On Friday, July 27th, the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) announced the dechartering of the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC), the primary professional association for writing studies. Within a swift two-day period, this 77-year-old association was dissolved, and it has felt like a significant loss within ongoing attacks on and dismantling of higher education. There are many efforts underway toward strategizing and rebuilding a ... Read more ...
commitments
20 Reading Recommendations for Career Discernment
Recently I joined my library's summer reading challenge. I have been inspired by and enjoying the wide-ranging challenges, which not only span genres and activities but also stretch me in surprising ways. Examples include "read an author with your initials," "send your local library a postcard," and "visit special collections and look up a newspaper article from the day you were born."In the midst of this summer reading challenge, I am imagining a "career discernment ... Read more ...
Bear Ways: A Commitment Statement in Poem Form
Earlier in June, after months of intense revision, I finally updated my commitment statement. It was a long time coming, as I returned to southern Appalachia and newly to Asheville—Cherokee Land in Western North Carolina (WNC)—back in 2024, ten weeks before Hurricane Helene hit. My writing has been coming slower since the move partly because of recovery and healing from the storm. Partly because of the time involved in putting down roots, building community, and ... Read more ...
Oat and Bean Burgers: Quick 5-Ingredient Veggie Burgers
When I started blogging in 2016—wow, that’s a decade ago!—I knew I wanted to share recipes and talk about food, because it’s so central to everyday life. Literally, food is the fuel of everyday living and striving toward justice. Over the years, I’ve pulled back on recipes and “why vegan?” posts not because they’re less important but because life is pulling me in many directions. Over time, I’ve shifted toward more whole food plant based (WFPB) eating, still working on ... Read more ...
This Valentine’s Day, Here Are Questions to Hold with Care
This Valentine's Day, I want to share gratitude and say again that I'm making it through these times because of community care and creative interventions, including many small affirmations that add up to being here, breathing in and out, writing little by little, and taking it truly day by day.In these times, gifting feels more important than ever, so for the coming months (in my newsletter, via social media, and through YouTube), I'll be offering more prompts and ... Read more ...
Q&A with Pam Jones, Ph.D.: Butterflies, Kaleidoscopes, and Monsteras. Together, Educators Are Dreaming a New World.
Pam Jones, Ph.D. is someone I want you to know. Pam is a compassionate, visionary, and infinitely wise voice in the world of education. Since we've been working together, I've learned so much about intergenerational literacies and imaginative world-building. Pam teaches and inspires me (and so many of us) and holds such hope for what’s possible in striving toward liberation and justice. And now, thankfully, she’s offering to hold space and work one-on-one, with small ... Read more ...
After Academia: Career Paths in Community Writing
I am grateful to be presenting tomorrow (Saturday, October 25th) at the 2025 Conference on Community Writing, speaking on the roundtable “After Academia: Alternate Career Paths for Designing Justice.” Thanks to Megan Faver Hartline, Ph.D. (The Grants Clearinghouse) for organizing this session. And lots of gratitude for co-panelists Sonia Arellano, Ph.D. (Tampa VA Research and Education Foundation), Rachel Bloom-Pojar, Ph.D. (Confianza Collective), and Candace ... Read more ...
Meaningful Writing Doesn’t Always Make Its Way into Writing Portfolios
I recently created a new writing portfolio, which I am excited to share! Because my SelectedWorks page was sunsetted this summer, I needed a new way to share publications. The portfolio highlights some, while linking to a fuller list (what I’d share as part of an academic CV). I start with academic publications and then share pieces from public and community writing. And I include a final section of meaningful writing that doesn’t always (or even often) make its way ... Read more ...
Q&A with Sarah Gettel: Consultant, Operations Support, and Capacity Coach for Heart-Head-Hands
I am excited to introduce Sarah Gettel, a good friend and accountability partner who’s been working behind the scenes with Heart-Head-Hands: Everyday Living for Justice. Sarah and I met in 2019, soon after I’d left my faculty career, through mutual contacts engaged in racial justice organizing in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We deepened our relationship in the early days of the pandemic, forming an accountability pod and meeting regularly with Rasha Diab ... Read more ...
Recommitting and Reconnecting With Your Writing
The month of May always feels like a time for recommitting and reconnecting: recommitting and reconnecting to creative work, to writing projects (especially those set aside), and to ourselves and the people we write with and for. There's an invitation to start again, as spring is in full bloom and the promise of summer awaits. It's not that the everyday efforts end, but there's the potential of more levity with longer days stretching ahead. There's the potential for ... Read more ...
