Sublime

Some have learned to write from reading well-written academic books and articles:

“effort is what makes you smart or talented.”

figurative language inflects the stories we tell about ourselves and our writing.

I went through a William Blake phase as a graduate student, and I like to think that my writing at least makes gestures to—well, beauty is such a big word—a grace that is not just academic, a gracefulness that is not just academic.

think many academics confuse good thinking with good writing.

Of all the myths surrounding academic writing, the fallacy of effortless productivity is among the most persistent.

I allowed this one to grow organically, like coral: a new paragraph or profile here, a “Things to Try” section there.