Women’s Professional Lives in Rhetoric and Composition: Choice, Chance, and Serendipity

by Elizabeth A. Flynn, Tiffany Bourelle

This collection, edited by Elizabeth A. Flynn and Tiffany Bourelle, contributes to the valuable work of chronicling the professional and personal lives of women in academia. Through its line-up of contributors from diverse backgrounds, locations, and career paths,  Women’s Professional Lives in Rhetoric and Composition  showcases the voices of multiple scholars occupying a multitude of different roles in the from prestigious professors emeritae and endowed chairs to assistant professors starting their careers to an independent scholar to part-time faculty.
 
 
The collection sets itself apart from other volumes not just in its diversity of perspectives but also by speaking against linear stories of success in the profession—sharing moments of shame and failure, showing how the personal and professional often intertwine and influence one another, and ultimately revealing how choice, chance, serendipity, and kairos have all played a role in the lives of its contributors. In focusing on this convergence,  Women’s Professional Lives in Rhetoric and Composition  offers a more nuanced picture of the professional and intellectual trajectories of women in rhetoric and composition.

Genres: Teaching

286 pages, Paperback

Published January 6, 2018

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting Rhetoric on Feminine Resilience

I chose this book for it's variety of personal testimonies regarding the professional lives women in academia. I was pleased to find that each story offered perspectives that I had not previously anticipated. The contributors and editors share both the trials and successes of a woman's entry into the world of academia in rhetoric and composition.

[Karla Kitalong · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't learn too much that surprised me. Nice read, though.