Beth Godbee, Ph.D. | Writer, Educator, Researcher, Coach
Hello! I’m an educator, writer, and former writing studies professor who now offers public education courses, coaching, and retreats. My writing and research address matters of social, racial, and environmental justice; power, agency, and rights; career discernment via commitments to justice; 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, writing coach, 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,” “Building Resilience for Racial Justice,” and “Career Discernment for Academics: Aligning Career with Commitments.”
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 and experiences with burnout in Inside Higher Ed), I have 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 and with small groups and to offer tailored programs for universities and organizations, including the University of North Texas, Graduate Career Consortium, The Damascus Project, and Fayetteville Public Library.
Here Beth Godbee writes on a white board as part of an interactive workshop at the University of Houston.
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 started Heart-Head-Hands in 2018 while living in Washington, D.C. In 2024 (a few months before Helene), I returned to Southern Appalachia (I grew up in East Tennessee), and I now live on Cherokee Land in Asheville (Western North Carolina, WNC).
As an independent scholar-educator-activist, I continue my research agenda, collaborating frequently with co-author Rasha Diab, Ph.D. and making academic publications publicly accessible through my writing portfolio. My academic publications include articles in Research in the Teaching of English, Community Literacy Journal, Feminist Teacher, Pedagogy, College Composition & Communication, College English, Writing Center Journal, and Praxis. My co-authored article “Rhetorical and Pedagogical Interventions for Countering Microaggressions” was 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.
My recent work also includes collaborative projects around countering microaggressions and practicing accountability (with Rasha Diab) and pathways through burnout (with Candace Epps-Robertson).
If you’re interested in learning more, 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)
Professor Beth Godbee speaking on MUTV during research presentations for “Ethnography of the University.”
