Best The Center for Jewish Studies at the University of Florida Podcasts (2025)

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Episode 48: Four Decades of Writing Biography 47:02

5d ago47:02

47:02

When Mary Dearborn finished her doctorate at Columbia University she knew she wanted to write biography. She went on to a forty-plus year career in writing biographies whose subjects including Peggy Guggenheim, Norman Mailer, Henry Miller, Ernest Hemingway, Anzia Yezierska, and most recently Carson McCullers. We talk about the challenges of writing…

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Episode 47: Historian-turned-Playwright (With a little help from real estate good luck!) 34:05

20d ago34:05

34:05

We’re talking with historian-turned-playwright Andy Heinze about leaving academia to begin a different kind of writing career. We talk about how he made this decision, what other factors helped, and why this new path has led to the most fun kind of writing. We talk about how academia prepares writers for failure and the joys of becoming a beginner …

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Episode 46: Cold-calling works! 48:05

1M ago48:05

48:05

In this episode, we’re talking with Amy Reading, author of The World She Edited: Katharine S. White at The New Yorker, about why a PhD is helpful background for writing literary non-fiction, and how that background helps us skillfully cold-call agents; the importance of understanding how your book fits in with comparable works; how and why she ende…

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Episode 45: “Before there was therapy, there was religion” 48:31

2M ago48:31

48:31

We’re speaking with Professor Michael Alexander, professor of religious Studies and Jewish Studies at U.C. Riverside, about writing about the history of human spirituality. Alexander’s recent book, Making Peace With the Universe: Personal Crisis and Spiritual Meaning is very different from his previous book, Jazz Age Jews, in part because it includ…

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Episode 44: What AI can do for us academics (and what it can’t do for us without sucking the joy from life) 59:22

2M ago59:22

59:22

We’re speaking with writing teacher, John Warner, author most recently of More Than Words: How to Think about Writing in the Age of AI, about where AI can be an ally (it’s great a alphabetizing, as a tool for jogging our memory, generating lists and first drafts of abstracts and summaries), and where to steer clear of it. We talk about teaching and…

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Episode 43: “Filling the gaps of history… with fiction!” with Lauren Willig 54:33

3M ago54:33

54:33

NYT bestselling author of historical fiction, Lauren Willig, talks about shifting from a history dissertation to writing historical novels. Willig talks about how she discovered she has “fiction brain”; figuring out when and how to use fiction to fill the gaps in historical understanding; finding co-authors; and what makes collaborative writing wor…

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Episode 42: “Two Years Ago I Quit My Life” with scholar and writer, Anne Boyd 1:09:56

3M ago1:09:56

1:09:56

Less than a decade ago, Anne Boyd was a tenured literature professor and her book, Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy: The Story of Little Women and Why It Still Matters received a rave NYT review from Francine Prose. We talk with Anne Boyd about leaving academia and buying a one-way ticket to Paris. She has been traveling around Europe ever since, writing and exp…

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Episode 41: Finding your form… and voice 51:32

3M ago51:32

51:32

We’re speaking with Distinguished Professor James Goodman, of Rutgers University, Newark, where he teaches history and creative writing. Our conversation focuses on what Goodman teaches his graduate students about writing, and how these lessons about form, voice, and pacing are rooted in his own writing experiences. Goodman has received fellowships…

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Episode 40: Finding courage to write the broader story 51:12

4M ago51:12

51:12

In this episode we talk with history professor Robin Judd of the Ohio State University about writing her most recent book, Between Two Worlds: Jewish War Brides After the Holocaust. Figuring out how to write up her research as a book appealing to a broader audience was a challenge that required new skills and a willingness to edit, while staying tr…

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Episode 39: How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing 47:22

4M ago47:22

47:22

We’re speaking with University of North Carolina-Greensboro psychology professor and author of How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Writing, Paul Silvia. We humanities folks tend to overthink things, including about the reasons that writing isn’t going well. But what if the solutions to our writing problem are more simple than we rea…

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Episode 38: Relationships and Writing 1:17:30

5M ago1:17:30

1:17:30

Today’s episode is with Samira Mehta, associate professor of women and gender studies and of Jewish studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. We speak about the way our relationships feed our writing. The conversation focuses on fellowships, writing groups, writing coaches, and friends and colleagues with whom we exchange writing. Don't forget…

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Episode 37: How a great elevator pitch can make a difference 36:16

5M ago36:16

36:16

A conversation with Professor Lori Harrison-Kahan (Boston College) about edited volumes and writing while in a non-tenure track position. Harrison-Kahan shares ideas for creating successful edited volumes, including her own experiences with having a good elevator pitch and creating conference panels that show potential editors a good fit between pa…

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Episode 36: What do book publicists do for academic authors? 49:16

