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A Professor Writes Back: Why I Stay
Posted on November 19, 2015 1 Comment
“AADUNA IS GOING TO PUBLISH FLIP AND FLOP!!!! I just HAD to let you know!!!!!!!! Thank you so much for everything that you taught me in this class!! I’m so excited!” – former Advanced Composition student, March 2014 “I just wanted to send you a quick email letting you know that the second piece I […]
Rejection, Acceptance, and Opportunity
Posted on October 8, 2015 1 Comment
Yesterday, I received a rejection for a creative nonfiction story that I crafted this summer. It was from a high profile and very competitive journal. But that’s okay. It’s okay because they received over 550 stories in response to their call, and I’m a writer, which means I immediately submitted that same story to four […]
Outreach, writing, and workshops!
Posted on September 24, 2015 Leave a Comment
Greetings, lovely people! Finding time to write can be challenging when your job and personal/home life keeps you busy, but we writers find a way! Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with a high school English class about contemporary Native Americans, which is related to my specialty of Indigenous Rhetorics. Showing these students such […]
Special Post: So you’re going on the academic job market
Posted on September 12, 2015 Leave a Comment
This post is just for those of you in grad school or who are going on the academic job market this year. (If you are a fellow academic or a grad student, please share this widely. This advice is important.) (For the rest of you, academia has a “job season” and it’s right now through […]
Writing is labor
Posted on September 7, 2015 1 Comment
When we think of labor, we often think about unions and steamfitters and autoworkers and construction crews. What about writers? Writing is labor, too. Sitting down to write an essay or fiction story or poem or annual report or academic grant may not require you to wear steel-toed boots and get your hands dirty, but […]
Writing skills on the job
Posted on February 20, 2015 Leave a Comment
No matter what you do for a living, chances are extremely high that you write on the job. Did you know that companies spend over $3 billion a year helping their employees learn how to write better? That’s a lot of scratch. And just because your boss hasn’t brought in a pro like me to […]
Spice up your prose with sensory details
Posted on February 13, 2015 2 Comments
Imagine reading your favorite novel or creative nonfiction book (Cheryl Strayed’s Wild, perhaps, or Terry Tempest Williams’ Finding Beauty in a Broken World) without any sensory details. In fact, I challenge you right now. Go pick up that book that you are reading. Flip to a page, any page. Now scan carefully for any and […]
The importance of audience
Posted on February 6, 2015 Leave a Comment
When writing for publication (or just sharing), how often do you consider this question: “Who is my audience? Who is my ideal reader?” Think about who that person is, whether a friend, or a relative, or a spouse, or a co-worker. Thinking about who your ideal reader is can focus your efforts, especially if you […]
Amanda Morris, Ph.D. 