Welcome to The Academic Life! In this episode you’ll hear about: Why Dr. Marshall Poe left a tenured professorship to create the New Books Network How his own experience with dyslexia inspired his book-talk podcasts, Why he wouldn’t want to go back to being a professor now, Common misconceptions—plus some good advice—about starting a podcast The NBN’s role in democratizing education and in supporting academic presses. Our guest is: Dr. Marshall Poe, who is a historian, writer, podcaster, and edi...
Jun 02, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 106
Welcome to The Academic Life! In this episode you’ll hear about: Alice Connor’s career as a feminist scholar and a college chaplain How women in the bible have been misunderstood by scholars A discussion of the book Fierce: Women of the Bible and Their Stories of Violence, Mercy, Bravery, Wisdom, Sex, and Salvation Today’s book is: Fierce: Women of the Bible and Their Stories of Violence, Mercy, Bravery, Wisdom, Sex, and Salvation which reveals how women in the Bible aren't shy or retiring; they...
May 26, 2022•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 103
Welcome to The Academic Life! In this episode you’ll hear about: Dr. Heather Wagoner’s experience failing her doctoral qualifying exam How she responded as the shame set in What she did to regroup and find a way forward The meaning she’s made of that experience and how it changed her Heather’s advice to advisors and graduate faculty Her advice to students facing a crossroad in their educational journeys Our guest is: Dr. Heather Wagoner, Director of Student Engagement and Campus Life at Virginia...
May 19, 2022•51 min•Ep. 102
Welcome to The Academic Life! In this episode you’ll hear about: Why failure is part of the hidden curriculum Why you can’t be creative or innovative without failing [sometimes a lot] How to learn from it, instead of sweeping it under the rug A failure our guest and our host each faced A discussion of the Museum of Failure Our guest is: Dr. Samuel West, a licensed psychologist (cognitive behavioral therapy) with a PhD in Organizational Psychology. His research focuses on creating climates for in...
May 12, 2022•59 min•Ep. 98
Welcome to The Academic Life! In this episode you’ll hear about: How the Common got started What is involved in running a literary journal Why grants and institutional support matter so much in the literary arts The importance of finding mentors and building a network How the Common creates community Our guest is: Jennifer Acker , who is the founder and editor in chief of The Common, and author of the debut novel The Limits of the World, a fiction honoree for the Massachusetts Book Award. Her me...
May 05, 2022•54 min•Ep. 94
Welcome to The Academic Life! In this episode you’ll hear about: Why doing writing and other kinds of retreats are part of the hidden curriculum How taking time for self-care is crucial to doing well at work and at school What a retreat is How to do a retreat at home Ways retreating helps you think and feel better, and the science that proves it Today’s book is: DIY Solo Retreats: A Handbook for Creating Your Space, Setting an Intention and Getting the Self-Care You Deserve, by S. A. Snyder. Whe...
Apr 28, 2022•55 min•Ep. 97
Welcome to The Academic Life! In this episode you’ll hear about: Dr. Julie Dillemuth’s path through higher ed What led her to try to write for a popular audience, and what helped her learn how to do it Why she writes for children about spatial cognition skills How receiving 82 rejection letters didn’t stop her path to publication A discussion of the books Lucy in the City, and Camilla and the Big Change Today’s books are: Lucy in the City, a picture book about a young raccoon who gets separated ...
Apr 21, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 104
Welcome to The Academic Life! In this episode you’ll hear about: How ‘the good life’ makes people disconnected and unhappy Mia Birdsong’s work in community building The intentionality required for creating communities of support The importance of interdependence, vulnerability, accountability, and leaning on each other And a discussion of her book How We Show Up Today’s book is: How We Show Up: Reclaiming Family, Friendship, and Community by Mia Birdsong, in which Birdsong uses research, intervi...
Apr 14, 2022•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 100
A Conversation with Dr. William Germano Welcome to The Academic Life! In this episode you’ll hear about: Important questions to ask yourself before getting started on revising A review of the basic options for the post-defense dissertation Hurdles a manuscript must clear in the scholarly publishing process How voice operates in scholarly writing The importance of book and chapter titles What good writing is and what it does Our guest is: Dr William Germano, professor of English at Cooper Union i...
Apr 07, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 99
Welcome to The Academic Life! In this episode you’ll hear about: The science that explains our busy minds What mindfulness is The difference between mindfulness and meditation How changing our habits is a small-step by small-step process A discussion of the book Bettter Daily Mindfulness Habits: Simple Changes with Lifelong Impact Today’s book is: Better Daily Mindfulness Habits: Simple Changes with Lifelong Impact Mindfulness by Kristen Manieri. Mindfulness is a powerful tool for staying calm, ...