6M ago49:16

49:16

We’re speaking with Leah Paulos, founder and director of the Brooklyn-based book publicity firm, Press Shop PR about what publicists do for academic writers: primarily, helping readers find your book! We talk about why an academic might hire a book publicist; at what stages of writing a book it makes sense to hire a publicist; publicist pricing; wh…

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Episode 35: GETTING THE READER FROM BEGINNING TO END, WITH MERVE EMRE 59:20

6M ago59:20

59:20

A conversation with Shapiro-Silverberg Professor of Creative Writing and Criticism at Wesleyan University and contributing writer to The New Yorker magazine, Merve Emre. We talk about the work and goals of a book critic; what it means to think about the reader’s experience of our writing; creating a community of readers; and what it’s like to be ed…

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Episode 34: When Writing Becomes Like Painting 43:29

7M ago43:29

43:29

Harvard Divinity School Professor Shaul Magid began his undergraduate education as a painter. Over time, as he became an academic and a professor, Magid found that writing took the place of painting – that is, writing is his artistic and creative expression, and the thing that he’s basically always doing. We speak about how changing one’s instituti…

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Episode 33: Psychedelics & Writing 46:44

7M ago46:44

46:44

We speak with historian Ben Breen (UC Santa Cruz) about the writing of his recent book, Tripping on Utopia: Margaret Mead, the Cold War, and the Troubled Birth of Psychedelic Science, We discuss how to think about chapter organization; writing about individuals’ lives without writing biography; discovering our main characters through the writing pr…

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Episode 32: 5,000-10.000 Downloads of a Conversation about Your Book 36:06

8M ago36:06

36:06

We’re speaking with Caleb Zakarin, the Editor of the New Books Network, about what NBN is and what it does for academics. You’ve probably heard about the New Books Network, because so many academics are either interviewed about their books on this podcast, or interview other academics for NBN. We wanted to understand what NBN does for academics and…

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Episode 31: Being Open to Collaboration 28:48

8M ago28:48

28:48

We’re speaking with Professor Anna Peterson (Religion, University of Florida). She received her PhD from the University of Chicago Divinity School and her AB from the University of California at Berkeley. Her research focuses on religion and social change, especially in Latin America; environmental and social ethics; and animal studies. Professor P…

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Episode 30: What is the magic that happens when you work with a Developmental Editor? 35:22

9M ago35:22

35:22

We speak with Megan Pugh about her work as a developmental editor: how she helps academics improve their books and find their voice. Making writing less lonely is a big part of her job as a DE, as is expressing her belief in the power of good writing. Megan also offers advice for those thinking about taking on the work of a DE, and what makes this …

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Episode 29: Are “writing spurts” a thing? 39:54

9M ago39:54

39:54

We speak with Princeton Professor Laura Arnold Leibman about how a scholar’s approach to writing might change over time, with different stages of an academic career, and what might be happening when it looks like a scholar is having a “writing spurt.” Leibman shares with us the shifts over time, in her thinking about writing; sharing writing; and p…

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Episode 28: An Editor's Perspective: Sandra Korn 40:02

10M ago40:02

40:02

In our conversation with Wayne State University Press editor Sandra Korn we address a number of interesting questions on the minds of our listeners: 1) What does it mean when an editor replies to your submissions with, "This isn't a good fit for us"? 2) What's the best way to approach an editor? In the book exhibit hall, during a conference? Throug…

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Episode 27: Turning points in our academic writing 43:47

10M ago43:47

43:47

We speak with Elesha Coffman, Associate Professor of History at Baylor University about writing a book that takes its shape from turning points in history. Coffman is the author of Turning Points in American Church History: How Pivotal Events Shaped a Nation and a Faith. Baker Academic, 2024; Margaret Mead: A Twentieth-Century Faith. Spiritual Live…

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Episode 26: “Modern Love” in the Academic Life 34:12

10M ago34:12

34:12

We speak with Associate Professor of English Jennifer Glaser (University of Cincinnati) about her writing life. When she was in graduate school, Glaser wrote an essay that was published in the NYT’s “Modern Love” section, and which affected her understanding of the kinds of writing she wanted to do as both a scholar and a writer. We talk about bein…

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Episode 25: The Book Seminar with Sam Freedman 57:18

11M ago57:18

57:18

Today, we’re speaking with the award-winning author, columnist, and professor Sam Freedman, of Columbia Journalism School, and the author, most recently, of Into the Bright Sunshine: Young Hubert Humphrey and the Fight for Civil Rights (winner of the 2024 Hillman Prize for Book Journalism), about his class at Columbia School of Journalism, The Book…

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Episode 24: The Joy of Editing 37:40

