Writing/Righting Blackness: Encyclopedia Anxieties
The wacky "Ph.D. student's photo-wall" outside the adminstrative offices of the department of performance studies at nyu's tisch school of the arts. can you find yours truly on the board? look for the brown spot in the sea of whiteness...
i've been trying to blog guys, really. its just been tough. academia is kicking my ass right now folks but in a very productive way. here's the story: basically every doctoral candidate in the social sciences and humanities tries to do three things before they receive their PhD in order to beef-up their chances of being hired in a fancy department at a fancy research university: a) publish a scholarly article in a peer reviewed academic journal (or in an anthology published by a university press)
b) present once or twice at a major national academic conference in your field (i.e. American Studies Association, Modern Languages Association, etc.) and c) write an original dissertation that "breaks new ground" in your field.
considering that this is year 3 for me in graduate school, im starting to feel the pressure to accomplish A-B-and-C in the next two years.
i've been overwhelmed with deadlines. its all about "professionalization" (a word that makes me want to scream). i have until sunday to finish writing the eight entries i'll be publishing in Oxford University Press' forthcoming Encyclopedia of African American History and Culture, 1896-Present. not surprisingly, i'm mostly writing about the gays. specifically, i'm writing the entries on "20th century homosexuality and transgenderism", "barbara smith", "essex hemphill", "e. lynn harris", "anna deveare smith", "million man march", "june jordan" and "prince." it has been a daunting task folks. even though in the long run (if im lucky) i'll just view this as a "baby" gig, this is still my first official scholarly publishing credit outside of the review essays i've written for Women and Performance: A Journal of Feminist Theory and SOULS (which im actually still working on...)
the folks over at Oxford Press aint playin' and a brotha has been overwhelmed by the pressure of trying to "right/write" these topics in a way that does each one justice. the very idea of me being implicated in process of encyclopedic knowledge production is a trip to me. in preparing these entries, i've been thinking about how dramatically history is shaped and framed according to one's personal and political committments (yes, I know this statement is a no-brainer, but it still feels kind of different when one becomes an active agent in literally "writing" history). I mean the idea that some kid in Nebraska might pick up this encyclopedia, turn to the "homosexuality" entry and be pissed off (or perhaps touched in some perverse way) by finding Luther Vandross's name alongside James Baldwin's, is crazy to me!
How does the tenous status of "the closet" in the (black) history of sexuality frame what can and cannot be (re)presented as "evidentiary" material for an encyclopedia? In writing about queer black sexualities and cultures, how does one read "ephemera as evidence" ? (to borrow a phrase from Jose Esteban Munoz)
so i've been thinking:
if i decide to include langston hughes in my historical tracing of "20th century homosexuality" how will the editors respond? what if my intrepretation of (the artist formerly known as ) Prince's influence of black music and popular culture is too "queer"? how do i write about the "million man march" in a way that is both objective yet critical?
okay, im rambling now. and im sorry. i cant talk now, but i'll be sure to "call back" later.....
much love,
frank.
i've been trying to blog guys, really. its just been tough. academia is kicking my ass right now folks but in a very productive way. here's the story: basically every doctoral candidate in the social sciences and humanities tries to do three things before they receive their PhD in order to beef-up their chances of being hired in a fancy department at a fancy research university: a) publish a scholarly article in a peer reviewed academic journal (or in an anthology published by a university press)
b) present once or twice at a major national academic conference in your field (i.e. American Studies Association, Modern Languages Association, etc.) and c) write an original dissertation that "breaks new ground" in your field.
considering that this is year 3 for me in graduate school, im starting to feel the pressure to accomplish A-B-and-C in the next two years.
