I certainly did not see this coming, but I am grateful for it. And I am especially grateful for the colleagues, students, and friends who have kept pushing me to write, think, and build things even when I was not sure I still belonged in the conversation.

Which is why it feels a little surreal to be in the middle of what might be my most productive stretch of writing yet. I am presenting research at both #MLA and #SCMS in the next six months, and I am finishing up three edited collections right now (one of them with two incredible co-editors).

The first few years were particularly rough, as there were definitely people who treated me as if leaving the university meant I had stopped being a scholar altogether. And, for a while, I did. Adjusting to a new routine and a new schedule was hard.

Pre-order a copy of your own—or better yet, ask your academic library to order one for its collection! Every request helps this important work reach more readers.

Hold your loved ones close. And hold our supposed leaders accountable. Mass shootings are not inevitable.

💜💜💜💜💜

Writing is hard.