TAA’s DEI Committee Reads Land and Labor Acknowledgement at 2024 Annual Conference

TAA’s DEI Committee (CDEI) Chair Laura Frost read a Land and Labor Acknowledgement at the opening session of its 2024 Textbook & Academic Authoring Conference in Nashville, TN on June 21.

“As a member of both TAA’s Board and CDEI, I believe that incorporating land and labor acknowledgments into our diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts is a critical step in recognizing the contributions and rights of marginalized groups,” said TAA DEI Committee Member Nicole Dillard. “Land acknowledgments honor the indigenous communities who have historically cared for the land, acknowledging their enduring connection and the injustices they have faced. This practice fosters cultural sensitivity and awareness among our members, promoting a more respectful and inclusive organizational culture. Similarly, labor acknowledgments are equally important as they recognize the diverse contributions of labor, particularly those from underrepresented groups.

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Macmillan Learning CEO Susan Winslow on ‘How Authors and Educators Can Shape AI’s Future in Education’

Macmillan Learning’s Marisa Bluestone posted an article in the publisher’s online Macmillan Community about CEO Susan Winslow’s Keynote presentation at the 2024 TAA Conference, “The Very Human Experience of Learning.”

The article, “How Authors & Educators Can Shape AI’s Future in Education,” shared how Winslow’s discussion with the authors in attendance, many of whom are also faculty, “focused on the critical role that they can and should play in guiding AI use in the classroom.” Bluestone recapped Winslow’s key message in her Keynote, that “learning is very much a human experience and while the integration of AI and other tech tools in educational settings may change how teachers teach and learners learn, the core of the experience—what makes us want to learn—has not.”

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A Short Conference Recap from a TAA Staff Member’s First-Time Perspective

By Sierra Pawlak

The 2024 TAA Conference in Nashville was my first conference as a new TAA staff member, and I was not alone. There were another 37 textbook and/or academic authors who attended for the first time.

The Thursday night TAA Council of Fellows networking reception felt so welcoming. You could walk up to any table, and you would be included into the conversation. I hope everyone else shared that experience. There was an overwhelming agreement that the food was delicious, and that the rooftop Pool Club Restaurant in which it was held was a beautiful space with expansive views of Nashville. I loved meeting everyone, and it made me excited to serve as a session moderator on Friday.

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How the TAA Conference Creates Happiness in Your Professional Life

By Angelica Ribeiro, PhD

In her book The How of Happiness, Sonja Lyubomirsky points out that about 40 percent of our happiness comes from intentional activities. She writes, “Our intentional, effortful activities have a powerful effect on how happy we are, over and above the effects of our set points and the circumstances in which we find ourselves” (Lyubomirsky, 2008, p. 64). That means we can create happiness by being mindful of our actions. Regarding our professional lives, one action we can take is to attend conferences related to our fields, such as the TAA conference.

After attending the TAA conference in Nashville, I realized that it goes beyond simply providing a platform for people to share knowledge. It encourages attendees to engage in what Lyubomirsky (2008) calls “happiness activities.”

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More Takeaways and ‘Aha’ Moments From 2024 TAA Conference Attendees

The following takeaways and “aha” moments were shared at the end of the Saturday Author Talk session at the 2024 TAA Conference in Nashville June 22:

“Writing is thinking. Remember that one small step can change your life.” – Qian Ji

“I learned two things that were somehow in opposition to one another. The first one is: The journal article is not ‘about’ the data, it is about the story, and the data is there to give support to the story. The second one is: Don’t impose a theme on the evidence, let the theme emerge from the evidence.” – Serena De Stefani

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Takeaways, ‘Aha’ Moments from 2024 TAA Conference

In a survey of attendees of the 2024 TAA Textbook & Academic Authoring Conference, which take place in Nashville June 21-22, several shared share a piece of advice, a takeaway, or “aha” moment they had while attending:

  • “The simple reminders about writing, with the focus on generating to make progress rather than getting caught up in the editing process.”
  • “The power of journaling and the affirmation that I have something to contribute to the field.”
  • “I learnt the importance of peer review and how essential it is in publication.”

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