RU Talk: The Artist as Biographer: Ru Marshall and David Dixon discuss American Trickster: The Hidden Lives of Carlos Castaneda
Wednesday, June 3, 2026 | 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Location: Residency Unlimited, 360 Court Street (main green church doors), Brooklyn, NY 11231 (map)
On June 3, artist/writer Ru Marshall and artist/curator David Dixon will discuss Ru’s newly released biography American Trickster: The Hidden Lives of Carlos Castaneda (OR Books). Twenty years in the making, American Trickster tells the story of the once world-famous pseudo anthropologist who rose to fame in the 1970s following the publication of his first book, The Teachings of Don Juan. Castaneda, a brilliant plagiarist, became one of the bestselling authors of his era by passing off novels as anthropology; among the topics to be discussed will be the problem of authenticity in writing and the visual arts, and the boundary between fact and fiction.
As Castaneda’s academic career began to decline, he became the leader of a cult that held out the possibility of eternal life. After his death, five of his closest associated committed suicide in order to join him in the next dimension. Ru and David will discuss the mechanisms through which cult leaders control their followers and the importance of understanding these methods in the era of Trump and MAGA.
Other topics to be discussed will be the appropriation and exploitation of Indigenous cultures, the difference between cults and religions, and the contrast between having a career as a writer and as an artist, and cultic tendencies in both disciplines. There will be a question and discussion period following the talk. Book will be signed, and for sale.
Ru Marshall, a nonbinary visual artist and writer and 2023 Alum curator, is the recipient of the Hazel Rowley Prize from the Biographers International Organization for American Trickster: The Hidden Lives of Carlos Castaneda (OR Books), which Kirkus calls “a project of epic proportions, pulled off remarkable élan.” Their novel, A Separate Reality, was nominated for a Lambda Award for debut fiction, and their writing has appeared in N+1, Salon, The Evergreen Review, Artnet, The Kenyon Review, and numerous other publications. Their visual work has been exhibited at Participant Inc., White Columns, Art in General, Ghost Machine, Cathouse Proper, and at numerous venues worldwide. Their website is rmarshallstudio.com
