7yo: "The pants in the dreaded size don't fit me as well as the other ones." (He's growing out of, you guessed it, size 6/7)

She did it! Woburn has a new school committee (=school board) member who is an immigrant and speaks Spanish! We knocked on so many doors and had so many conversations, and now the person who gives Know Your Rights presentations has her own seat at the table of our little city's government.

How do I write a response to peer reviews? https://bit.ly/3F51anF University press publishers answer frequently asked questions like this one on our #AskUP site. Curious about how university press publishing works? #AskUP!

You guys, she won, she WON, I’m crying

I’m at a local polling place (not mine) waiting for the results to be posted on the wall so I can text them to my friend Andrew and he can put them into his spreadsheet and we can get the unofficial totals before the city tallies them We‘re no NYC, but we’re really into our elections

Join us for a workshop on publishing books in Korean studies (broadly defined). Speakers will tackle questions like: How long from idea to contract? How to pitch to editors? What goes in the book vs. articles? How to stay authentic? 🗓 Nov 12 (Wed), 3:30-5PM EST 🔗 Sign up: bit.ly/dkscbookwork...

Update: he caught me canvassing his actual street! (I actually really like this guy and have his sign in my yard!)

Adventures in small-town politics: finding myself canvassing the same list on the same day as my candidate’s main competitor, then spending the evening trading campaign stories with that competitor at a Halloween party, then heading out today to canvass his neighborhood 🤣

OK Woburn, let's GOTV! Maria Teresa Nagel for school committee, let's gooooo!

We can hardly believe it's been two years since The Dissertation-to-Book Workbook released. Used the workbook? Consider leaving a review. It may seem small, but reviews are a great way to help other academics decide if the workbook is right for them. www.amazon.com/ap/signin?op...

This is now at least two Massachusetts teens torn from their families, our schools, and our communities and sent back to the country their families are seeking legal ASYLUM from. Where is the leadership??

Worried your book doesn't have a chronological narrative? Allison discusses why you may need to view your book from a different perspective. Listen to post: vimeo.com/907021011?ck... @allisonvandev.bsky.social @uchicagopress.bsky.social Purchase our book here: press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...

And this work leads to other Qs: Is Y actually influencing X? What is the mechanism of the change in this chapter? (IS there a change in this chapter?) How does this change fit into the book argument? How do X and Y vary from chapter to chapter, and what are the implications? (3/4)

How does this relationship (of influence, change, etc.) play out in a different way *in each body chapter*? In Chapter 1, how does the chapter-specific version of X influence the chapter-specific version of Y? How would you describe what changed in this particular chapter? (2/4)

I sometimes work with academic authors whose books, in the big-picture vision, are making an argument along the lines of “X influenced Y” or “The interaction between X and Y changed X.” And I’ve seen some incredible results when these authors focus on a particular type of question: (1/4) #AmEditing

Our 7yo pointed out that if George Washington had been a king, he would have passed the crown down to his descendants and then we...wouldn't be in the situation we're currently in. We're a No Kings household, but I have to admit his logic makes a certain sense.

I got a really nice email the other day about my free mini-course on clear communication in teaching material. Maybe you'll like it too!

Town Halloween parade, fifth-grade float, let’s gooooo

Ah, locals mention the federal court order here, which also requires agents to wear some identification. Also, quite an image in here: masked, fully-geared-out DHS agents getting screamed at in a residential neighborhood by some dude who is barefoot and in pajama pants.

PhD in 2017, here. My work is, broadly, about oppressive regimes and cultural forms. For me, it’s not self-consciousness or discouragement. It’s feeling like I need to realign my work to meet the moment. And the moment is an erratically moving target.

Worth noting: folks who got a PhD in those yrs dealt w a terrible/increasingly unstable job market & ALSO instability on the tenure track if they were lucky enough to get it. I am one of those, & (long story) my long-term future in academia at this point is nonetheless potentially done.

Something I've heard a lot in the past few months: "I got my PhD in [year between 2015 and 2020]. I've been spinning my wheels on this dissertation-to-book manuscript ever since. I feel so self-conscious / discouraged / alone / bogged down / embarrassed about how long it's taking."

Twice a year I hold a workshop on writing a nonfiction book proposal. It’s organized to lead you through exercises that results in a draft or revision (or just learn about the genre) Next one starts in January

This year, my 7th-grader has a math workbook on actual paper, and it is a gamechanger. He can see all the diagrams. He can write on the margins. Yesterday's homework was page 88-89; today's is 90-91. Easy. The technology is a barrier to accessing the work long before they get to the content.

I’m an adult with a lot of education, three decades of experience using computers, and a well-functioning laptop, and I’m sitting here editing a draft on paper because I understand things better that way. In other words, I think Caitlin is exactly right here

I'm now co-hosting a free #AcademicWriting group on Zoom that is scheduled for scholars in Asia. There's still space available, so — join us the first Tuesday in November? (My co-host is the wonderful @theclarityeditor.bsky.social. Follow her!)

