The Los Angeles Review of Books (LARB), the Townsend Center for the Humanities, and the Graduate Division are pleased to invite applications from Berkeley Ph.D. students in the humanities and humanistic social sciences to attend LARB’s summer publishing workshop. Berkeley Ph.D. students are invited to apply by March 18 for consideration for one of five scholarships that cover the cost of tuition for the workshop. (Please note that this deadline is earlier than the deadline posted on LARB’s website.) More details about the scholarship can be found below. Why Attend This five-week workshop gives attendees the chance to meet and learn from some of the leading figures in the worlds of digital and print publishing. The workshop will be held on Zoom from June 20 – July 22. Participants will learn about best practices in the publishing industry and make contacts at publishing institutions. Participants will attend lectures, workshops, and other events in the morning. In the afternoon, they will gain practical experience in either magazine publication or book production. The workshop will also offer attendees guidance on resumes, cover letters, and networking skills. Through this experience, fellows will learn about career options and make valuable connections in the worlds of media production. They may also want to follow the example of previous workshop participants and launch their own publishing venture. Still not convinced? Let your Berkeley colleagues who have participated in the past convince you. Lucia Tang (History): “Career-wise, the weeks I spent at LARB were probably the most impactful weeks out of my seven-year tenure at Berkeley. When I decided to leave the academy, the skills I picked up there helped me land on my feet and find meaningful, creatively satisfying work. Learning to pitch, edit, and even orient myself in the media landscape helped me land a role helming content at Keeper Tax, a venture-backed startup that helps precariously employed people navigate their taxes. I may work in tech, but on a practical level, I’m essentially managing editor at a service journalism publication. Outside of work, I’ll even pitch an occasional essay to a literary venue. One of my pieces, for the Ploughshares blog, earned a “Notable” nod in Best American Essays 2021 — something I never could have imagined happening before the workshop.” Bryce Becker (Education): “The LARB publishing workshop really helped to demystify the publishing world. I finished the workshop with a stronger sense of where I might fit into the industry. The LARB team was extremely personable, even on Zoom, and they gathered top-notch presenters from across the field, representing agents, managing editors, founders, DEI directors, university presses, independent presses, and much more. An unexpected perk was also the therapeutic sense of community that I felt with other graduate students who were questioning whether or not they should stay in academia. It turns out that’s okay! Finally, at the end of the workshop, you are added to a large alumni network and receive regular updates and job postings––an update that I look forward to opening each month!” Derek O’Leary (History): “Although virtual, the LARB publication workshop during summer 2020 did an exceptional job presenting a mosaic of the publishing industry. The fellows brought a remarkable range of interests and aspirations to the workshop. The wonderful LARB team held the rigorous program together with their expertise and warmth. And the extraordinary group of professionals from all corners of the publishing industry contributed a mixture of personal narratives and professional insight and advice. Participating in PubLab, where we collaboratively produced an online edition, showed us an accelerated version of the LARB publishing process. Numerous jobs in publishing are an obvious fit for scholars in the humanities in particular; but, 1) you need to know what the jobs are and 2) you need to learn about how to get actual experience in publishing during your Ph.D. I would suggest that interested, early- and mid-stage Ph.D. students jump on this opportunity sooner rather than later.” Scholarship and Funding Details: Tuition for the workshop is $2,500. The LARB, the Townsend Center for the Humanities, and Graduate Division will provide up to five scholarships that will cover the cost of tuition in full. All eligible students who submit an application to LARB before the March 18 deadline will be considered for one of the five scholarships. After being accepted to the workshop, successful applicants are invited to contact their respective home departments to secure additional funding for living expenses. If they are otherwise eligible for the award, graduate students may also use the Graduate Division Conference Travel Grant to help defray their expenses. How to Apply To apply to this program, students should fill out the application to the workshop by March 18, 2022. Please contact gradpro@berkeley.edu if the $40 application fee represents a hardship or if you have any questions. About the authors: David Bratt holds a Ph.D. in Chinese from UC Berkeley and is a former Professional Development Liaison and Hitchcock Postdoctoral Fellow in the GradPro office of the Graduate Division. He is currently a Presidential Management Fellow at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Linda von Hoene is Assistant Dean for Professional Development in Berkeley’s Graduate Division.
