Beth Godbee, Ph.D.

Hello! I’m an educator, writer, and former writing studies professor who now offers public education courses, coaching, and retreats. My research addresses matters of social, racial, and environmental justice; power, agency, and rights; and relational communication.

As an educator, I believe our fully embodied selves matter in the world. We can’t just think our way out of the incredible injustices, dehumanization, and wrongdoing that characterize everyday life. We must feel and act, too. This is where Heart-Head-Hands gets its name.

I bring years of experience as a writer and writing teacher (previously tenured professor in composition, rhetoric, and literacy studies). I have worked in K-12 schools, writing centers, community literacy programs, teaching and learning centers, and writing across the curriculum programs. And I have taught a wide range of courses, including “Writing for Social Justice,” “Contemplative Writing,” “Ethnography of the University,” and “Building Resilience for Racial Justice.”

This work has allowed me to collaborate with people and organizations in and out of higher education, including nonprofits, libraries, church groups, colleges and universities, professional associations, and racial justice coalitions.

Since leaving my faculty position in 2018 (read about my decision in Inside Higher Ed), I’ve focused on public writing and community education through Heart-Head-Hands: Everyday Living for Justice. This work now allows me to work one-with-one with individuals and to offer tailored programs for organizations, including the Graduate Career Consortium, The Damascus Project, and Fayetteville Public Library.

Previously, I was a faculty member at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I studied composition and rhetoric at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (Ph.D.); academic, professional, and technical writing at Georgia State University (M.A.); and education, political science, and women’s studies at Agnes Scott College (B.A. and secondary teaching certification). I now live in Washington, D.C.

As an independent scholar, I continue my research agenda, collaborating frequently with co-author Rasha Diab and making academic publications publicly accessible through SelectedWorks. My academic publications include articles in Research in the Teaching of English, Community Literacy Journal, Feminist Teacher, Pedagogy, College English, Writing Center Journal, and Praxis. My co-authored article “Rhetorical and Pedagogical Interventions for Countering Microaggressions” has been selected for Best of the Journals in Rhetoric and Composition 2021. And my chapter “The Trauma of Graduate Education: Graduate Writers Countering Epistemic Injustice and Reclaiming Epistemic Rights” appears in Learning from the Lived Experiences of Graduate Writers, which won the 2021 International Writing Centers Association (IWCA) Outstanding Book Award. Current research projects focus on countering microaggressions and epistemic injustice.

If you’re interested in learning more, please read about the commitments that guide my work, review my publications, and check out recent blog posts.

If you’d like to connect, reach out with inquiries, and subscribe to my email newsletter.

With gratitude, in lifelong learning and unlearning,

Beth (she/her)