It finally happened: one of my clients was the peer reviewer for another client's book manuscript (and wrote a phenomenally helpful report, and praised the book highly for its meticulous organization and well-developed argument) 😍 #AmEditing

"Composed of neighbors, parents, and community members, school boards are modern-day town halls where self-government is not just discussed but enacted." Author Scott Levy writes on how school boards are emerging as one of the most vital arenas in American democracy for @time.com:

"This pragmatic workbook walks an author through clear steps to identify the organizing principle of the book..." Writing an academic book is a daunting task. Where to start? This workbook. @uchicagopress.bsky.social @allisonvandev.bsky.social press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...

Scene: It's dusk, and I'm making my way along a path through a yard full of half-finished building projects. A surly-looking man answers the door and I introduce myself and the candidate. He barks, "She isn't one of those BOOK BANNERS, is she? Cause we don't want any of that here." 🤣

It turns out we have the kind of 7-year-old who gets to the end of Blueberries for Sal and says, "But I thought she had SIX blueberries in her pail, not three" and then we go through and count them up and he's RIGHT

Report from local politics: I'm having a ton of fun helping campaign for our school board candidate (Latina woman running in a historically blue-collar conservative suburb with lots of immigrants). So many unexpected connections! So much strategizing with friends! So many great text threads!

Do you need more fun and poetry in your life? I highly recommend this utterly delightful Wordle-inspired poetry game! My Wordle group chat is loving it.

My best advice to aspiring authors of scholarly books is to read other scholarly books recently published by your target press. This may seem obvious and yet is not!

Check it out: we turned our September "Identify Your Audience and Find Target Presses" webinar into a free self-paced course, with video clips and a worksheet! (We took out all the info that would have identified participants and their projects and re-recorded some clips) #AcademicSky

“‘These men think they’ve done nothing wrong’: the philosopher who tried to understand Gisèle Pelicot’s rapists” “When 50 men went on trial in France, accused of raping a woman who had been drugged by her husband, Manon Garcia was in the courtroom. How does she make sense of what happened?”

I would urge you to take part in a No Kings even this Saturday if you can. It's big tent time, meaning we can't do purity politics but need to build coalitions. Find an event by clicking on the link then share widely and commit to demonstrating the strength of our numbers. www.nokings.org#map

ICE kidnapped a 7th-grader with a pending asylum claim and spirited him out of state without notifying his parents, seemingly with the cooperation of the local police in Everett, MA. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/12/m...

Peaceful protest is as American as apple pie. The No Kings protests exemplify that tradition - for GOP leaders to come out and accuse them of hating America means the leadership must truly be terrified of the groundswell of righteous nonviolent anger they have unleashed.

Look, I get critiques of *how* someone conducts an interview. But Wilson’s congregants include the Sec. of Defense, who invited a pastor in Wilson’s denomination to lead the first of a recurring worship service at the Pentagon. If anything, it’s odd it took this long for outlets to interview him.

Here's a post from Katelyn about a topic of perennial interest to our workshop authors and my editing clients: when to write your book's introduction. dissertationtobook.com/when-introdu...

Revisions can be overwhelming, and I often encourage authors to rank revisions from "critical" to "if-there-is-time." I also tell authors to write down three parts of the manuscript that make them proud because every manuscript has fantastic parts, too. #AcademicSky #amediting #academia #writing

FYI happening this Thursday—free and open to all. Just click the link to register. Featuring @dwcongdon.com, @dawnd.bsky.social, and Alyssa Napier talking all things diss to book—what’s the diff b/w them, how to find a press/approach an editor, tips for proposal writing. Join us & spread the word!

"There is nothing funny about calling me or Donald Trump a fascist, and if you do, we will ship you to Guantanamo."

Authors of scholarly books: Are you struggling with perfectionism? Are you overwhelmed by the sheer number of things you have to do to finish your manuscript? Here's @katelynknox.bsky.social with a suggestion: find a way to get regular, low-stakes feedback on your writing.

Did some door-knocking for our school committee candidate; engaged in some light political bribery (giving the 7yo Skittles per door knocked/opened)

Congratulations to Seçil Daǧtaş, an early alum of The Dissertation-to-Book Workbook, whose timely and beautiful book "Under the Same Sky: Everyday Politics of Religious Difference in Southern Turkey" is out from the University of Pennsylvania Press! (1/2) www.pennpress.org/978151282771...

This has a bunch of info about ICE kidnappings in Somerville. The quote that stands out to me is an agent saying, the person "fit the description of the problem we are here to address." Abolish ICE isn't a radical idea, it is a survival imperative for the nation

I’m giving a free workshop *today* on how to connect with editors at scholarly publishers. Let’s take some anxiety out of this first step so you don’t let fear or confusion about norms keep you from moving forward with publishing your book courses.manuscriptworks.com/courses/conn...