In Episode 79, Dan Dissinger is joined by Guest Host Danielle Lee to talk to Saint John’s University alum Tara Bradway about life after the PhD, the complex issues facing contingent faculty, the challenges of being the artistic director of the Adirondack Shakespeare Company during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the impact of isolation on mental health.
Tara Bradway is a writer, actor, and scholar living in upstate New York. She teaches a variety of literature and composition courses at Union College and SUNY Adirondack. She holds her PhD from St. John’s University in English with a concentration in Shakespeare and performance. Her research is fueled by her work as artistic director of the Adirondack Shakespeare Company. In addition to her scholarship, Tara is currently working on two manuscripts, a historical fiction novel about Isabelle of Valois and a nonfiction piece about becoming a seeing eye human for her blind dog, Gus.
Links: www.tarabradway.com, www.adkshakes.org
Social media: Twitter @tara_bradway, Facebook @tara.bradway
People and Texts Mentioned in the Episode
Some links may be affiliate links, which at no additional cost to you help to fund The Writing Remix. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
- Episodes with Danielle Lee:
- SJU English Dept.
- The Open Door Bookstore
- Episode 25: Teaching through Contingency with Michelle Meyers and Ryan Leack
- System of a Down
- KRS-One
- Teaching to Transgress by bell hooks
“I kind of think of myself as a Jill of all trades.”
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–Tara Bradway
“It’s so isolating to get a PhD.”
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–Tara Bradway
“Anytime I speak with somebody, no matter what their field is, who’s getting a terminal degree, I always say, here’s my email address or here is my phone number please get in touch I know what it’s like.”
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–Tara Bradway
“You’re not just a teacher, you’re also a counselor.”
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–Tara Bradway
“The number of students that will share traumas [in their writing] is humbling.”
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–Tara Bradway
“I learned how to find quiet for myself.”
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–Danielle Lee
“The reason that I have these stories that I want to tell, and the difference between telling Shakespeare’s stories and telling my own stories is really coming down to wanting to share my experiences so that other people don’t feel alone in theirs.”
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–Tara Bradway
“Our brain mode is about storytelling and storytelling is about making connections with each other.”
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–Tara Bradway
This episode was recorded on January 18, 2022. Because we recorded via Zoom, there may be occasional audio hiccups. Our theme song is “4 am” by Makaih Beats. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher and follow us on Twitter @WritingRemixPod.
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