Celebrating One Year of Flourishing with Publish Not Perish
Happy Birthday PNP!
Greetings, dear readers! I can hardly believe it, but Publish Not Perish will be one year old on June 22nd! One year of defying the pervasive "publish or perish" mantra in academia. One year of examining academic culture and discovering ways to resist and thrive. Today, I raise my virtual glass to the spirit of flourishing instead!
And, yes, I have some birthday gifts for you at the bottom of the post!
Let me pause here to reflect on the origins of this project before I go into the milestones we have reached in just a year.
For those of us who have felt the paralyzing fear of perishing, the pressure to publish can cast a shadow over a once-beloved craft. Personally, I experienced this shift in my relationship with writing during my graduate school years. What was once a refuge became a source of anxiety and self-doubt. The fear of perishing seemed to hang over my head like a dark cloud, dictating my worth and measuring my career prospects. But as time went on, I realized that there must be a better way—a path that allows me to thrive as a scholar while nurturing my well-being, passions, and values.
Thus, the idea for this newsletter was born—a platform dedicated to reshaping the narrative and exploring diverse avenues to successful writing careers. Over the past year, I have worked to give you advice you can use, metaphors that inspire, and insights that will challenge you to expand your horizons beyond the narrow confines of academic discourse. Reflecting on what has and has not worked for me has been a very cathartic process.
In these weekly musings, I have explored numerous facets of flourishing as a writer and scholar. From tips on effective time management and work-life balance to nurturing creativity, building meaningful writing practices, and developing general awareness of how the academy works, I have sought to uncover the multifaceted ways in which we can find balance and make a lasting impact without losing our souls in the process.
Today, as I celebrate this one-year milestone, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to each and every one of my dear readers. Your support, engagement, and invaluable feedback have been instrumental in shaping Publish Not Perish. It is your unwavering enthusiasm that has propelled me forward and reinforced PNP’s mission to celebrate thriving in academia and beyond.
In the spirit of celebration, I’d love to hear your thoughts, suggestions, and success stories in the comments. Were there any particular insights or posts that you found useful? What else would you like to see from PNP? Your voices matter so much to me, and together, we can continue to redefine the notion of success in academia and build a supportive and empowering community.
Thank you for being a part of my readership. It’s a privilege to visit your inbox each week, and I am filled with gratitude for the privilege of connecting with such an inspiring and diverse group of individuals. Here's to another year of not perishing but flourishing instead!
PNP By The Numbers
Subscribers: 2600+
Geographic Reach: 49 US states and 90 countries
Posts Written: 75
Words Written: 100,000+
Number of Views: 157,000+
The Greatest Hits
Most Viewed Posts: Crafting Argument-Driven Manuscripts; Editing Tools I Love; The Postdoc Journey: A Space for Radical Reflection
Most Likes: Breaking Down Writing Projects into Smaller Parts; Habits for More Productive and Less Stressful Writing; Why I’m Exploring Alt-Ac Careers; The Postdoc Journey: A Space for Radical Reflection
Most Shares: Writing While Short on Time; Crafting Argument-Driven Manuscripts; It Takes a Village: Writing Resources I Love; How to Marie Kondo Your Academic Career
Birthday Gifts
Since it’s PNP’s birthday this week, let’s celebrate! Through June 25, you can get a monthly or annual paid subscription for 20% off.
In addition, from now until June 22 at 11:59 p.m. CST, you can purchase the discounted one-year subscription to PNP for yourself and then receive a complimentary paid subscription to give away! You can choose who receives it or simply designate it for any graduate student, contingent faculty member, or scholar from the Global South.
After you have updated your Substack subscription, please fill out the Google Form below so I know where to send your complimentary subscription.
Spread the Love
Have you been enjoying Publish Not Perish? Please help us spread the love! Consider sharing the newsletter with your friends, listservs, and social networks to commemorate PNP's first year! Could we reach 3,000 dear readers by PNP’s birthday?
Congrats on a huge milestone Jenn! If you ever write a sister publication, you can call it 'Flourish and Fly' 😁
I appreciate you putting that time and guidance into all the posts and what you e created here. Thanks for letting me be a part of it!