The Los Angeles Review of Books (LARB), the Townsend Center for the Humanities, and the Graduate Division are pleased to invite applications from Berkeley Ph.D. students in the humanities and humanistic social sciences to attend LARB’s summer publishing workshop. Berkeley Ph.D. students are invited to apply by March 18 for consideration for one of five scholarships that cover the cost of tuition for the workshop. (Please note that this deadline is earlier than the deadline posted on LARB’s website.) More details about the scholarship can be found below. Why Attend This five-week workshop gives attendees the chance to meet and learn from some of the leading figures in the worlds of digital and print publishing. The workshop will be held on Zoom from June 20 – July 22. Participants will learn about best practices in the publishing industry and make contacts at publishing institutions. Participants will attend lectures, workshops, and other events in the morning. In the afternoon, they will gain practical experience in either magazine publication or book production. The workshop will also offer attendees guidance on resumes, cover letters, and networking skills. Through this experience, fellows will learn about career options and make valuable connections in the worlds of media production. They may also want to follow the example of previous workshop participants and launch their own publishing venture. Still not convinced? Let your Berkeley colleagues who have participated in the past convince you. Lucia Tang (History): “Career-wise, the weeks I spent at LARB were probably the most impactful weeks out of my seven-year tenure at Berkeley. When I decided to leave the academy, the skills I picked up there helped me land on my feet and find meaningful, creatively satisfying work. Learning to pitch, edit, and even orient myself in the media landscape helped me land a role helming content at Keeper Tax, a venture-backed startup that helps precariously employed people navigate their taxes. I may work in tech, but on a practical level, I’m essentially managing editor at a service journalism publication. Outside of work, I’ll even pitch an occasional essay to a literary venue. One of my pieces, for the Ploughshares blog, earned a “Notable” nod in Best American Essays 2021 — something I never could have imagined happening before the workshop.” Bryce Becker (Education): “The LARB publishing workshop really helped to demystify the publishing world. I finished the workshop with a stronger sense of where I might fit into the industry. The LARB team was extremely personable, even on Zoom, and they gathered top-notch presenters from across the field, representing agents, managing editors, founders, DEI directors, university presses, independent presses, and much more. An unexpected perk was also the therapeutic sense of community that I felt with other graduate students who were questioning whether or not they should stay in academia. It turns out that’s okay! Finally, at the end of the workshop, you are added to a large alumni network and receive regular updates and job postings––an update that I look forward to opening each month!” Derek O’Leary (History): “Although virtual, the LARB publication workshop during summer 2020 did an exceptional job presenting a mosaic of the publishing industry. The fellows brought a remarkable range of interests and aspirations to the workshop. The wonderful LARB team held the rigorous program together with their expertise and warmth. And the extraordinary group of professionals from all corners of the publishing industry contributed a mixture of personal narratives and professional insight and advice. Participating in PubLab, where we collaboratively produced an online edition, showed us an accelerated version of the LARB publishing process. Numerous jobs in publishing are an obvious fit for scholars in the humanities in particular; but, 1) you need to know what the jobs are and 2) you need to learn about how to get actual experience in publishing during your Ph.D. I would suggest that interested, early- and mid-stage Ph.D. students jump on this opportunity sooner rather than later.” Scholarship and Funding Details: Tuition for the workshop is $2,500. The LARB, the Townsend Center for the Humanities, and Graduate Division will provide up to five scholarships that will cover the cost of tuition in full. All eligible students who submit an application to LARB before the March 18 deadline will be considered for one of the five scholarships. After being accepted to the workshop, successful applicants are invited to contact their respective home departments to secure additional funding for living expenses. If they are otherwise eligible for the award, graduate students may also use the Graduate Division Conference Travel Grant to help defray their expenses. How to Apply To apply to this program, students should fill out the application to the workshop by March 18, 2022. Please contact gradpro@berkeley.edu if the $40 application fee represents a hardship or if you have any questions. About the authors: David Bratt holds a Ph.D. in Chinese from UC Berkeley and is a former Professional Development Liaison and Hitchcock Postdoctoral Fellow in the GradPro office of the Graduate Division. He is currently a Presidential Management Fellow at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Linda von Hoene is Assistant Dean for Professional Development in Berkeley’s Graduate Division.