Hello, everyone. I hope that you each had a good summer and that the fall is off to a strong start. A belated congratulations to Dr. Yolande Graham who successfully defended her dissertation and was hooded earlier this month. Great scholarship and so much more to come for Dr. Graham. I am taking a little different approach to the blog this year. I have accumulated some resources and some things that are more focused on your well-being than specific tasks or pep-talks. I can s

While part of my job is to do research and academic writing, I am a creative writer at heart. I have read lots of books about writing. A few I recommend to everyone - creative, academic, or other types of writers include: Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, Strunk and White's Elements of Style , A Year of Writing Dangerously 365 Days of Inspriation and Encouragement by Barbara Abercrombie, and On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King. I also HIGHLY recommend that everyon

Truer words were never spoken. When you hit a wall, you can push on because you love what you are doing or you can push on because you're...

And to get done, you need to do the work. Go do the work. NOW.

A road somewhere in Virginia. Earning a doctoral degree is hard. It just is. It should be. Not a lot of people do this thing you are...

We can find inspiration in the stories of others. Here is one for you: Dr. Courtney Cain

"Sometimes you get lucky and your work stalks you like a tiger, and all you have to do is stand there and let it leap on you. Most of the...

We all get run down at times. We need to rest, refuel, and then resume. Once you get to the point that you have finished classwork, it is...

My nephew Zak a few years ago during a photo shoot I did with him in Portland, Maine. Remember when you were excited to apply for the...

As you get ready for your proposal or dissertation, you will get to explore, struggle through, and successfully complete new writing...

Click the button above. It will take you to a wonderful little video. Trust me. You'll appreciate it. I think. (pause) Yes, you will. At...

I thought I'd focus on love this week with "that February holiday" approaching. I love my students. For me, that means that I care very...

Whether you are taking a course, preparing for comps or your proposal, or working on your dissertation, things will come up that you did...

For those of you who will be defending your dissertation this spring or over the summer, a few words of advice: Keep going. Swear a...

Be good to yourselves. If you have a negative inner voice, confront it, care for it, help it heal, whatever you need to do. So much of...

If you read the title as "Yeti" and are excited to hear my thoughts about and experiences with the abominable snowman, you are about to...

Hi. So if you're nervous about your dissertation defense, here are some things to consider: 1. If you've chosen your committee well, they...

Cou is French for "neck" Rage is English for "rage" Therefore, "courage" means rage that you didn't stick you neck out and try to learn...

If you don't have a graduate school playlist that you update periodically, I strongly recommend you develop one. Suggestions: *...

If you think that you can't do this doctoral thing, it's okay. If you need to ask for clarification about things in class, in writing, or...