New Orleans from St. Patrick’s Church 1852 / J.W. Hill & Smith, del.; lith. par B.F. Smith, Jr. Courtesy of Library of Congress.

The SHEAR Second-Book Writers’ Workshop is inviting applications for the sixth annual 2BWW workshop to be held at the Annual Meeting of SHEAR in New Orleans. The workshop will run from 12:30-4:30pm on Thursday, July 21, 2022. We also will offer one online discussion panel via Zoom.

The journey from first to second book can be a difficult one. Trying to write during the COVID-19 pandemic has been especially hard. From choosing a topic for a second book to finding the time and support to research and write, the structure that guides the writing of the dissertation and first book disappears. Many of us struggle with this transition. We search for research support at the same time as professional and personal obligations increase. For some scholars, life circumstances can make residential fellowships or long-term travel seem impossible. Yet the second book is an essential step in career advancement. In recognition of the unique challenges of this stage, SHEAR’s workshop is designed to support its members at this transitional point in their scholarly careers.

The goals of the SHEAR Second-Book Writers’ Workshop include both practical advice and the motivation that comes from writing for and with your peers. To accommodate the many stages of second book production, the workshop encourages flexibility in pre-circulated materials. Organized into focus groups, the workshop provides a space for discussion of fellowship applications, chapter drafts, and book proposals targeting specific kinds of presses. In addition to offering in person sessions, we will also offer an online focus group devoted to discussion of book proposal drafts.

We invite individual submissions of book proposals, fellowship applications, and draft chapters at any stage of development. If you are interested in working with other second-book authors in a particular area of expertise, we welcome group submissions with a particular topical focus. If you have friends or colleagues who you want to read your work, please encourage them to apply. Let us know if you have specific readers in mind or general topical areas you would like to discuss. This will help guide us in forming group sessions and selecting mentors.

To apply to participate, writers of second books should submit via e-mail to 2ndBookSHEAR@gmail.com a single .pdf or Word file that contains a one-page CV and a one-page document comprising a description of your second book project, the document that you would like to circulate for the workshop, if you are applying for the online-only book proposal discussion, and any other insights about topical areas or audience that you care to provide. Unfortunately, we cannot offer hybrid sessions; panels will occur entirely in person or entirely online.