Every time I say that it’s been ages since I’ve updated this site, it becomes even longer before I get around to doing it again.

But I have some updating to do. I have completed my second PhD. This one is in publishing studies. It’s called Books Are Social: the role of social technology in developing new communities of writers which challenge the hierarchy of the publishing industry.

To be honest, it’s an odd time to be doing anything like this. Currently in lockdown somewhere in London, things like research into social media and the publishing industry seems both really current and valid, and also like the smallest thing in the entire world. I did the viva from a bedroom, after apologising for my president suggesting that we can, perhaps, inject disinfectants. I joked about having the ‘I’m fine dog’ as my zoom backdrop. Surreal times.

So in this wee update I’m not going to offer advice on working from home (tbh, years of working mostly from home in freelance gigs is great prep), and I’m not going to suggest that everyone takes this time to ‘really get work done’. Because, let’s face it, that’s a painfully gendered issue that there is NOT enough time to deal with. If you are keen to read more on it, check out:

• Caroline Criado Perez’s website and join her newsletter list
• Higher Ed’s article on how this enforced WFH is tanking women’s research outputs
• The concept of “women’s work” has come to the fore with these issues and their lack of economic value (read more here)
• Women in the UK are 4% more likely to have lost their jobs during this pandemic.

Right, that’s enough of me on a gendered soapbox when that box is best occupied by experts in that field.

What I am going to do is say that is that I got asked on Twitter what my PhD was about and getting it down to a small Tweet-length summary is a great exercise. Much like when I learned VERY early on in the first degree that when people ask you what your PhD is on you give them 1 sentence and immediately follow it up with some question or statement on a popular event. For example:

“My PhD was on social media, publishing, the communities that develop around writing in digital spaces, and the way genre, and (importantly) gender, play a role in the shifting power dynamics of the publishing hierarchy. Did you hear about Trump suggesting we inject bleach ?! I am so sorry he’s a world leader.”

Trust me. This is a tried a true method that keeps peoples’ eyes from glossing over unless they are in your field.

In other news, much like my previous PhD, this one was riddled with grammatical errors that exist when you have read it so many times that you can long longer see them. Well, let me tell you, 6 months of not looking it will bring them glaringly into the light. And you know what else? That’s ok. If the underlying foundations are sound and solid, then you can change the paint.

That’s 1 bad analogy too many.  Maybe I’ll use this time in lockdown to do more work on this site. Or I’ll order another case of wine and run coffee breaks with our students via zoom or binge Tiger King (worth it). All are equally valid life choice.