Online Mentoring Program, 2022-2023

In response to continued interest, the Coalition is pleased to offer our online mentoring program again this year! Whether you are new to the program or are returning to it, the online mentoring arrangement is a way for us to share knowledge about research, teaching, activism, and professional development by matching mentor-mentee pairs who will collaboratively establish a schedule whereby the mentee can make good progress on an agreed-upon project (i.e., job market/prepping application materials; planning research projects/fieldwork; writing/revising materials for publication; developing a syllabus; applying for grants; etc.) within six months or less. Mentors and mentees may continue to work together beyond one six-month cycle if desired.

We are seeking both mentors and mentees. If you are interested in participating either as a mentor, a mentee, or both, please fill out this registration form by FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, indicating your interest. There is a spot on the form to indicate whether you want to continue with last year’s arrangement, as well.

We want to be as flexible as possible so that mentoring pairs can figure out what works best for them, but we do offer some suggestions for getting started:

  • Determine which specific project you would like to work on with a mentor, or whether you would like help with less tangible things, such as gaining confidence in coursework or dealing with challenges in your workplace.
  • Determine how long you plan to commit. You may wish to start with a six-month commitment, and see how it goes.
  • Determine how often you would like to check-in with your mentor/mentee. Do you want to engage weekly, bi-weekly, monthly? What makes the most sense for your goals and schedules?
  • Determine which medium works best for your relationship (Zoom, WebEx, Facetime, email, phone, etc.).

Feel free to direct any questions to sharerw@ecu.edu.

All best,

Wendy Sharer,
Immediate Past President

Welcome to our new Archivists & Historians!

The Coalition is pleased to announce the appointments of Michael Healy and Michelle Smith to the role of Archivist and Historian! We are thrilled to gain their support and expertise as we expand, diversify, and publicize our digital and physical archival holdings while also ensuring that those holdings are searchable and accessible to a broad swath of scholars and researchers.

Headshot of Michael Healy in dark blue collard shirt with blue glasses and window in background

Michael Healy

Michael Healy completed his dissertation, Tracing Techne: Distributed Histories of Invention, Creativity, and Text-Technologies in Rhetoric and Composition Scholarship from the 1990s, at Florida State University in 2021 and, this fall, begins a position at Western Kentucky University. Michael’s background in online archiving and digital curation includes serving as a research fellow for FSU’s Linked Women’s Pedagogues Project. As a research fellow, Michael gathered and curated data and metadata highlighting women’s pedagogical and intellectual labor. Additionally, during his time at FSU, Michael served as a graduate co-administrator for the Museum of Everyday Writing, an online archive that he helped develop and maintain while also collaborating with undergraduate interns on the curation of artifacts and exhibits for the museum.

Headshot of Michelle Smith with blue blouse, grass and trees in the background

Michelle Smith

Michelle Smith joins us from Clemson University where she is an Assistant Professor of English. Michelle brings passion for archival research and experience as an archival researcher to the position, as her publications engage archives ranging from the Kenneth Burke archives at Penn State University to the National Archives in D.C. In addition, her 2021 book, Utopian Genderscapes: Rhetorics of Women’s Work in the Early Industrial Age (Southern Illinois UP), draws heavily on the archival records of three nineteenth-century utopian communities. Her exceptional archival work earned the book an honorable mention for the Coalition’s 2022 Winifred Bryan Horner Outstanding Book Award.

Welcome, Michael and Michelle!!

Effusive thanks are due to outgoing Archivist and Historian, Alexis Ramsey-Tobienne. Alexis served for six years as the Coalition’s inaugural Archivist and Historian and was instrumental in collecting, sorting, and launching an online, searchable archive of administrative records and scholarship from the Coalition, including items related to our annual “Wednesday Evening Event” at CCCC, the biennial Feminisms & Rhetorics conference, and CFSHRC’s journal, Peitho. Alexis also chaired the search committee that identified her successors. THANK YOU, Alexis, for your foundational work on our archives and your dedication to ensuring their future!

Thanks are also due to the other members of the Archivist and Historian Search Committee, Tarez Samra Graban, Rebecca Dingo, and Jen Almjeld. Your efforts on the Coalition’s behalf are greatly appreciated!

