Developing the Writing Process: Cleaning the Litter Box, Constipation, and Other Metaphors
Most people don’t usually experience quiet moments of realization while cleaning out a cat’s litter box, but this is sort of how the writing and editing process goes: Here I crouch, sifting through environmentally-friendly litter and scooping out poops. Several paces away, my handsome tuxedo derpface sits primly, tail curled around his hind legs, silently
Back to School Shopping: Exploring Independent School Teaching
Let’s pick up where we left off, shall we? I had graduated with my PhD in English but had realized that a tenure track academic job was not for me. What does one do, then, to prepare oneself for a new career path? Again, I must echo what Staci emphasized—reach out to your networks.
We’re All Smart Enough: A Pep Talk for PhDs on the Job Market
I begin this blog post with the title “We’re All Smart Enough” because, as has at least been part of my experience of graduate education, there is a perception that only the best and brightest get the coveted tenure track job in higher education. But I’m here to tell you—if you’re in a PhD program, you are one of the best and the brightest. You ARE smart enough. And deciding that you do not enjoy parts of the work, or do not want to make certain lifestyle choices to try and get that tenure track job, has nothing to do with intelligence.
Show, Don’t Tell: Networking and Showing Up
When asked to write a series of posts on how my PhD work prepared me for a more diverse career path, I knew that I wanted to be helpful while still acknowledging the truth behind finding any sort of employment: so much of it is about luck, not skill and worth. Yes, I have a lot of skills that have made me a good fit for my current job as a tutor manager. They are not necessarily why I was hired, though. I got the job because I was in the right place at the right time. Then, I had the aptitude that allowed me to do well in the role once there. So, to that end, I’m going to discuss two related but ultimately separate things in this week’s post: 1) how to help bolster your luck on the job market and 2) which skills helped me thrive once I had a foot in the door.
On Alt-Ac Careers and Autoimmune Conditions
This month, Broadly Textual is proud to welcome back two outstanding graduates from the English Graduate program at Syracuse University (and previous contributors to the blog), Dr. Staci Stutsman and Dr. Melissa Welshans. Each week in March, our returning contributors will discuss their experiences within their PhD program, the skills they gained during their studies,
“Remarkable Boy … I Think I’ll Eat Your Heart”: Revisiting Hannibal
This week, we return to the archive for a post by Molly Cavanaugh, where she discusses the non-traditional erotics of the relationship between Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham. In the same vein as Mark’s posts, which have considered representations of gay relationships in film and television, Molly’s post contemplates the homoerotic tension created between predator
No True Coming Out: Queer Life in “Please Like Me”
Unlike My Beautiful Launderette, whose narrative refused our identification with Omar and Johnny’s romantic life, the 2013 Australian TV show Please Like Me is structured almost solely around relationships. Queer love and intimacy are a complete spectacle, where most of the narrative (and much of the comedy) comes from Josh’s (Josh Thomas) sometimes awkward —and
Dirty Laundry in “My Beautiful Launderette”
What does queer media beyond mere representation look like? This week, Mark Muster begins to answer the question that he posed in last week’s post. In a 1986 New York Times interview regarding My Beautiful Launderette (1985), director Stephen Frears notes, “It’s a completely ironic film, isn’t it? We wanted people to have a wonderful
What is Wrong with “Gay TV”?
Recently, there has been an uptick in the amount of “gay-centric” media created by the mainstream film and television industry. Movies like Call Me by Your Name (2017), Moonlight (2016), Carol (2015), Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), etc. mark a notable shift in LGBT narratives to being not only more mainstream—more desired—but actively produced for recognition among
“Fitting In”: Taking Up Space in the 116th US Congress
“Next time someone tells Bronx girls to take off their hoops, they can just say they’re dressing like a Congresswoman.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) Every year, I make a feminist New Year’s resolution: apologize less; shut down more mansplaining; take up more space. Sometimes I mean this last one literally: I’ve learned to square my shoulders