Exercises in writing accountability – The TAA Writing Gym

The TAA Writing Gym has officially opened its doors for the first time and we are excited to announce that 173 TAA members have committed to a six-week workout regimen in writing accountability.

From July 16 through August 26, TAA Writing Gym participants will be held accountable for their weekly writing goals by logging hours as they work on their individual writing projects. To support and encourage their progress, the gym provides weekly motivational writing classes, writing stations filled with exclusive TAA resources, and a listserv for communication with other gym members.

10 Question conference retrospective: Views from a graduate student attendee

The Textbook & Academic Authors Association’s small, focused conference, held in Santa Fe, New Mexico June 15-16, was one of the most useful ones I have attended.  The cost was a really great deal considering all the valuable information provided by the presenters. As a first-time attendee and a graduate student, here my reflections on my experience.

1) What were some of the highlights and insights?

The presentations I attended were all on the Academic Track. The first day, I went to two sessions, and then I had three wonderfully inspiring mentoring sessions. I started with Meggin McIntosh (see more below) and then Katherine Landau Wright’s presentation, The Journal Article Writing MATE: A tool for beginners, which provided a very helpful tool for evaluating journal articles to use as models for writing and can also be used as a general article assessment or summarizing rubric.

Member Spotlight: Susan W. Bontly

TAA member Susan W. Bontly is a PhD student at New Mexico State University and an academic author in the curriculum & instruction, education, information technology, library science, educational, and instructional design disciplines.

Her most recent publication is titled “Impact of Technology on Post-Secondary Classroom Culture: A Critical Literature Review”.

Member Spotlight: Tracey S. Hodges

TAA member Tracey S. Hodges is an Assistant Professor at the University of Alabama and an academic author in the literacy discipline.

She most recently published an article entitled “Transacting with characters: Teaching children perspective-taking with authentic literature” which details a study conducted with her co-authors Erin McTigue, Katherine Landau Wright, Amanda Franks, and Sharon Matthews. To date, she has published 13 journal articles. 

Busy TAA People: Mary Kay Switzer

TAA member and former TAA Council President Dr. Mary Kay Switzer will be an honored feature in noted Chinese author Albert Chang’s book and paintings, “Six Women,” to be exhibited in Tokyo in April 8-10, 2019.  Chang and Switzer began their collaboration at California State University Pomona. Switzer has been designated Professor Emerita at that university. She is currently living in Tempe, Arizona where she is involved in theatrical productions.