Register for Mentoring Sessions #3 & #4

Dear Colleagues, 

It’s time to register for our third of four summer virtual mentoring tables! This time, we’re thrilled to present: 

 

Working and Parenting

Wednesday, JULY 20 @ 1:00 PM Eastern Time

This virtual mentoring session, facilitated by three moms at different stages of parenthood and career, offers an opportunity to ask questions and share strategies about parenting while in academia. In keeping with the interactive tradition of the mentoring tables, we request that attendees come with questions to raise for the table.

Featuring

  • Courtnee Bishop, (she/her) PhD Student, Old Dominion University
  • Ruth Osorio, (she/her) Assistant Professor of Women’s Studies, Old Dominion University
  • Lamaya Williams, (she/her) PhD Student, Old Dominion University

For security purposes, registration is required. Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIlduqopz4qHNNIiMyTHFIwU_uAaeoZFoJO

Join us for our last session of the summer in August:

Mentoring Table Announcements: Publishing Your Book (7/13, 12pm EST)

Dear Colleagues, 

It’s time to register for our second of four summer virtual mentoring tables! This time, we’re pleased to present: 

Writing and Publishing Your Book

Wednesday, JULY 13 @ 12:00 PM Eastern Time

Featuring

Cheryl Glenn, (she/her) Professor of English, 

Penn State University

Jennifer LeMesurier, (she/her) Assistant Professor of Writing and Rhetoric, 

Colgate University

This virtual mentoring session offers an opportunity to ask questions about moving a project from conceptualization to publication. In keeping with the interactive tradition of the mentoring tables, we request that attendees come with questions to raise for the table.

For security purposes, registration is required. Register here:

 https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUqd–vrT8iGtN1G3KDSKePnWO5mL6avoc6

 

If you can’t attend this session, try to join us for one of the two sessions later in July/August:

  • Parenting and Academia,Wed, July 20th, 1pm ET/12pm CT
    • Courtnee Bishop, (she/her) PhD Student, Old Dominion University
    • Ruth Osorio, (she/her) Assistant Professor of Women’s Studies, Old Dominion University
    • Lamaya Williams, (she/her) PhD Student, Old Dominion University
  • Preparing for the Academic Job Market, Tues., Aug. 2nd, 2pm ET/1pm CT
    • Jo Hsu (they/them), Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and Writing, University of Texas at Austin
    • McKinley Green (he/him), Assistant Professor of English, George Mason University

Remember too that the Feminist/Queer Pedagogies mentoring table is tomorrow. Here’s the information:

Feminist and Queer Pedagogies, Wed., July 6, 2pm ET/1pm CT

    • Christina Cedillo, (she/they) Associate Professor of Writing and Rhetoric, University of Houston–Clear Lake
    • Abby Knoblauch, (she/her) Associate Professor of English, Kansas State University
    • Timothy Oleksiak, (he/him) Assistant Professor of English, UMass Boston

Register here:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMucO6rrTkvHNNyoaKjYHJbin_Awu5ysmWY

 

Onwards,

Jess Enoch, President, and

Becca Richards, Vice President 

CFSHRC

 

CFSHRC Statement on the Overturning of Roe vs. Wade

The Coalition of Feminist Scholars in the History of Rhetoric and Composition (CFSHRC) dissents with the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn and end federal abortion rights as represented in Roe v. Wade. This decision clearly challenges the human right to have autonomy over our bodies and our reproduction. It also critically and disproportionately impacts already marginalized communities, as the Guttmacher Institute notes, which includes “Black and Brown communities, other people of color, people with low incomes, young people, LGBTQ communities, immigrants and people with disabilities.” We know too this decision was made in the midst of threats—made and anticipated—to a wide range of human rights in the United States. It aggravates our concerns for justice in this country and will result in injurious material and intangible consequences for many people. 

