Turning linguistics into a career
Plus, some really good shit I've been reading (and eating).
Writerly Q&A:
Q: Can you talk more about your background and how you made a career out of linguistics?
A: Certainly! So my degree is in linguistics with a minor in creative writing. I fell head over heels for the field of language and gender, but also sociolinguistics more broadly, the moment I found out what it was (in Linguistics 101 my freshman year); but, the only relevant careers anyone seemed to acknowledge were either going into speech pathology or staying in academia forever. Not for me. I knew I wanted to be a writer, and optimistically, I started telling people my career goal was to write about linguistics for general audiences. The response was lukewarm to put it mildly. It didn’t seem like a viable dream. So, I switched gears and pursued day jobs at a variety of online magazines while spending my free time trying to figure out exactly what I wanted to say with my writing (this involved pitching freelance essays and reported pieces; volunteering at a literary magazine; and launching a cringey YouTube series about language, gender, and pop culture that I pray you never find). After all the discouraging feedback about my vision of becoming a “linguistics writer,” you can only imagine my delight when the first literary agent I ever spoke to told me that she thought language and gender would be the best subject to pursue for my debut book! From there, Wordslut was born.
This week on Sounds Like A Cult:
Sorry in advance for all the crack vs. quack wordplay coming in tomorrow’s episode, which I already know will push some buttons! Obviously #notallchiropractors, but it’s definitely scary how this industry of psuedo-doctors is entrenched in a cultural history of New Age scammers and conspiracy theorists with Jesus complexes, including dudes who believed they could talk to the dead and heal all that ails you with their bare hands. Joining us is professional chiropractor/mole/part-time critic of his controversial profession, Trevor Zierke, here to help us figure out what level of “cult” the wild world of chiros really is. Episode drops tomorrow at 5am EST on all major pod platforms!
I’m moving to the mountains!
Before I go on book tour in April and my life becomes a high-speed tilt-a-whirl, Casey and I decided to flee to the mountains. We’ll be spending the month of February in Idyllwild, an off-the-beaten-path town in the San Jacinto Mountains two hours from L.A, where our dog will get to play in the snow and I can work in relative peace, close to nature and outside the anxious commotion of the city. Like hibernation. We rented a cabin with a wood-burning stove and view of the trees, and I’m so looking forward to our time there!
Speaking of a change of scenery…
I could not be more excited for the “write and travel” Italian retreat I’m hosting this October, especially now that my attendees and I have started to become acquainted via email (shoutout, Italy 2024 crew!). The trip will take place in Southern Italy from October 13 to 19 and will be a mix of sightseeing (strolling along the coasts of Positano and Capri, exploring the ruins of Pompeii), eating and drinking (pizza in the birthplace of pizza!), and taking writing workshops along the way from yours truly. I hosted two of these whirlwind Italian excursions last year, learned a ton, and can’t wait to do it again. If you’re interested in joining my cult, ahem… I mean… trip! ;) there are still a few spots left. Learn more at the link below!
A weekly roundup of books, podcasts, TV shows, tchotchkes, and anything else I’m currently “cult following.” This week, a nerdy feminist book, a French sweater, and more!
SHORT READ: A THEORY OF THE MODERN EXCLAMATION POINT!
Any Wordslut readers here are already intimately famil with my thoughts and feelings about gendered punctuation policing. Anne Helen Petersen’s latest on the topic had me snapping in a Z-like formation the whole way through. The feminine urge to use an exclamation point in a world of periods!!!!!!!!!!!
BOOK: EVE BY CAT BOHANNON
This volume showed up to my P.O. Box recently, and I am jazzed to dive in. It’s written by a Columbia PhD who is “picking up where Sapiens left off” (love Sapiens) with an evolutionary account of women’s bodies that The New York Times called “provocative” and Nature called “refreshing.” Very my vibe!
NOSH: UTOPIA BAGELS
Casey and I have started getting fresh New York bagels delivered to our home via GoldBelly, an extravagance that feels at once absurd and indispensable. Waking up to a plump, chewy Queens-made bagel in LA feels like eating McDonald’s on the moon.
SWEATER: SEZANE BETTY CARDIGAN IN ROSEWOOD
I bought this lightweight wool number while anxiety-shopping at a bougie outdoor mall in Santa Monica the other week, and frankly? No regrets. It’s like the cut of a men’s work shirt but the color of a dainty French blouse. I’ve worn it seven times already and received a bushel of compliments. A bushel!