Dear colleagues and Open Anthology contributors,
First thing’s first: a warning. Over the next few months, I’m certain to shower you with praise for your willingness to contribute to the project. Here’s the first sprinkle: thank you, you’re wonderful!
I am delighted to say that we’ve been overwhelmed with responses from volunteers wanting to write author biographies and text introductions. Delighted!
Putting this early enthusiasm behind us, here’s some initial direction. If you haven’t done so, you’re still free to peruse the author and work spreadsheet, which lays out our remaining needs in terms of authors and texts, and digitally pencil in your name along with any thoughts or suggestions.
If you’ve already signed up to write an introduction to one or several of the authors covered in the anthology, I’ll encourage (implore!) you to join our new thread for contributor discussion on the Rebus Community forum. Zoe’s designed the forum to give us a space to talk through our work together as we get the project off of the ground. Dialogue will be especially crucial for the groups of two or three who’ve signed up to tag team certain authors and texts.
As far as your “requirements” for writing an introduction, here’s what you need to know:
Purpose
Since all have likely encountered, read, and/or taught their fair share of commercial literature anthologies, I haven’t a doubt that our contributors understand the makeup of a successful author introduction. For starters, let’s say there are four basic requirements:
- Biography: years born and deceased, places lived, relevant details.
- Career: an overview of the author’s works with brief descriptions.
- Context: their place in literary history, in literature movements, among different political and social milieus.
- Comparison: a comparative gesture to other authors and works in the anthology.
Between these bullet points, there is no real specific order, and, of course, there’s much overlap in their aims and descriptions. But I think it is safe to say that the best introductions touch on all of these elements in an effort to give undergraduate readers the fullest and most relevant picture possible of a given author.
In terms of “fullest,” however, we don’t mean “longest.” In fact, it’s best to lean on the side of brevity. Students can locate interesting tidbits about an author’s family on Wikipedia—but that sort of trivia might not prove relevant for the teaching of that author. Ultimately, I trust your judgment.
Finally, the purpose of this anthology is in its very title: Open! “Open” means more than a resource made free and online. In its best iteration, “open pedagogy” entails the spread of access to knowledge with an invitation to participate in the re-creation of new knowledge. Our biographies are just that: invitations to future students, scholars, and teachers to engage, sample, revise, and remix in the open and collaborative production of knowledge. How you signal “openness” in your biography—or if you choose to do so—is totally up to you. I have unceasing faith in your good judgment and dedication to the project.
Word count
Aim for around 750-1500 words.
Due date
Please aim to submit your introduction(s) by Friday, July 21st.
Format & Submission
Please share your introduction in an editable Word or Google document. Files can be sent to zoe@rebus.community.
Texts & Excerpts
If you are helping to locate texts to be included in the anthology, here’s what you need to know.
Location
Paul Royster of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has graciously invited us to use any of the materials from his series of Electronic Texts in American Studies, online at http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/etas/.
All texts are public domain. We’re free to use or adapt any of his editorial notes as well, and to apply a CC license if desired.
Required Info
Please include in your submission:
Title
Author name
The anthology section it belongs in
The chapter it belongs in (if not just the author name)
Your name (so we can credit you!)
A link to the source text
The text or section of text to be included (lightly edited and formatted as necessary)
Due date
Please submit your text(s) by Friday, July 21st.
Format & Submission
Please share your texts in an editable Word or Google document. Files can be sent to zoe@rebus.community.
Finally, please do not hesitate to email me or address the forum with any questions, ideas, or concerns that arise during the process.
All the best,
Tim