As the national context of anti-abortion laws continue to evolve and transform, we urge members—who need abortion care or who want to help—to engage local, expert organizations that are best equipped to support those who are directly impacted by this regressive decision. While, as a non-profit organization, we cannot endorse specific candidates or political officials, as feminist scholars and teachers, versed in the power dynamics of listening and speaking, we stand at the ready to support local activists, organizations, and health care professionals who are leading intersectional, anti-racist, trans* inclusive, community-based actions that are disability and trauma informed. 

Moreover, the Coalition recognizes that the Supreme Court’s decision joins a much longer history of reproductive injustice that has been named, theorized, and actively resisted by reproductive justice thought leaders, quite a few of whom are Coalition members. Much of this activism has been led by multiply marginalized people whose concerns include and exceed the right to an abortion. No doubt this moment is painful after many years of diligent and ongoing efforts to create a more just world. Please know the CFSHRC recognizes, supports, and appreciates your powerful and necessary interventions. 

This statement is not comprehensive or perfect; there is clearly more to say. While we knew this decision was likely coming, we recognize a range of emotions that we and others experience in response to this ruling. We hope that amid these responses, we find resolve to continue to act coalitionally and to use our knowledge and skills to speak up and out publicly and through our research and teaching. We list below a few resources that might offer insight, direction, and hope during this troubling time. As an organization of feminsit rhetoricians, we’ll continue to explore options to address this moment and map a path forward. We invite and welcome your ideas.

 

Additional Resources:

Adams, Heather Brook. “Goodbye, ‘Post-Pill Paradise’: Texturing Feminist Public Memories of Women’s Reproductive and Rhetorical Agency.” Quarterly Journal of Speech, 105 (4), 2019: 390-417. 

DiCaglio, Sara and Lori Beth De Hertogh, eds. Special Issue: “Rhetorical Pasts, Rhetorical Futures: Reflecting on the Legacy of Our Bodies, Ourselves and the Future of Feminist Health Literacies.” Peitho, 21(3), 2019. 

Murillo, Lina-Maria, and Natalie Fixmer-Oraiz. “Rulings Ensure Further Cruelty From Restricting Abortion Care.” DesMoines Register. 24 June 2022.

Roberts, Dorothy. “Reproductive Justice, Not Just Rights.Dissent, 2015. 

“Supreme Court Overturns Roe, Upends 50 years of Abortion Rights: 5 essential Reads on What Happens Next.” The Conversation. 2022.

Yam, Shui-yin Sharon. “Beyond Choice: Why We Need Reproductive Justice.” Against the Current. 2022

Much appreciation goes to the CFSHRC Executive Board and to reproductive justice experts Shui-yin Sharon Yam and Heather Brook Adams for their guidance and labor in crafting this statement.

 

Virtual Mentoring Sessions-Summer Listings and Registration

Greetings, Colleagues!

As you may know, the pandemic prevented the Coalition from hosting our traditional “mentoring tables” at CCCC again this year. We are pleased to bring you a series of “Virtual Mentoring Sessions” in their place this summer. Here is a listing of our sessions and additional details and registration for our first session.

  •  Feminist and Queer Pedagogies, Wed., July 6, 2pm ET/1pm CT
    • Christina Cedillo, (she/they) Associate Professor of Writing and Rhetoric, University of Houston–Clear Lake
    • Abby Knoblauch, (she/her) Associate Professor of English, Kansas State University
    • Timothy Oleksiak, (he/him) Assistant Professor of English, UMass Boston
  • Writing and Publishing Your Book, Wed, July 13, 12pm ET/11am CT
    • Cheryl Glenn, (she/her) Professor of English, Penn State University
    • Jennifer LeMesurier, (she/her) Assistant Professor of Writing and Rhetoric, Colgate University
  • Parenting and Academia, Wed., July 20th, TBA
    • Ruth Osorio, (she/her) Assistant Professor of Women’s Studies, Old Dominion University
  • Preparing for the Academic Job Market, Tues., Aug. 2nd, 2pm ET/1pm CT
    • Jo Hsu, (they/them), Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and Writing, University of Texas at Austin
    • McKinley Green, (he/him), Assistant Professor of English, George Mason University

 

Please join us for the first session in the series:

Feminist and Queer Pedagogies 

Wednesday, JULY 6 @ 2:00 PM Eastern Time

Featuring: Dr. Christina Cedillo, University of Houston-Clear Lake; Dr. Abby Knoblauch, Kansas State University, and Dr. Timothy Oleksiak, UMass Boston

This virtual mentoring session offers an opportunity to ask questions and share suggestions for strengthening our commitment to and practice of feminist and queer pedagogies.

