say anyone’s welcome, a lot of people who haven't felt welcome come through.”
In an interview with WBUR in Boston, Carl reflected on his career in theatre: “I think you could see, in my career, a commitment to social justice and activism. … The questions of equity and inclusion — those questions are the ‘whys’ of theater. In the career I've put together, I've not lost any of those passions."
Carl received a Bachelor's degree in English Literature and a Masters in Peace Studies from Notre Dame, and holds a PhD in Comparative Studies in Discourse and Society from the University of Minnesota. He has spent time in Florida working to organize union farm workers, and in south central LA working at a clinic of Central American refugees. Born in Elkhart, Indiana, he now lives in Boston with his spouse, the writer Lynette D'Amico, and their dogs Lenny Obama and Sonny.
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Becoming a Man
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