This past July, Professor Heidi R. Lewis (Feminist & Gender Studies) hosted “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Proposal?: An Intensive Academic Writing Retreat” at CC’s Baca Campus. The retreat was designed to support scholars developing academic book proposals in Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies and related disciplines like Black Studies and Disability Studies. Through writing workshops, independent writing blocks, accountability partnerships, and 1:1 meetings, Prof. Lewis supported fifteen colleagues from the U.S. and Canada by demystifying the publishing process and helping them develop strong, competitive proposals.
As Prof. Lewis puts it, after becoming a Full Professor two years ago, “I began thinking about ways to leverage that power and privilege in service to folks we often refer to as ‘junior’ scholars.” She has been able to work towards achieving this vision in several ways, including her work as the newest Series Editor for Expanding Frontiers: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality, a University of Nebraska Press book series. This, as well as her writing retreat, has allowed Prof. Lewis to focus on encouraging, supporting, and mentoring first-time BIPoC and LGBTQIA+ scholars.
This year’s inaugural retreat was, as Prof. Lewis puts it, “an undeniable success.” Participants left rave reviews for Prof. Lewis’s efforts in organizing and leading the workshop. One participant, Dr. Samina Gul Ali, Assistant Professor of English at Kean University in New Jersey, declared, “This experience will hold a special place in my heart for a long time!”
Prof. Lewis will be holding a virtual retreat this coming spring, as well as a second annual in-person retreat next summer. Faculty interested in applying should visit her website, www.heidirlewis.com, for more information.