i've been overwhelmed with deadlines. its all about "professionalization" (a word that makes me want to scream). i have until sunday to finish writing the eight entries i'll be publishing in Oxford University Press' forthcoming Encyclopedia of African American History and Culture, 1896-Present. not surprisingly, i'm mostly writing about the gays. specifically, i'm writing the entries on "20th century homosexuality and transgenderism", "barbara smith", "essex hemphill", "e. lynn harris", "anna deveare smith", "million man march", "june jordan" and "prince." it has been a daunting task folks. even though in the long run (if im lucky) i'll just view this as a "baby" gig, this is still my first official scholarly publishing credit outside of the review essays i've written for Women and Performance: A Journal of Feminist Theory and SOULS (which im actually still working on...)
the folks over at Oxford Press aint playin' and a brotha has been overwhelmed by the pressure of trying to "right/write" these topics in a way that does each one justice. the very idea of me being implicated in process of encyclopedic knowledge production is a trip to me. in preparing these entries, i've been thinking about how dramatically history is shaped and framed according to one's personal and political committments (yes, I know this statement is a no-brainer, but it still feels kind of different when one becomes an active agent in literally "writing" history). I mean the idea that some kid in Nebraska might pick up this encyclopedia, turn to the "homosexuality" entry and be pissed off (or perhaps touched in some perverse way) by finding Luther Vandross's name alongside James Baldwin's, is crazy to me!
How does the tenous status of "the closet" in the (black) history of sexuality frame what can and cannot be (re)presented as "evidentiary" material for an encyclopedia? In writing about queer black sexualities and cultures, how does one read "ephemera as evidence" ? (to borrow a phrase from Jose Esteban Munoz)
so i've been thinking:
if i decide to include langston hughes in my historical tracing of "20th century homosexuality" how will the editors respond? what if my intrepretation of (the artist formerly known as ) Prince's influence of black music and popular culture is too "queer"? how do i write about the "million man march" in a way that is both objective yet critical?
okay, im rambling now. and im sorry. i cant talk now, but i'll be sure to "call back" later.....
much love,
frank.
Man do what you got to do, blogging can wait...Do you scholarly smarty-arty thang!
Just my thoughts
Posted by
WiseYoungMan |
10/31/2006
Hello, I'm new to your blog and I really like it. The mix of fun and deep thoughts is something I appreciate. I wish you'll be doing a hell of a good work for your future projects!
Posted by
Anonymous |
10/31/2006
You can do it Frank...Keep that Damn head up...My Mentor is currently up to defend his dissertation in front of the Board and used The Book Club as one of his cases and so I know what you're going through...He emails me 3am in the morning sometimes yet it will be a beautiful thing when we start calling you Dr. Frank Leon Roberts (that's the real gagger!)
We got this!
Laterz
DLB
Posted by
Anonymous |
10/31/2006
Be a clear as you can with yourself about your intentions. Be as rigorous as you can in your research. Be as transparent as you can about your approach. Be willing to be an authority. Be ready to be contested.
Posted by
Unknown |
11/01/2006
thought provoking even while you ramble...
Posted by
Anonymous |
11/01/2006
Wow, how exciting to be writing history!!! You are doing the damn thing, and YOU GOT THIS. We're all pulling for you in our lil' blogging family, and you are such an inspiration for me as I prepare for my Ph.D. experience. Keep your inspiration and objectives for your work at the forefront of your mind, maintain positive spirits by sharing with those around you (even if you have to have a "bitch session"), and when it gets too ridiculously overbearing, fall back, find your groove, and keep it movin until you're done! Keep it up, Dr. Roberts!
Posted by
dancehard |
11/02/2006
Greetings Frank. Although you're obviously and completely capable on your own, holla at me for added insight on the Prince component. [Expert here] FirstBornSe2cond@aol.com
Posted by
Anonymous |
11/02/2006
professionalization. grrrr
3rd year blues. grrr
all my best, dr.
Posted by
Larry D. Lyons II |
11/03/2006
Hi Frank!
Long time no comment from me. What you just shared sounds really hectic to me and I can imagine how it must be.
I'm also in the process of writing scholarly articles just to boost my PhD application and I can say it's all hardwork.
Just to digress a little though, have you ever flirted with a faculty member in your school? :D
Posted by
Anonymous |
11/07/2006