WORKSHOPS
There is a lot of information out there about academic writing — on transforming dissertations into books, writing articles in a set number of weeks, writing practice and style, etc. Much of that advice is very good. But absorbing all of it can also be really overwhelming. And, frankly, a lot of what’s out there makes outdated assumptions about who’s reading it — their identities, experiences, and aspirations.
The goal of my workshops is to offer advice and feedback based on my experience helping dozens of scholars develop, draft, and publish work that is true to their interests, voices, and communities.
These workshops can take two possible forms:
Group Workshop: a one-hour presentation with 30 minutes for a group Q&A.
Intensive Group + Individual Workshop: a one-hour presentation with 30 minutes for a group Q&A, plus additional 30-minute individual “office hour” meetings with each participant to assess and develop their book plans or proposal drafts. To offer approximately three hours of one-on-one meetings along with the presentation and group Q&A session.
I have taught workshops for faculty and graduate students at Princeton University, Dartmouth College, UC Berkeley and John Jay College for Criminal Justice and have more planned in the near future.
I would welcome opportunities to offer workshops on public writing, dissertation-to-book development, or other related topics for faculty and/or students again in the future. Please be in touch if you’re interested!
You Can’t Write Your Final Draft First: Advice on publishing for early-career authors
This workshop is designed to support early-career authors with questions about scholarly publishing.
Topics include:
Turning your dissertation into a book
The relationship between book chapters and articles
How and when to approach presses and editors
How, when, and why to write book proposals
How to get useful feedback from your peers and mentors
What peer review is really like and how to prepare for it
The stages of academic book publication
“Crossover” books and public scholarship
The differences between academic publishing and trade publishing
Dissertation-to-Book Development: Why you can’t “write your dissertation as a book” and other advice on academic writing
This workshop offers practical advice on how to write (and finish) a dissertation with its future as a book in mind.
Topics include:
Writing a successful dissertation
How dissertations become books
The relationship between book chapters and articles
How and when to approach presses and editors
How, when, and why to write book proposals
How to get useful feedback from your peers and mentors
What peer review is really like
The stages of academic book publication
“Crossover” books and public scholarship
The differences between academic publishing and trade publishing
(Past offering) Writing About Religion Online: Making Scholarship Public
How can academics share their knowledge without being either misrepresented or alienating? It’s a cliché, but at a time when anti-intellectualism is rising, accusations of fake news are sounding in all directions, and “religion” is mentioned everywhere — but too seldom treated with depth or nuance — we need experts who can share what they know. As an editor, I am not just interested in making information about religion more widely accessible, my aim is also teaching the public how to think more like religious studies students. I know from my own academic training and ongoing work with scholars, that your expertise and your methods are extremely valuable. By sharing your work more widely, you can teach readers how to ask your questions and use your tools.
Traditionally, though, the academy has not prioritized training scholars to write for non-academic audiences. So, where do we start? This will be a conversation about how emerging and established scholars can reach new audiences online. We will discuss strategies for making writing accessible and interesting to scholars in other fields, students, non-academic readers, activists, and journalists. Topics will include the popular religion publication landscape, prose style, subject choices, and social media, as well as the challenges of engaging with journalists and readers. We will also discuss the more technical aspects of building a public writing portfolio, including pitches, pay, and editing. Most of all, I want this conversation, participants are welcome to bring questions and ideas for us to discuss.
(Past offering) Public Writing: Why it Matters
John Jay College, Public Advocacy Practicum Workshop for MA students, Spring 2019
Image: Josef Albers teaching at Black Mountain College (Gloria Naylor, 1949)