Mar 31, 2022•50 min•Ep. 91
Welcome to The Academic Life! In this episode you’ll hear: Why it is so important to have the conversation about “Equity in Higher Education” and why now is the time to do so What equity means; for whom, and what equity entails in thought and action What it means to perform equity as a routine practice in higher education What makes individuals equity minded Today’s book is: From Equity Talk to Equity Walk: Expanding Practitioner Knowledge for Racial Justice in Higher Education, draws from campu...
Mar 24, 2022•40 min•Ep. 96
Welcome to The Academic Life! In this episode you’ll hear about: Dr. Bacal professional and academic rejections How success and rejection are part of the same path The importance of having a supportive person or a support system Why rejection is part of the hidden curriculum A discussion of the book The Rejection that Changed My Life Today’s book is: The Rejection that Changed My Life, featuring interviews with more than twenty-five women, including Keri Smith, Angela Duckworth, and Roz Chast. R...
Mar 17, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 92
Welcome to The Academic Life! In this episode you’ll hear about: How a devotion to efficiency can become unhealthy Why leisure time (a.k.a. doing nothing) is essential How to reclaim our time and humanity · A discussion of the book Do Nothing: How to Break Away from Overworking, Overdoing, and Underliving Today’s book is: Do Nothing, by Celeste Headlee, which examines how in searching for ways to “hack” our bodies and minds for peak performance, people are working more instead of less, living ha...
Mar 10, 2022•52 min•Ep. 88
Welcome to The Academic Life! In this episode you’ll hear about: How rejection is normal and even inevitable Skills to help you learn from and move through rejections toward your goals Why you need to develop your capacity for patience How asking people about their own rejections can help normalize yours A discussion of the book Win or Learn Today’s book is: Win or Learn: The Naked Truth About Turning Every Rejection into Your Ultimate Success, by rejection expert and New York Times bestselling ...
Mar 03, 2022•54 min•Ep. 95
Welcome to The Academic Life! In this episode you’ll hear about: How multi-tasking and reactivity drain productivity Why skills you used before you turned 20 don’t work for your maturing brain Which attention management skills can solve your time management problems How mindfulness can help A discussion of the book Attention Management Today’s book is: Attention Management: How to Create Success and Gain Productivity Every Day, by Maura Thomas. In a short, color-coded book designed to be read in...
Feb 24, 2022•59 min•Ep. 93
Welcome to The Academic Life! In this episode you’ll hear about: A process focused approach to completing a dissertation and other academic writing The function of a dissertation and how it’s often misunderstood The importance of the research question The shift from student to scholar How delaying writing saves time The differences between fast writing, editing, and proof-reading Our guests are: Dr. Sonja K. Foss and Dr. William Waters. Sonja and William are the coauthors of Destination Disserta...
Feb 17, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 89
Welcome to The Academic Life! In this episode you’ll hear about: The Emerson College Prison Initiative The Bard Prison Initiative How students apply to, enroll in, and attend college while in prison Challenges faced by incarcerated students Engaging effectively with incarcerated students Our guest is: Dr. Mneesha Gellman, an Associate Professor of Political Science in the Institute for Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies at Emerson College, in Boston, MA, USA. her primary research interes...
Feb 10, 2022•53 min•Ep. 86
Welcome to The Academic Life! In this episode you’ll hear about: Dr. White’s journey to earn a PhD in tuba The Baltimore School for the Arts The importance of having a village The hidden curriculum Why teaching and mentoring are equally important for educators to do A discussion of the book I’m Possible: A Story of Survival, A Tuba, and the Small Miracle of a Big Dream Today’s book is: I'm Possible: A Story of Survival, a Tuba, and the Small Miracle of a Big Dream (Flatiron Books, 2021), a memoi...
Feb 03, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 87
Welcome to The Academic Life! In this episode you’ll hear about: The hidden curriculum of the final year of the PhD program Writing your dissertation when you still have so much left to read about Why the final year of grad school is uniquely challenging How to determine if you should stay in your program or leave Why finishing your degree causes both relief and grief A discussion of the book Your PhD Survival Guide:Planning, Writing, and Succeeding in Your Final Year Our book is: Your PhD Survi...
Jan 27, 2022•54 min•Ep. 84
Welcome to The Academic Life! In this episode you’ll hear about: What the two-body problem is Dr. Kelly Baker’s experience on the academic job market as a wife and mother How gender bias can play out in academic job searches Why the three-body problem is a more accurate framing of this issue How Kelly reimagined herself and her skill set for jobs outside the professoriate Kelly and Chris’s advice to other dual-career academic couples Our guests are: Dr. Kelly J. Baker and Dr. Chris Baker. Kelly ...
