Stepping Up—or Leaning In? I can’t remember which one we’re doing now…

Awhile back, I made the decision to start saying YES to opportunities that felt too above my pay grade.

In 2016, I finished my Ph.D. and moved our family from Tennessee to New York. That was a BIG move, and it took me some time to adjust to life post-grad school in a new area of the country. I needed time to heal from, well, grad school (my stepdad died, I had a baby, my spouse separated from the military, my dad was arrested and imprisoned for horrendous crimes, and my mother went more than a bit off the deep end).

I wrote a novel through that phase to regain my footing—then, the pandemic hit. Everything changed again, the culture, the world, everything.

Wrote another novel and a bunch of literary criticism essays.

Asked to be on an editorial board for a special issue of a journal with amazing academic women.

My mother died (cancer, but decades of opiates certainly didn’t help—think Demon Copperhead). Healed some more. Decided to start just doing stuff—ready or not. Try to release the chokehold on my words and actions.

Applied for the sabbatical—Approved.

Invited to join the Executive Board for the SUNY Council on Writing (CoW) in January, 2024. (And THIS? Holy smokes are the other board members impressive! I feel like such a kid, kicking my feet under the desk during meetings, but there is just SO MUCH TO LEARN from them! I am actively trying to steer away from saying “so-and-so is intimidating” and instead rephrase to “I am intimidated by…”, and this committee is certainly practice in that!)

Rewrote the novel.

Started the sabbatical. Emailing complete strangers, visiting campuses, networking like I’m an extrovert. Share this with our student-tutors—watch them start picking up steam for their own projects—undergrad research conferences and writing center symposiums.

Started novel #3, sent novel #2 out to beta readers.

Joined the Steering Committee for the Northeast Writing Center Association (NEWCA)—the Two-Year School Representative. (Again—SO MUCH to learn from the other board members!)

This week I get to visit not one but two writing centers in the area and Zoom with a third. It’s going to be a busy one—again!—but so, so many good things to come from it.