In keeping with the interactive tradition of the mentoring tables, we request that attendees come with questions to raise for the table.

For security purposes, registration is required. Register here:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMucO6rrTkvHNNyoaKjYHJbin_Awu5ysmWY

Hope to see you on July 6th and for the rest of the sessions this summer!

 

Jess Enoch, President, and

Becca Richards, Vice President 

CFSHRC

Call for Proposals: Coalition of Feminist Scholars in the History of Rhetoric and Composition/ Conference on College Composition and Communication Event 2023

Conference Panel Title: Emerging Feminist Scholars: Listening and Learning from Graduate Student Researchers

The Coalition of Feminist Scholars in the History of Rhetoric and Composition invites proposals for the keynote panel event at their Wednesday evening meeting at the Conference on College Composition and Communication in 2023. This panel will showcase emerging scholars and their new work, specially featuring feminist researchers at the prospectus or dissertation stage who are conducting cutting-edge research in our discipline.

Successful proposals will take up intersectional feminist concerns, as this panel will highlight rhetorical scholarship that explores the multiple and interacting systems of power that both marginalize and privilege. More particularly, selected panelists will engage questions of gendered expression and experience while investigating those systems of power that complicate such gendered expressions and experiences. Borrowing from Brittany Cooper, ​we invite ​intersectional work that “challenges the ever-shifting machinations of systems that seek to re-instantiate and reinscribe dominance.”

A committee of four Coalition members will review submissions based on innovativeness of feminist rhetorical research and engagement with intersectional feminism. Four presenters will be selected, and they will give 10-12-minute keynote presentations followed by Q&A. Presenters will also be invited to workshop their presentations prior to CCCC 2023.

Submission Criteria:

  • Submit a 250-word presentation abstract that includes how this presentation builds from the dissertation project along with a c.v.
  • Send submissions to Jess Enoch at jenoch1@umd.edu;
    • Title your email: CFSHRC CCCC 2023 Panel Submission: [LAST NAME]
  • Submit proposals by July 15, 2022

 

 

CFP: Topic Proposals for Peitho Special Issues

The Peitho editorial team invites those interested in serving as guest editors to send topic proposals for special issues of Peitho. Traditionally, these are our summer issues, so guest editors must be available to help finish the issue during the summer. This editorial team’s term goes through Summer 2025, and we are looking for special issue topics for Summer 2023, 2024, and 2025. The Peitho editorial team and editorial board will review topic proposals and make an initial decision for Summer 2023, with rounds of decisions for 2024 and 2025 soon following. Proposals not selected for Summer 2023 will automatically be considered for Summer 2024 or for a Cluster Conversation section in an issue unless prospective guest editors request otherwise.

We invite topic proposals on a wide range of topics related to feminist theories and gendered practices, including but not limited to:

  • archival scholarship
  • digital interventions
  • emerging pedagogies
  • feminist methodologies
  • global rhetorics
  • historical research
  • Indigenous studies
  • institutional critiques
  • issues of embodiment
  • LGBTQ+ studies
  • minoritized rhetorics
  • rhetorical theory

Special issues can include traditional scholarly articles as well as other kinds of projects, such as video content (with captions), Recoveries and Reconsiderations pieces, cluster conversations, manifestos, and book reviews. Guest editors are expected to adhere to the practices expressed in the Anti-Racist Scholarly Reviewing Practices: A Heuristic for Editors, Reviewers, and Authors statement.