Jan 20, 2022•55 min•Ep. 85
Welcome to The Academic Life! In this episode you’ll hear about: The hidden curriculum of transforming yourself from student to teacher Accepting and embracing your nerdy/geeky/introverted self Challenges faced by introverted teachers Prep [for yourself, your syllabus, and your course] Engaging effectively with students A discussion of the book Geeky Pedagogy: A Guide for Intellectuals, Introverts, and Nerds Who Want to Be Effective Teachers Todays’ book is: Geeky Pedagogy: A Guide for Intellect...
Jan 13, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 82
Welcome to The Academic Life! In this episode you’ll hear about: The other hidden curriculum: the support and care strategies necessary for being well in academia Systemic and structural barriers Undiagnosed academic challenges, and personal traumas guest and host have faced Why we all need support How to support someone in tough times and why “help” needs to be customized the book Being Well in Academia: Ways to Fell Stronger, Safer and More Connected Our book is: Being Well in Academia: Ways t...
Jan 06, 2022•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 81
Welcome to The Academic Life! In this episode you’ll hear: How part of the hidden curriculum is the support networks you need to create for yourself; How you create that by “finding your people” and what qualities to look for in those people; Determining whether they belong in an advisor, mentor, thought partner, or academic friend role, and ways those relationships may transcend time and institutions; Barriers to making connections and to being authentic; And the importance of asking, “does thi...
Dec 30, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 83
Welcome to The Academic Life! In this episode you’ll hear about: Nancy Thayer’s path through college and graduate school, her work as a professor, how she hit a glass ceiling in academia, her decision to pursue writing as a full-time career, her life on an island off the coast of Massachusetts, and a discussion of the book Girls of Summer. Our guest is: Nancy Thayer, the New York Times bestselling author of Secrets in Summer, The Island House, The Guest Cottage, An Island Christmas, Nantucket Si...
Dec 23, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 80
Welcome to The Academic Life! In this episode you’ll hear: --how Maura Nevel Thomas became an expert in time-management skills --why you need to use your to-do list differently than you think --how to determine your priorities --why life-hacks don’t help --and why being productive and being busy aren’t the same thing. Today’s book is: From To-Do to Done: How to Go From Busy to Productive by Mastering Your To-Do List, by Maura Nevel Thomas. Trying to remember a bunch of details and tasks isn't th...
Dec 16, 2021•52 min•Ep. 76
Welcome to The Academic Life! In this episode you’ll hear about: Dante Stewart’s path through college and into his current graduate school, playing football for Clemson, why former college athletes need to advocate for current student players’ rights, why he chose to go into the seminary at Emery, his grandmother, and a discussion of Shoutin’ in The Fire: An American Epistle. Our guest is: Dante Stewart, who is a graduate student, writer, and speaker. His voice has been featured on CNN, The Wash...
Dec 07, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 79
Welcome to The Academic Life! In this episode you’ll hear about: Megan Fraser’s job collecting and curating a Punk Rock archive, her current work at the Research Institute for Contemporary Outlaws, the outreach necessary for inclusion, the ethics of acquisitions, the complexity of preservation concerns, and why not everything can be saved. Our guest is: Megan Hahn Fraser has worked as the Assistant Curator of Manuscripts at The New-York Historical Society, the Library Director at the Independenc...
Dec 02, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 78
Welcome to The Academic Life! In this episode you’ll hear about: Bethany Johnson’s simultaneous journey through graduate school and motherhood, her struggles with infertility, the history of birth-care access, why Black women have worse maternal health outcomes, the consequences for pregnant people in a pregnancy-surveillance culture, and a discussion of the book You’re Doing it Wrong: Mothering, Media, and Medical Expertise. Today’s book is: You’re Doing it Wrong: Mothering, Media, and Medical ...
Nov 18, 2021•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 77
Welcome to The Academic Life! In this episode you’ll hear about: Dr. Dana Malone’s inspiration for researching in her own backyard, why she chose to do qualitative research for her dissertation and her first book, how she managed her insider/outside status, what bracketing is, using feminist research ethics, and how she dealt with gatekeepers. Our guest is: Dr. Dana M. Malone, a dynamic scholar-practitioner with a diverse portfolio of experiences in higher education. She specializes in the inter...
Nov 11, 2021•58 min•Ep. 75
Welcome to The Academic Life! In this episode you’ll hear about: Professor David Smith’s path to becoming a chemistry professor Why he’s passionate about making science inclusive and representational His husband’s death Being an academic and a single parent How sharing stories about food and cooking dinner helps him process his grief A discussion of his book Tw-eat: A Little Book with Big Feelings and Short Recipes for Very Busy Lives Today’s book is: Tw-eat: A Little Book with Big Feelings and ...
Nov 04, 2021•51 min•Ep. 74
