Stay updated on the latest news, advancements, and changes that are shaping the textbook and academic authoring industry with our…
Dear Dr. Noelle: Those Horrible Holiday Questions
By Dr. Noelle Sterne
Q: I’m dreading the holiday dinner table and all those questions about my dissertation. How to handle them?
— Lost My Appetite
A: Holidays can be welcome respites from our daily routines and the seemingly relentless pressures to produce. But, like Lost Appetite, when we’re at holiday gatherings and in the throes of our dissertations, we also risk often inevitable and embarrassing questions from well-meaning relatives and friends. With all the gorging, you can be sure that at least one person will ask those questions that make you squirm, right up there with the personal in-your-face ones like “How come you’re still single?” or “When are you going to have kids?”
How You Can Build Grit
By Angelica Ribeiro, PhD
Recently, a member of my writing group complimented me on my dedication to my writing goals. She said, “You’re so good at staying focused on the goals you set for yourself.”
“I think it has a lot to do with grit,” I responded. Let me explain.
Angela Duckworth (2016) defines grit as “passion and perseverance for long-term goals.” Based on her book Grit, here are some key actions to build grit:
Industry News Round-Up Week of 10/27/25
Stay updated on the latest news, advancements, and changes that are shaping the textbook and academic authoring industry with our bi-weekly Industry News Round-Up. Have an item to share? Email Sierra.Pawlak@TAAonline.net.
Northwestern, Cornell Still Working to Unfreeze Federal Funds (October 29, 2025)
Trump’s UCLA Demand: $1.2B Fine and Limits on Trans, Foreign Student Freedoms (October 27, 2025)
Trump’s DEI Crackdown Closes 120 TRIO Programs (October 27, 2025)
In Fourth Week, Government Shutdown Increasingly Hinders Higher Ed (October 23, 2025)
Meet the Newest Member of the TAA Staff
We are pleased to welcome Stephanie Kinner, our new Events & Operations Coordinator, who joined the staff on September 22. She has experience in event planning and operational support and will oversee the planning of TAA’s annual virtual and in-person conferences, starting with the next in-person conference in 2027.
She is excited to be part of TAA and support the needs of academic and textbook authors.
Dear Dr. Noelle: Are School and Spirituality Mismatched?
By Dr. Noelle Sterne
Q: I follow a spiritual practice and was advised to pray about my dissertation. Is this wrong?
— Repentant?
A: No, it’s not wrong or blasphemous, nor do you have to confess.
More students than we imagine use their spiritual practices for school. Yes, they seem contradictory. School requires your intellect; spirituality requires surrendering your intellect. School subsists on logic and realism; spirituality survives on faith.
I used to hold fiercely to these boundaries. Spirituality and school, I thought, were at opposite ends of the heavens, or at least unequivocally separate.