The session recording will be archived on the site until June 25th, 2023

This session was streamed but not recorded

Curated Track: AAG Careers and Professional Development

Description:

What a time to be a geographer – as they say, the world is on fire (Salama 2021). Nearly a quarter of the way into the twenty-first century, our planet faces unfolding challenges to environmental processes, human societies, natural systems, and the people who populate it. In an age shaped by anthropogenic climate change, shifting human dynamics, and dynamic advances in global interconnections, the work of geographers matters more than ever before.

As geographers, our research and academic interests intersect directly with matters of dire importance for people and our planet. Odds are, the same issues that many academic geographers work on also appear in news headlines daily – yet few geographers routinely connect their research insights and intellectual expertise with interested publics.

The purpose of this session is to advance a new generation of geographers equipped with the tools to write our geography for “a world on fire” – by engaging public audiences through accessible writing, geographers of all stripes can magnify the impact of the important work we do and provide applicable insights to the pressing issues of the day. Following calls to enhance public communication and advocacy of geographers (Alderman and Inwood 2019), this workshop-style session will cover topics such as engaging non-expert audiences, making a “pitch” to public-facing outlets, and crafting different types of public-facing pieces. Attendees are encouraged to brainstorm potential applications of their research and expertise prior to the session, and are invited to bring a short sample or abstract of a current writing project to practice “de-academify-ing” your writing.

GSAG is excited to have invited Dr. Emily Fraizer, from Missouri State University to give this year's GSAG plenary presentation. Emily Frazier earned her PhD in Geography from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and is an assistant professor of Human Geography in the Department of Geography, Geology and Planning at Missouri State University. She researches the shifting landscape of U.S. refugee resettlement, focusing on the work of resettling organizations and experiences of newcomers. Her work has appeared in public-facing and academic publications such as the Washington Post, Journal of Refugee Studies, Social & Cultural Geography, and the Geographical Review. She is a recipient of the Russell Sage Foundation Pipeline Grant, and is a Religion, Spirituality, and Democratic Renewal Fellow of the Social Science Research Council.

Non-Presenting Participants