Just Like Starting Over (Or, Re-Learning How To Write Academically)

As in John Lennon’s “(Just Like) Starting Over” Yesterday, I read The Thesis Whisperer‘s latest blog post titled “Surviving the Reading Marathon”; the post covers tips on how to handle academic...

Writing Habits (Or, What Do You Do When You Write?)

Home/Away From Home

It’s been an emotional week. This week was my second-to-last week at work. It was also the week of the 20-day mark: 20 days until we move to Houston. This also means it’s been 70 days since I...

The Altac Chronicles, A Break in Our Regularly Scheduled Programming: Altac Will Not Save Us

If you’ve read some of my other blog posts, by now you know that I am on the alternative academic career track. Why I am on this track versus the tenure track or versus any other career track is a...

Writing: Help Wanted

“Writing” by Flickr user ^Missi^ under Creative Commons 2.0 License My time as Graduate Writing Specialist is coming to an end in a few weeks, as I have mentioned in my Altac Chronicles. However, I...

The Altac Chronicles, Episode 2: Flexibility

…doubt can feel like an admission of error — and the stakes of such error can be too high to countenance. (Having spent ten years preparing for a career, for instance, experiencing doubt about the...

The Altac Chronicles, Episode 1: Job (In)Security

Mid February, and Spring Training was days away. He was in Houston, the day after the press conference that announced he was the new voice of the Astros. I went to work because, well, it’s what I...

My Next (Writing) Step

“Perfect Stranger” by Flickr user mezone under Creative Commons 2.0 License Lately I’ve been thinking a whole lot more about writing, perhaps because I’m leaving my job at the writing center where...

Write, She Said.

Photo: “8/26 Day Write-a-thon for 826 Valencia” by Flickr user Steve Rhodes under Creative Commons 2.0 License I was in eighth grade when I considered becoming a writer. Not just any writer. I...

Aural Memories (Or, My Husband’s Play-by-Play Voice)

I met my husband in New York. He was a play-by-play broadcaster for a minor league baseball team. I was a graduate student whose only connection to the sports world was through her father, a big...

Statements, Missions, Focus (Or, What Am I Blogging About?)

Recently, Pat Thompson (one of my favorite bloggers out there in the field of academic writing–she’s one of the few bloggers that I read religiously) posted about her blogging identity and how that...

Back to writing

I had major plans for my “winter break.” I say “winter break” instead of just plain winter break because there is no such thing as a break when you work in student support, at least not at my...

Do Not Be Afraid

Image: “Don’t be afraid to fail: by Flickr user Kewl under Creative Commons License 2.0 2012 was a good year. I got my PhD, I got married, and I got my first full-time job. (Yes, my first one;...

English Literature, Coming in at #2

Reblogged from Gerry Canavan: PhDs Awarded to Women, by Academic Discipline. Via Twitter. Food for thought...what attracts women to English?

On The Air

“Creative Process Still Life” by Flickr user ~Cin~ This Monday, I will be on the air with Ben from Literature Review HQ to talk about the writing process–specifically, I will be talking about...

Play It Safe / Write It Safe

While I was driving the other day to work, I was listening to The Thesis Whisperer’s and Lit Review HQ’s PhDChat podcast on how to write a literature review from start to finish. As I was...

What do you mean, “Write”?

*Updated Over the years, I have developed a writing habit. Or, maybe, the inclination was already there and I just needed to tap into it, pop open the lid, and let it overflow. But writing has...

Twitter and Safe Academic Spaces

Dedicated to the women who kept on reading my thoughts, even when our ideas were discounted. I considered not writing this post. I considered just shutting up and letting the discussion about...

Spanglish Momma

Earlier this evening Miss E and I were eating dinner. The tv was off, and I had put away my smartphone. All was silent except for our chewing. Miss E was sipping apple juice from a juice box, and...

Rainy Day

We needed the rain around here, as you can see. On Friday the remnants of Tropical Storm Isaac roared through Kansas City. Wind and rain and grey skies covered us, and I was glad. For a moment,...

Finding My Niche

I’ve had graduate student writers on the mind lately, and writing in general. Since my last post, where I wondered out loud where my career is headed, I have been made full-time at my school, and...

Career-wise/Career Wise

In the past few weeks I have written, revised, rewritten, rethought this post. I’ve debated whether to post it or delete it, but I always end up clicking the “Save Draft” button and promise myself...

End of an Era (Or, Concluding My Dissertation)

Today I am defending my dissertation. Or I will have defended by the time you read this post. When I first started this blog, I was looking for an outlet to keep the creative side of my brain sharp...

Always Up For A Challenge (Or, Reviewing Audiobooks for The Armchair Audies)

Even though I am not out of the dissertation race just yet (just a few more weeks, folks!), I am already itching for something new to work on. A month ago I came across a tweet from Jen at The...

Academics on Academia: Grad Student Guilt (Fourth Installment)

Janni talked in her last post about the importance of support networks, both professional and personal. She emphasized that support networks not only help us in terms of job prospects (which is...

Academics on Academia: A Little Help From My Friends (Third Installment)

One of the things that Janni pointed out in her last post was the importance of support from faculty in helping students succeed at the graduate level, particularly as mentors. It made me think...

Academics on Academia: Any Questions? (Second Installment)

I had so many thoughts in response to Janni’s post, I had trouble going with one idea! I decided to start with something that came to mind after reading her post and talking with some readers via...

Academics on Academia: Ignorance Is Bliss? (First Installment)

*Updated post My friend and colleague Janni Aragon and I have been thinking a lot about the relationship between academia and women and people of color. A lot has been said about imposter syndrome,...

The Last Lap (or, The Race to Revise My Dissertation in a Month)

On December 25th, at about 4 pm, I emailed my advisor the full draft of my dissertation. The last few weeks leading to the 25th flew by like a haze; after Thanksgiving, I emailed my advisor my...

Sending My Writing Out into the World (Or, About Short Story Contests)

Several years ago, when I was in middle school, I wrote a story for a short story contest sponsored by Seventeen Magazine. I don’t remember what the story was about, but I remember typing it on a...