11M ago37:40

37:40

We’re speaking with the editor of the Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Andrea Jain, who is professor of religious studies at Indiana University, Indianapolis, and the author of Peace Love Yoga: The Politics of Global Spirituality (2020) and Selling Yoga: From Counterculture to Pop Culture. 2014. Jain tells us about her own path to her e…

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Episode 23: From writing about a Chicago heat wave to writing about 2020: A conversation with NYU Sociologist and New Yorker writer Eric Klinenberg 40:50

12M ago40:50

40:50

Today we talk to NYU Professor Eric Klinenberg about how his academic career led to other kinds of writing—and what he's learned from writing a book about a time that many people would rather forget. Don't forget to rate and review our show and follow us on all social media platforms here: https://linktr.ee/writingitpodcast Contacts us with questio…

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Episode 22: Maurice Samuels on the Challenges of writing Biography 38:21

1y ago38:21

38:21

We speak with Yale Professor Maurice Samuels about writing biography, and the importance of finding stories we feel compelled to tell. Samuels talks about finding the right writing voice; when to share writing with colleagues and friends; potential benefits and consequences of publishing with a trade press; creating a table of contents that helps r…

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Episode 21: What’s the deal with academics writing for "The Conversation"? 25:39

1y ago25:39

25:39

If you’re like us, you’ve probably noticed that many academics write for The Conversation media outlet. The site does not pay writers, so why is it such a popular site for academics to publish their research? To find out what The Conversation offers, we’re speaking Beth Daley, the site’s Executive Editor. Daley explains that since 4-5 million reade…

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Episode 20: Would Nahmanides have had a beard? Creating a graphic history with historian Nina Caputo and illustrator Liz Clarke 34:56

1y ago34:56

34:56

In this episode we speak with historian Nina Caputo and illustrator Liz Clarke about their book, Debating Truth: The Barcelona Disputation of 1263, A Graphic History, published in the Oxford University Press Graphic History Series. We talk about the particular kind of research and writing required for a graphic history; how collaboration between ac…

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Episode 19: The pitch is the start of a relationship 56:53

1y ago56:53

56:53

We're talking with LIz Bucar, professor of religion at Northeastern University, and a prizewinning author about the program she directs Sacred Writes: Public Scholarship on Religion. We talk about the essential ingredients of a good pitch (including the ALL-CAP subject line) to a magazine/newspaper editor; how to communicate timeliness; and how to …

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Episode 18: “Why is this a must-read book?” How to show a literary agent/editor that your book is important: a conversation with literary agent and former editor, Susan Rabiner 1:00:27

1y ago1:00:27

1:00:27

In this episode we speak with Thinking Like Your Editor author and agent, Susan Rabiner about how academics can best present their book project to an agent or editor. We talk about what a strong book proposal, cover letter, and sample chapters need to do. We also talk about what it means to write your academic book with strong narrative; the signif…

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Episode 17: Writing while Parenting 53:50

1y ago53:50

53:50

You don’t have to be a parent to get something out of our conversation with Professor Laura Yares about “Writing While Parenting.” In this conversation, we speak about how to get writing done while caretaking; how to best take advantage of limited time to write; writing when the family stakes are high; time-blocking; lingering Covid trauma; finding…

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Episode 16: When you need lots of images in your book 37:39

1y ago37:39

37:39

We’re speaking with UF English Professor Margaret Galvan about writing a book with lots of images; how to find a press that can accommodate image-rich manuscripts; what a book publicist will actually do for you; how to cultivate a relationship with your publicist and editor; how to be thoughtful about book promotion; when and why to apply for a fel…

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Episode 15: The Path to a Pulitzer 46:22

1+ y ago46:22

46:22

Today we’re speaking with Pulitzer Prize winning scholar, Jack E. Davis, who is a UF professor of history and the Rothman Family Chair in the Humanities specializing in environmental history and sustainability studies. Jack talks with us about writing for a broader audience; what makes writing fun for him; the not-so-easy task of finding an agent; …

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Episode 14: What’s so important about your book’s meta-data? Understanding publishing from the perspective of a university press 1:05:49

1+ y ago1:05:49

1:05:49

Today we’re speaking with UF Press Editor in chief, Stephanye Hunter and UF Press Marketing Manager, Rachel Doll. Among our many topics, we discuss recent changes in the academic publishing world; important considerations in titling your book; what you can reasonably ask/expect of your editor; how to think about writing an op-ed, before book public…

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Episode 13: Why publish with a ‘trade division’ of an academic press? 47:57

1+ y ago47:57

47:57

Today we speak with Martin Siegel, author of the recently published, Judgement and Mercy: The Turbulent Life and Times of the Judge Who Condemned the Rosenbergs about writing a biography over many years, and publishing with the trade division of an academic press. Don't forget to rate and review our show and follow us on all social media platforms …

