Academic training socializes us away from writing that's for general audiences & (sometimes) rewards writing that assumes broad understanding of academic field(s). https://twitter.com/keguro_/status/1252943906045640707

There's a place for different kinds of writing. I have lived that, and it's the one great thing about my institution and school: they reward your ability to communicate to multiple audiences.

In fact, it's a norm for tenure and promotion: We give a public lecture to the School.

I am 100% in favor of the explosion in academic writing across genre & mode. Be creative. Be innovative. Be brilliant.

I will say that I still think there's a place for academics writing primarily for (and to!) other academics. That's why I co-edit RTE; that's why I followed The Dark Fantastic with an article in a special issue covering the gamut of Black kidlit & YA history with my colleagues.

The Dark Fantastic reads the way I teach. I assumed the reader would have general knowledge of popular science fiction and fantasy narratives for youth and young adults, and I assumed the reader would be able to reflect on their own reading and viewing experiences. That's it.

It also was my tenure book. I sit within a very interdisciplinary graduate school of ed. I assume most of those who reviewed and evaluated my tenure files were education scholars -- a few of them children's lit in ed people, but mostly literacy and reading. I kept that in mind.

My stance when I teach electives is written on my syllabi: this course is for reading specialists, although other interested folks are certainly welcome. That was my stance I took while writing TDF.

I'm beyond thrilled others read and enjoyed it. But you can't please everyone.

Academic writing is, and can be, so many different things...

I enjoy writing. Period.

Every day that I get up, every morning that I greet, is another day that I get to teach, write, and think...

And that has meant so many different things over the past 21 years.