He/Him

Travis Torres Thompson was raised in Taos, New Mexico. He received an Associates of Applied Science in Writing and Directing for Film from the Colorado Film School and worked as a cinematographer on several independent short films and documentary productions. He has also worked as a carver and woodworker, building furniture and cabinetry at shops in Taos and Seattle, Washington. After returning home in 2020, he enrolled at the University of New Mexico where he graduated in 2023 with a double major in Anthropology and Native American Studies.  

As an undergraduate, Travis was an El Puente Research Fellow, researching traditional and contemporary running practices among other Indigenous diaspora and in Native American communities. From his own experience with long-distance and prayer running, Travis looked at how this activity, rooted in cultural knowledge and land-based practice, can itself be a means of research and raising consciousness. In Spring 2023, he co-organized the Traditions of Endurance conference, a primarily Indigenous discussion and celebration of the many roles of dancing and running.

At UNM Albuquerque, he was also a Peer Coach in the Student Support Services TRIO program, mentoring and advocating for other low income and underrepresented students as they transitioned into college.  

CV

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Research Interests

Travis is currently a Distinctive Native American Collections Fellow at the Center for Southwest Research and Special Collections, assisting with various projects of preservation, accessibility, outreach, and the generation of new culturally appropriate models of managing archival content. He aims to continue his research into running epistemology, as well as look at how Chicanx storytellers enrich and infuse the pop culture phenomenon of comics with personal and culturally relevant narratives and representation. Travis plans to use this medium of graphic storytelling in his own presentations of research and personal narrative, highlighting its importance in disseminating regional stories and worldbuilding.

Research Topics

Land-Based Knowledge Systems | Running | Chicanx Comic Books | Community-Driven Archives | Speculative Worldbuilding