Busy TAA People: Brenda Ulrich to Box in Fundraising Event

TAA Board Secretary Brenda Urich, an intellectual property attorney with Archstone Law, was selected as one of 30 first-time boxers to participate in Haymakers for Hope’s 11th Annual Belles of the Brawl event on October 10 at the MGM Music Hall in Boston. Watch her promotional video.

“In the four months leading up to the fight I have been undertaking an intense training and fundraising journey which will prepare me to step in the ring in front of 1,500 people and literally fight to KO cancer!,” said Ulrich.

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.

New Sample by Jamie Pope, ‘Anatomy of An Author’s Email or Letter to Adopting Faculty or Committee’

TAA members can download this new sample from TAA’s Templates & Samples Resource Library, “Anatomy of An Author’s Email or Letter to Adopting Faculty or Committee,” developed by Jamie Pope, co-author of Nutrition for a Changing World. It walks authors through the essential elements of what to include in the letter to potential adopting faculty or a committee, with concrete examples based on what she does when she is reaching out to these groups for her own book.

Access to TAA’s Templates & Samples Resource Library is included with TAA membership. Not a member? Join TAA for only $30.

TAA Members Prefer the Annual Conference Be Held in June

In a recent survey of TAA members about what month works best for them for the association’s annual conference, 61 percent said June. Twenty-eight percent of respondents said May and only 10 percent said April. TAA’s conferences have been held in the first or third month in June since the first one, held in Las Vegas in 1988. The one-question poll was sent to 2,300 TAA members and 109 responded. As a result, the TAA annual conference will continue to be held in June each year at this time, said TAA Executive Director Kim Pawlak.

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

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.”