Thread for junior #scholars: I evaluated a lot of fellowship applications this semester & want to make a few observations. I won’t name the fellowships, but they’re among the most competitive in the academy. I want junior #scholars to thrive & hope these tips will help. #academia
First, please communicate with your letter writers. There’s something very odd about reading a proposal that is significantly different from the rec letters. If you’re planning to write three chapters on X, tell your letter writers so they don’t say you’re doing research on Y.
Please proofread your materials. We’re all exhausted and I’m guilty of rushing things too, but try to get a friend or an editor to read everything before you submit your materials. Lots of typos & grammatical errors could really hurt your chances of getting the funding you need.
Please carefully read the requirements. You’ve got to know what you’re applying for. Some fellowships are geared to scholars writing for the public. Make sure you are tailoring your applications accordingly. Or reconsider applying if it’s too much of a stretch.
Please don’t underestimate the bibliography request. Reviewers read them carefully. It’s important to list new and groundbreaking scholarship, but don’t forget the classics/older and pioneering works that have shaped your field or inform your thinking/arguments.
Please make sure you have a clear & compelling writing or research plan for the fellowship year. Saying that you’ll write six chapters in a semester is a red flag. Maybe you can do it if you skip eating and sleeping(!), but it sounds unrealistic.
I’ll end with a reading recommendation. I wrote this article for @insidehighered a few years ago, based on my own experience applying for postdoctoral fellowships. I hope the tips are useful. I’m sure others will chime in too. Best of luck to all!

insidehighered.com/advice/2017/06…

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Dr. Keisha N. Blain

Dr. Keisha N. Blain Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @KeishaBlain

8 Nov 20
No offense to journalists & others who occasionally write #history. We appreciate you and we thank you. We hope you will continue to do it. But I think it's important to note that many of us are professional historians. We have devoted our lives to studying & teaching history.
Many of us teach history courses at the college level. We have PhDs in history (so yes--we definitely devoted our lives to this). And many of us write history books based on original archival research (we essentially write the books journalists end up citing...or refuse to cite).
When I say that Black women historians should be consulted in this historic moment, I am thinking about those women. The ones who are doing remarkable work of historical recovery; teaching on campuses where so many of our colleagues/students dismiss us; writing history books etc.
Read 6 tweets
13 May 20
I don't think a lot of people understand how nasty people can be in the academy. Many of us aren't doing this because folks treat us so well. I can't speak for others but I know what keeps me going is the belief that I can make a positive difference in someone else's life.
I am most fulfilled by the opportunity to produce research I'm proud of. I love working with students with the hope that I'll help them find a path that excites them as much as history excites me. I try to ignore the pettiness and professional jealousy (there's a lot of that...)
I remind myself daily that academia is not a meritocracy. That helps me stay focused and not internalize or make much of the slammed doors in my face. I focus on the open doors and try to figure out how to widen them a bit more so someone else gets through.
Read 4 tweets
22 Feb 20
👇🏾Here's the link to the public letter several of us are sending to @netflix & the producers & directors of #WhoKilledMalcolmX. You're welcome to sign in agreement with me, @JeanneTheoharis, @drashleyfarmer, Robin DG Kelley, @TheBarbaraSmith, @MHarrisPerry, @DrIbram & many others
@netflix @JeanneTheoharis @drashleyfarmer @TheBarbaraSmith @MHarrisPerry @DrIbram We are disappointed at the complete disregard of women activists & women scholars in the series. The producers went to great lengths to include the perspectives of many men, including those w/o expertise on Malcolm X and/or Black Power. Yet not a single woman scholar was featured
@netflix @JeanneTheoharis @drashleyfarmer @TheBarbaraSmith @MHarrisPerry @DrIbram The exclusion of women scholars is not only deeply problematic but presents a very skewed (& inaccurate) portrayal of history. This is especially disturbing considering the fact that women scholars have been at the forefront of producing scholarship on Civil Rights & Black Power.
Read 7 tweets
26 Aug 19
I finally had a chance to go through 150+ packages of #books sent to me (yikes)! TYSM to the various publishers for keeping me in the loop on the new #scholarship in #BlackStudies, #History & #Gender Studies.🙏🏾Here's a thread of a few books I am very eager to read this fall.🙌🏾📚
By @ruha9: 'Captivating #Technology: #Race, Carceral Technoscience, and Liberatory Imagination in Everyday Life' @DukePress

dukeupress.edu/captivating-te…
By @SaStrings: 'Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia' @NYUpress

nyupress.org/9781479886753/…
Read 10 tweets
28 Dec 18
Thanks, @politico, for your all-white list of #historians offering insights on 2018! Here's a thread of some other historians in the United States who you did not know existed. I'll start with a few & others will contribute to the thread to help you out.

politico.com/magazine/story…
I'll start with @ProfCAnderson, Professor at Emory University. Check out her website:

professorcarolanderson.org
Meet @DrIbram, an amazing historian at American University:

ibramxkendi.com
Read 10 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

:(