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Headshot of Krysten Voelkner

The Fall 2020 UNC Latina/o Studies Program’s “Health, Environment, and LatinX Experiences” Grad Symposium allowed panelist Krysten Voelkner to gain valuable feedback from participants, which contributed to the publication of her essay. Titled “Another Way of Seeing: Environmental Existentialism in Cortázar’s “Axolotl,”” the essay examines Julio Cortázar’s short story “Axolotl” through the lens of ecological existentialism. Its focus involves Cortázar’s revision of Sartrean existentialism, his portrayal of human-animal interconnectedness, and the story’s ties to Mexica cosmology. Forthcoming in the environmental philosophy journal The Trumpeter, the essay offers a literary touchstone to the theory of ecological existentialism, while also considering the intersections of biodiversity conservation and environmental justice.