 

Examples of past special issues of Peitho

Fall/Winter 2014, “The Critical Place of the Networked Archive”

Fall/Winter 2015, “Looking Forward: The Next 25 Years of Feminist Scholarship in Rhetoric and

Composition” (25th anniversary of the Coalition of Feminist Scholars in the History of Rhetoric and Composition)

Summer 2019, “Rhetorical Pasts, Rhetorical Futures: Reflecting on the Legacy of Our Bodies, Ourselves and the Future of Feminist Health Literacy”

Summer 2020, “Transgender Rhetorics”

Summer 2021, “On Race, Feminism, and Rhetoric”

 

Topic proposals for special issues should include the following:

An editorial board-facing description (1000-1500 words) of the idea for the special issue, along with an explanation of why the guest editors (you) are interested in the topic. What needs will this special issue meet — in research, teaching, academia, and/or community work? Have other journals had special issues on this topic? Have scholarly presses published edited collections on this topic? If so, how would this special issue build on the previous work? This description should include a brief review of the previous scholarship on the topic and a bibliography. 

A public-facing call for article proposals (500-750 words): this can use some of the same language as the description for the editorial board, but it should also include a timeline and criteria for review of proposals and brief explanation of the review process. Invited submissions are acceptable if there is transparency about these decisions, so invited submissions need to be addressed in the public-facing call for proposals if guest editors plan to invite submissions, such as for a cluster conversation. Book reviews and Recoveries and Reconsiderations pieces should be addressed in the public-facing CFP as well, if those are planned as part of the special issue.

CVs from the guest editors. If this is a collaboration, please provide a brief note about previous collaborative projects and/or how and why you decided to form a partnership together for this proposal. 

The editorial board and editorial team will review topic proposals using the following criteria from our reviewer guidelines:

  • Timeliness of or need for research on the topic (new or little-known material? New understanding of known material?)
  • Engagement with current scholarship in rhetoric and feminist studies
  • Commitment to methods and practices of feminist scholarship

Topic Proposals for Summer 2023 Special Issue Due: May 15, 2022

Decision from Editorial Team: June 1, 2022

 

CFSHRC 2022 Volunteer Survey

Today, April 15th, marks the end of my term as President of the Coalition. The CFSHRC has accomplished a lot in the past 2 years, in spite of a global pandemic that prevented us from meeting in person. I cannot thank everyone who contributed to our many initiatives and events enough!! I am very excited to see where our new Advisory Board and Executive Board, headed by President Jessica Enoch, will take us next.

As we move forward, I hope all Coalition members and supporters will continue generously offering their time, effort, and brilliance to existing and emerging Coalition initiatives. To this end, I ask that you take a few moments to complete the 2022 CFSHRC Volunteer Survey (https://forms.gle/m5bTAaPRLYaahZje7). We have many possibilities—of varying types and time commitments—available for you to engage with our work, and we *need* your support to make that work happen!

Please complete the survey by no later than Wednesday, May 4th.

With much gratitude,

Wendy Sharer,  Immediate Past President

Feminisms and Rhetorics Conference Hosts for 2023 and 2025

The Coalition of Feminist Scholars in the History of Rhetoric is thrilled to announce that Spelman College will be the site for the 2023 Feminisms and Rhetorics Conference! Dr. Michelle Bachelor Robinson and her colleagues at Spelman will host what will surely be an amazing event. The conference theme is “Feminisms and Reckonings: Interrogating Histories and Harms, Implementing Restorative Practices.” The conference will be held in Fall 2023; please keep an eye out for the Call for Proposals!

The Coalition is also excited to announce the site for the 2025 conference: The University of New Hampshire! Dr. Cristy Beemer is heading the host committee for this event. More details will be circulated close to the event.

The Coalition’s Conference Standing Committee, which reviewed site proposals, will support both Dr. Robinson and Dr. Beemer in their efforts to host conferences that are antiracist and inclusive, affordable, accessible, and transparent in their conference planning. The current members of the Conference Committee are Jen Almjeld, Erin Banks-Kirkham, Erica Cirillo-McCarthy, Ruth Osorio, Britt Starr, and Patrick Thomas. Please be in touch with Jess Enoch (jenoch1@umd.edu) regarding opportunities, questions, or concerns.

Thank you to both Dr. Robinson and Dr. Beemer for your efforts in sustaining and supporting our conversations and scholarship. As President of the Coalition, I can’t wait to see you all in Atlanta (and Durham)!