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Thinking in Public
A Workshop for Engaged Scholars

Instructor: Deborah Siegel, PhD, author Sisterhood, Interrupted and Only Child; creator of the Girl w/ Pen blog

Description:  What does it mean these days to be “an engaged scholar”?  For many it means writing for and engaging with a public wider than one’s peers.  This workshop is for the academically-inclined writer who wishes to extend her reach, the researcher who longs to write something other than grant proposals, the professor or administrator curious about blogging, the scholar who dreams of publishing a commercial book, a magazine article, an op-ed.

In today’s competitive marketplace of ideas, thought leaders increasingly desire a voice in the popular sphere.  Often, academic culture puts restraints on how, what, and where scholars think they can write.  For a variety of reasons, academically-trained writers often find themselves unprepared to address a broad public.  Many are taught to subordinate themselves to their topics, yet taking a public stance means putting yourself in your piece—and more.  To write for popular media in today’s publishing climate, you must be able to craft engaging, accessible, non-technical prose that appeals to an audience far outside your area of expertise.  These skills can be learned.

Thinking in Public is a hands-on, on-site workshop covering the how, what, and where of reaching a wide public through the written word.  These full and half-day trainings are designed to help researchers, scholars, and policy “wonks” bridge the translation gap and is tailored to meet participants’ needs.

Among topics covered: techniques for de-jargonizing and enlivening prose; the importance of narrative; common pitfalls; why “making it pop” is not equivalent to “dumbing it down” or “selling out”; overcoming internal hesitations, institutional scorn, and other obstacles to broader engagement.  Participants are encouraged to come with findings, perspectives, or ideas for stories they aspire to turn into popular books, non-academic articles, or use as platforms for a blog.  The workshop will help jumpstart individual projects, demystify next steps, empower, persuade, and inform.

About the Instructor

Deborah Siegel, PhD is the author of Sisterhood, Interrupted: From Radical Women to Grrls Gone Wild, co-editor of the literary anthology Only Child: Writers on the Singular Joys and Solitary Sorrows of Growing Up Solo, and co-founder of the webjournal The Scholar & Feminist Online. She has written about feminism, masculinity, contemporary families, sex, and popular culture for a range of venues, including The Washington Post, The Guardian, The Huffington Post, The American Prospect, More, Psychology Today, The Progressive, The Mothers Movement Online, and on her blog, Girl with Pen (girlwpen.com). As a principal at Girl w/ Pen Consulting, Siegel works with thought leaders, philanthropists, advocates, and social entrepreneurs, and organizations seeking to expand their public platform and bring their expertise to a wide audience.  Siegel received her doctorate in English and American Literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2001.  Read more about her work at www.deborahsiegel.net.

For more information, contact Deborah Siegel at deborah@girlwpen.com.

What participants are saying…

“Deborah was great! She has amazing contacts in the publishing industry and is herself a great resource. She really made each student feel like s/he was getting very individual support on her/his project.”

“I learned so many things about getting my work into the broader world and invaluable tips for how to market myself. And in addition to the things I learned, I got to see others’ work in progress, which was exciting and inspiring.”

In the news…

“Authors willing to venture into the increasingly user-friendly world of do-it-yourself high tech are rewarded.  Interviews published online generate invitations to do podcasts, guest posts, and interviews on XM radio.  Blogs become communities and engender blog tours.  Online audiences lead to sales.  I know that it’s not easy, but rest assured: the learning curve is not steep.” – Deborah Siegel, “Wired, She Wrote,” Women’s Media Center

“[The workshop] had professors with roller bags postponing flights and scribbling furiously on their notepads as Deborah Siegel described her journey from doctoral candidate at the University of Wisconsin to New York public intellectual and author of the 2007 book Sisterhood, Interrupted: From Radical Women to Grrls Gone Wild (Palgrave) about infighting, both historical and contemporary, within the feminist movement.”  -Courtney Martin, “Women’s Studies Writers Vie for More Media Turf,” Women’s E-News