Astra Taylor

Who is Astra Taylor?

Astra Taylor is a Canadian-American documentary filmmaker, writer, and musician, best known for her 2005 film, Zizek!, about the Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek, and for her 2008 film, Examined Life.

Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Taylor grew up in Athens, Georgia, and was unschooled until age 13. She attended Brown University for a year and holds an MA in Liberal Studies from the New School. She has taught sociology at the University of Georgia and SUNY New Paltz. Her writings have appeared in numerous magazines, and in 2006 Filmmaker Magazine listed her as one of "25 new faces to watch." She is the sister of painter and disability activist Sunny Taylor, and is married to Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel. Taylor performed with Neutral Milk Hotel during the band's reunion tour of 2013/2014. She is the author of the book The People's Platform: Taking Back Power and Culture in the Digital Age, published by Metropolitan Books.