Happy Labor Day Professors, Thank You!

Professors; listen up.

You rock.

You have dedicated your lives to inquiry, learning, teaching, and the development of minds and spirits (yours and your students).  You do research that matters; even when you are not certain of its impact. You have persevered over many years, over many decades.

You are labor heroes! You no not forge steel like the American labor heroes of the past, but you forge minds! Who has contributed more to the economic and social development of our country? I would say nobody. You are the embodiment of the spirit of resilience, tenacity, problem solving and service that exemplifies the best of who we are.

Now, a challenge, to professors and non-professors alike. Say thank you to one professor who has made a difference in your life. Regardless of when and where they made a difference. Reach out, say thank you. They deserve it, as do you!

From my Book of Poetry, Compañero

Thought I would share one of the poems from my book of prose poetry, Compañero. I can't believe its been eight years since it has been published. I really love prose poetry; in many ways it was my entry point into narrative nonfiction, poetic inquiry and autoethnography.

If Only but for a Moment

Do you remember lying fully dressed in your bed in that Japanese hotel in New York a few years ago? Writhing in mad laugher like brain diseased cows. Perhaps at our own stupidity. Or that of others. At our sadness that overtook us like legions. At the absurd things women have said to me during sex, inane things whispered in return. Perhaps about that time in high school; I pretended to be a radio disc jockey, booming corny voice and all, and a granted false limousine ride to that grim girl from math class. I remember always our laughter, holding off that Egyptian dark dullness of your depression, for moments fleeting like the blur of blue wind. Maybe we were seventeen, that one time I tried to kiss you. Why didn't you close your eyes? Perhaps you knew, that if you locked them tight, your eyelashes pointing down like thin fingers towards your center, if you had let go, that we would have fallen in love. Perhaps, you knew you needed me never to see you, to know you, as a woman. But sitting here, imagining you having fallen again into that auburn void, that bottomless despair, I wished you would have shut your eyes, if only, but for, a moment

Exercise: Work on Your Conclusion Now!

Stop what you are doing on your article now. If you not working on your article, then open your document. Yes, no. Do it.

For me.

Please.

Pretty please.

For only 15 minutes; you can spare it!

For the next 15 minutes, write some of your conclusion. Yes, I know your not there yet. Yes, I get that this make no sense. But do it. You can. You can. Si se puede.

You added to your word count. You had thing to say that you might not have realized.

Writing as a method of inquiry.

Now, what does this teach you about writing?

Where am I going, whose going with me?

Sam Keen's "Fire in the Belly" was a book that had a great deal of meaning to me many years ago. While I have moved beyond a good deal of the author's ideas about masculinity and men (although some are still great), I still very much appreciate many of the evocative narratives, and his lessons about life.

In one of the teaching stories, about the author's tendency to place the seeking of intimate relationships above his exploring his own direction and place in the world, he was given what he viewed as sage advice by a friend and mentor.

"A man (and woman, please) must answer two questions in his/her life, and especially during times of transition: 1) Where am I going?; 2) Whose going with me?"  If you reverse the order of these two questions, your in deep trouble." (I paraphrase)

So, you are probably asking yourself (especially if you have not read my blog often and have yet to come to appreciate my seemingly tangential ruminations) what does this have to do with writing, publishing, or the academic life?

There are so many external expectations that are placed upon us; at times we can easily feel like we are constantly responding to others. The needs, dictates, and desires of others can subtly and almost unconsciously shape what we study and what we write, if we are not careful. It is important to take time to step back from it all and carefully reflect upon what we are doing, and where we are going. This is what a sabbatical is for.

During my sabbatical, I really got in touch with how my longing for the stability of tenure, many moons ago, started to powerfully shape the work I was doing. I began to empathize the areas of my work which were more congruent with the "status quo" of my discipline (social work), and moved away from my work in expressive research.

During a six week trip to the Philippines and after a great deal of self reflection, I decided it was time to put aside writing and publishing in two areas, and focus on my love and passion for autoethnography and expressive/creative methods of qualitative research.

On some level, having tenure, being in my forever faculty position, and having been promoted to full professor allow me the luxury of this type of calculus. Yet, I wonder if I would not be in a further along in my scholarship had I remained more true to myself. Am I now the "best" version of Rich the scholar, the person, or would I be move "evolved" had I stayed more true to my own vision?

No glib answers or suggestions, but something for you upon which to reflect.

"I Am A Terrible Writer"

I have heard this more than once. Actually, I have heard this more than 50 times. As a child, it was something I learned to say to myself, as you can read in my story.

Faculty certainly do not help our students in this regard (often). At least half of the time a student is mentioned in one of our faculty meetings someone says "They are a terrible writer" or something to that effect.

But what does this really mean, "a terrible writer." Problems with line by line grammar? Not understanding the conventions of an academic article? Not having mastered writing productivity? Inability to express oneself?

As with the similarly glib and all encompassing writer's block, you really need to deconstruct what this means to and for you. You need to understand all your strengths as a writer; I am sure that there are many. Nobody is a "terrible writer"-we all have areas to improve, but many areas of strength. Identify your limitations and weaknesses, and seek to fix them. One by one, work on them, and watch your writing improve.

Work on that internalized critic that feeds upon  your all encompassing, either or lies lies. Writing is a complex act. You have strenghts and weaknesses. Maximize your strengths. Work on the weaknesses. Go forward.

Finishing It Out

Recently, I have come across a few writers of various genres who are finishing their first books, plays or manuscripts. What a special and exciting time. Finishing your first book, and subsequently publishing it, can mark one's psychological and real entry into a new space, a new "club" and trigger a deep feeling of accomplishment and belonging. The finishing stages of a book are also wrought with challenges, depending upon the nature of the book, whether or not there is an existing contract for it, and many other factors. Many people find that as they get toward the end of their book, they start to slow down, and find their internal chatter that they thought they had conquered begin to increase in volume.

Here are but a few of the issues you need to attend to as you close out the first draft of your manuscript: perfectionism, fear of failure, the impulse to rush and be done with it, fear of being judged, severe self downing, and anxiety.

I have addressed many of these this "psychosocial summer"- check out posts from June through now for guidance on how to contend with these various issues.  The most important first step is to begin to recognize your internal, self downing dialogues and begin to challenge them. If you struggle to do so on your own, get some support; now is the time to get what you need- your almost done!

A Demanding Writing Coach

While I believe in a strengths-based coaching approach to writing and publishing, I admit we all need some tough love from time to time. Here, my writing coach exhibits some tough love through an intense and demanding gaze. Her demolishing her coaching prompt also sends shivers of fear up my spine.