Writing Remix Podcast

107. Preparing for Spring 2025 w/ Dr. Meghan P. Nolan

Dan welcomes Dr. Meghan P. Nolan back to Writing Remix to discuss preparing for the Spring 2025 semester and some of the ways she’s looking to expand, shift, and reimagine approaches to writing instruction. Meghan also talks about the balance between her duties as a writing professor and the Chair of the Sam Draper Honors Program at SUNY Rockland, the impact of AI on students’ critical thinking, setting boundaries for work life balance, the role of flexibility, adaptability, and organic assignment development, advice for new professors, and so much more. This is a perfect episode if you’re a new instructor, a seasoned instructor looking for some inspiration, or a fledging doctoral student wondering what the academic life consists of after th dissertation.

Approximate Show Notes

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:35 Reflecting on St. John’s and Doctoral Program

01:19 Beginning of the Spring 2025 Semester

01:55 Megan’s Role and Experience at SUNY Rockland

03:48 Balancing Administrative and Faculty Responsibilities

06:17 Classroom Preparation and Flexibility

07:20 Course Materials and Student Engagement

14:09 Setting Boundaries and Communication

20:40 Navigating AI in Academia

29:54 Empowering Students to Embrace Mistakes

30:24 The Pressure of Academic Perfection

35:01 Redefining Humanities Education

40:35 Innovative Teaching Methods

45:06 Navigating AI in Education

47:08 Encouraging Student Curiosity

53:16 Advice for New Professors

56:00 Conclusion and Future Plans

106. How I Leverage My Podcast at Academic Conferences

In this solo episode of Writing Remix, Dan discusses how to effectively convert academic conference presentations into engaging podcast episodes. He shares personal experiences and lessons learned from shifting his traditional conference approach to a more interactive and participatory format using his multiple podcasts. Dan emphasizes the importance of recording and archiving presentations, networking, and exploring creative ideas to reach a wider audience. He provides practical tips and encourages academics to utilize podcasting as a dynamic scholarly medium.

Approximate Show Notes

00:00 Introduction to the Episode
01:32 Early Conference Experiences
02:48 Transition to Collaborative Workshops
04:09 The Impact of Podcasting
07:55 Integrating Podcasting with Conferences
09:06 Interviewing Conference Participants
17:20 Live Podcast Presentations
23:30 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

105. Talking Wine & Rhetoric w/ Dr. Bailey McAlister

Dan invites Dr. Bailey McAlister, sommelier, Rhetoric & Communications professor, & pop-culture critic to talk all about how she merges her love of wine and the wine community with her PhD research, the impact that 2020 had on the wine & beverage industry, how sommeliers are using personal narratives to introduce people to wine, community building in the world of wine, how she teaches process-oriented writing to her students, and so much more. So, grab a glass, your favorite beverage, and settle in for another Writing Remix!

104. LIVE! from The Southwest Popular/American Culture Association Conference w/ The Long Take Review Podcast

Dan recorded LIVE from the Southwest Popular/American Culture Association Conference in Albuquerque, NM w/ USC colleagues Jen Sopchockchai Bankard & P.T. McNiff of the Long Take Review podcast. Shoutout to SWPACA, the tech guy who helped make this happen, and everyone that came out to support!

Their presentation, “Between Two Scholastic Worlds: Teaching, Blogging, and Podcasting,” examined the negotiation between the pop-culture world and the academic lives, how podcasting and pop-culture curiosity is used in the classroom, the pressures of being an independent podcaster, and they answered some amazing questions from the audience. There’s so much more, so get ready to take notes, because class is in session!

103. Being an Artist w/ Dr. Ally Zlatar

Content Warning: This episode has discussions about mental health issues, body dysmorphia, eating disorders, & suicidal ideation.

Dan invites artist Dr. Ally Zlatar to talk about the imperative role artists & art play in the world to communicate empathy, create community, & as a tool for empowerment. This is such a deep episode with a lot of vulnerability. Ally discusses her Starving Artist Initiative and how it supports “innovative and unique approach[es] that uses art and creativity to promote representation and intersectionality in civic reform” (Starving Artist). Lastly, there’s open discussions on body image, eating disorders, & the many forgotten communities battling eating disorders.

102. Digital Social Learning Solutions w/ Dr. Nicole Papaioannou Lugara

Dan invites Saint John’s University alum and the Founder & CEO of Your Instructional Designer Dr. Nicole Papaioannou Lugara. On this episode, Nicole reflects on her journey from PhD to CEO. She talks about creating and launching an instructional design company, what she believes the role of instructional design is in today’s world, some of the misconceptions of instructional design, why it’s important to create a strong network, and so much more. This episode was recorded on June 29th, 2022.

101. Growing Flash Fiction w/ Nancy Stohlman

Dan invites Nancy Stohlman back on Writing Remix to discuss recording the audiobook for her award-winning book Going Short: An Invitation to Flash Fiction, the growing genre of Flash Fiction, the importance of building a creative community to recover from burnout, doing promotion for her book during COVID-19 quarantine in 2022, and so much more. This episode was recorded on April 20th, 2022.

100. What I Learned After 100 Episodes w/ Daniel Dissinger

On this special episode of Writing Remix, Dan celebrates the 100th episode talking about some of the lessons he’s learned about himself as a writer, teacher, and podcaster. He reflects on the decision to pivot the focus of Writing Remix during the COVID-19 pandemic, how major news events impacted the podcast, how his understanding of scholarship has changed, and so much more.

Thank you to everyone who has listened, supported, been a guest, and anyone who has guest hosted. Getting to 100 episodes isn’t easy and I couldn’t have done it without each and every one of you. A special thank you goes out to the person who I started this podcast with, Katie McNey. The podcast was a team effort and your contribution won’t ever be forgotten.

99. Bringing the Grad Student Perspective w/ Leah Rubinsky

Dan welcomes Leah Rubinsky, PhD candidate at the University of Washington and podcaster, to dive deeply into the grad student experience, confronting academic writing genres and styles, writing workshops and feedback, and the challenges of subverting the dissertation style to fit one’s research. Leah also talks about her research on “bad” mothering in Colombian and Caribbean women’s contemporary fiction, who she is writing her dissertation for, and why. Read and download the full transcript of this episode at the bottom of this post.

98. Writing Remix at SWPACA 2023 in Albuquerque, NM

On this special episode, Dan speaks to participants at the 2023 SWPACA (Southwest Popular/American Culture Association Conference) in Albuquerque, NM. In just twenty-three and a half minutes you’ll hear about the Roswell event, making art on scratchboard, the interesting cultural history of the pink flamingo lawn ornament, decolonizing flavors, coffee, and so much more. Special thanks to Ralph Sanders, Claire Spaulding, and David Tortolini for stopping to talk with me, and to the conference organizers. Read and download the full transcript of this episode at the bottom of this post.