By Sabrina Schoch and Reba Ouimet
The Victorian Studies Association of Western Canada (VSAWC) was fortunate to have Drs. Lisa Surridge and Mary Elizabeth Leighton host a publication workshop at the 2014 conference. Drs. Leighton and Surridge are co-editors of the Victorian Review and have hosted one other professionalization seminar, making the 2014 Publication Workshop for Emergent Scholars their second professionalization workshop. The workshop was intended to give “cumulative advice that enables career growth” to junior faculty, graduate, and pre-tenure scholars in Victorian studies. Dr. Surridge stated that in an academic setting, students are taught to write essays but not articles, and in the publishing world, there is a significant difference. The seminar was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), which meant that the workshop was free of charge. The goals of the publishing seminar were to help participants understand “what to do to get published and the differences between an essay, a chapter, and an article.” Each of this year’s eight participants received 25 minutes of one-on-one tailored constructive criticism from Drs. Leighton and Surridge on their works in progress. At the end of the seminar, the participants redrafted large portions of their work based on the hosts’ suggestions.
Two of the 2014 seminar participants also attended last year’s workshop, but there were many fresh faces. The participants came from diverse backgrounds: scholars from various disciplines and of various levels of their scholarly careers, from students to junior faculty members, were in attendance. Drs. Surridge and Leighton reviewed a range of topics at this year’s seminar, about different “authors (Charlotte Bronte), genres (animal studies), and historical situations (pornography, law).” Dr. Surridge briefly discussed the jointly assumed risk in hosting a seminar during which such honest critique is to be expected and for which participants must bravely submit their research for advice and suggestion. The workshops are provided in an environment in which the “professor is in a position to make a class successful, but it’s the students’ willingness and participation that makes it a success.” Dr. Surridge also stressed her great respect for students at both this and last years’ conferences, as it takes great determination and courage to submit a paper for critique.
The 2014 publication workshop was held in Banff, Alberta. Last year’s workshop was held at the VSAWC conference in Vancouver, British Columbia. Dr. Surridge briefly mentioned that the location and the students provided a great atmosphere and stated that the 2013 and 2014 seminars were “tremendously exciting.” Drs. Surridge and Leighton look forward to hosting next year’s seminar in Kelowna and to providing students and junior faculty with information about how to strategize when it comes to publishing academic papers.
The dates of the 2014 workshop were Friday, 25 April, 9-5, and Monday, 28 April, 9-12.