Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · You don’t have to start with an abstract Do you use conferences as a way to start new writing projects? In my experience it’s a pretty common practice. You are working on some research. You need to transition into the writing phase. A conference offers an impetus to make […]
Read More »Welcome to the Library
The Library is an archive of my writing about academic work since launching this website in 2009. The top section contains the most recent additions. If you are new here, scroll down to see a few suggestions for good posts to start with to get a sense of my general approach. The Spotlight section at the bottom highlights a series of posts on a specific topic, and is updated regularly.
Most of my writing is sent to Studio members or my newsletter before appearing here. Since 2020 I’ve been creating audio versions of most new posts. They are embedded here but you can also follow me on Soundcloud if you prefer to listen.
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Recent posts
Spotlight On: Confidence
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Spotlight On: Confidence Confidence is another thing a lot of people struggle with. It is related to Imposter Syndrome but is not quite the same thing. And, like Imposter Syndrome, lack of confidence isn’t an issue that will ever go away completely. It’s normal to lack confidence (sometimes). It’s […]
Read More »F**k Confidence. Settle into ease instead.
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · F**k Confidence. Settle into ease instead. Although confidence is bandied about as an individual, empowering thing, it’s also an insidious neoliberal, capitalist, patriarchal ideal that can often be more harmful than not. It tells us that: ‘you just have to be confident!’ ‘just do it!” ‘just be yourself!” ‘fake […]
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Start Here
The posts in this category introduce you to some of the main principles that guide my approach to academic work and careers.
What an academic career looks like
There are a lot of different ways to have an academic career. Your academic career is affected by both your own values and desires, and by forces beyond your control. Although a lot of academic career advice suggests that there is a clear path to success, there are lots of reasons you may not end […]
Read More »Introducing: the Academic Writing Studio
The Beginning When I started A Meeting With Your Writing back in September 2011, I didn’t even know if it would work. All I knew was that virtual accountability and community was needed, and that I was prepared to facilitate something that might help. Now, it feels central to everything I do. Participants have told […]
Read More »Hope works better than fear
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Hope is better than fear. I have cycled through a few tag lines in my attempt to succinctly capture what it is I do: “Love Your Academic Work” made way for “Transforming Academic Lives“. This latest iteration has the benefit of coming directly from something clients have said about […]
Read More »Spotlight On: Confidence
This Spotlight highlights the things I’ve written about confidence with a focus on reframing what it is, and helping you understand the ways in which the structural conditions of your work and life affect your ability to feel confident.
There are practical suggestions for helping you feel confident enough to do the work you want and need to do.
Unsurprisingly, perhaps, this Spotlight has direct connections to several of the others, which you might want to explore further depending on which aspects resonate with you today.
Explore the whole Spotlight here, or if you prefer to listen, you can find a playlist of this introduction and all the posts mentioned over on my Soundcloud.
You can do this!