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Episode 12: The Truth About Book Promotion with Sandra Fox 34:35

1+ y ago34:35

34:35

We talk with Sandra Fox about what a first-time author can do to promote her book; what to expect from the publisher; and how best to use the affiliations and connections you have to spread the word about your book. We talk about honorariums, book price, op-eds, and book contracts. Don't forget to rate and review our show and follow us on all socia…

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Episode 11: Figuring out how to write the post-tenure book 59:56

1+ y ago59:56

59:56

Yale professor Elli Stern talks with us about figuring out what kind of writing we want to do after tenure—and the importance of building a team of friends and colleagues who can read drafts and provide valuable feedback. Don't forget to rate and review our show and follow us on all social media platforms here: https://linktr.ee/writingitpodcast…

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Episode 10: Getting Unstuck in our Academic Writing with Gillian Steinberg 41:14

1+ y ago41:14

41:14

A conversation with developmental editor/writing coach, Gillian Steinberg about replacing negative voices about writing with positive ones and strategies for improving our writing process. Don't forget to rate and review our show and follow us on all social media platforms here: https://linktr.ee/writingitpodcast…

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Episode 09: How to tell your academic story in applications: Special issue for job market/fellowship/graduate school application season 48:32

1+ y ago48:32

48:32

Karen Kelsky, of “The Professor Is In” speaks with us about academic job applications and academics applying for non-academic jobs. WE also talk about academic fellowship applications and graduate school applications. Don't forget to rate and review our show and follow us on all social media platforms here: https://linktr.ee/writingitpodcast…

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Episode 08: Writing as a practice for self-understanding 50:22

1+ y ago50:22

50:22

A conversation with Yale University Lex Hixon Professor of Religious Studies and American Studies and Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean of Humanities, Kathryn Lofton about the purposes and challenges of writing while working in higher education administration. Don't forget to rate and review our show and follow us on all social media platforms here…

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Episode 07: Finally! Insightful, concrete advice for your job market writing materials 50:47

1+ y ago50:47

50:47

Jeff Kopstein, Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Irvine, talks with us about putting together a compelling application for academic jobs. We talk not only about assistant professorship applications, but about the shift in tone and content for associate and full professorship applications. Don't forget to rate and revie…

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Episode 06: Behind-the-Scenes of a First Book & a New Journal 1:12:06

1+ y ago1:12:06

1:12:06

Today, Professor Jenny Caplan talks with us about her process of turning dissertation into book, and what she learned about writing along the way. Also, Professor Sarah Imhoff talks with us about starting a new academic journal; what it means to be on an editorial board; co-authoring; and her tips for writing a better journal article. Don't forget …

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Episode 05: An Editor's Perspective - Elaine Maisner, UNC Press 1:00:59

1+ y ago1:00:59

1:00:59

Having worked in academic publishing for almost 40 years, Elaine Maisner shares wisdom from the field about finding the right press and how authors can best present their work to book editors. Don't forget to rate and review our show and follow us on all social media platforms here: https://linktr.ee/writingitpodcast…

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Episode 04: "What is it all for?" The challenge of finding a writing motivation after the first book with Professor Martin Kavka 42:41

1+ y ago42:41

42:41

Martin Kavka, a professor at FSU, talks with us about finding the motivation to write; the role of friendships in academic writing; and revising the rules of tenure and promotion to better accommodate the non-book writers among us. https://religion.fsu.edu/person/martin-kavka Don't forget to rate and review our show and follow us on all social medi…

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Episode 03: An Editor’s Perspective - Jennifer Banks 43:55

1+ y ago43:55

43:55

Yale University Press Senior Editor Jennifer Banks talks with us about how editing helped her understand what kind of book she wanted to write. Banks also talks about best practices for approaching an editor with your book manuscript. And, once your book has gone through the review process, what to keep in mind while writing your response to reader…

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Episode 02: Unlearning Academic Writing Tics and Reaching a Broader Audience 58:08

2y ago58:08

58:08

Today, we’re speaking with Professor Brett Krutzsch and Professor Pamela Nadell about writing for a "beyond the academy" audience. Dr. Brett Krutzsch is the author of "Dying to Be Normal: Gay Martyrs and the Transformation of American Sexual Politics" and Coordinator of NYU’s Center for Religion and Media where he serves as Editor of the online mag…

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Episode 01: Choosing Literary Non-Fiction... And All That Comes With It 55:56

2y ago55:56

55:56

Our guest this week is Maggie Doherty, English Ph.D., teacher, New Yorker writer, and author of The Equivalents: A Story of Art, Female Friendship, and Liberation in the 1960s (https://maggiedohertyauthor.com). Doherty tells us about discovering her writing path in literary non-fiction after embarking on a doctorate in English. In addition to shari…

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