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November 26, 2007
Rejection [Rhetoric Society of America] (Discourse Chronicle)
Dear colleague,
I am sorry to report that our program committee has been unable to offer your proposal, "Superman Blue: Convention, Innovation, and Longevity", reference 0203, a place on the RSA 2008 program.
Competition for program space was unusually fierce because this year’s RSA conference has attracted unusual interest. You should know that only in exceptional cases will people who proposed more than one paper be permitted to present multiple times.
[I know taking rejections personally is a trap because those are based on fit, not quality, nor subject matter. However, I believe in myself a little less when it happens. BK]
Posted by kuechebj at November 26, 2007 11:44 PM
Comments
Thanks, Dennis. I admit something cathartic happens when I post scholarly rejections here, but I also do it for my students. I teach my freshmen that writing is a process (or post-process depending on literacy) and no matter how good we become as writers, we experience rejection, which means we may always improve our craft. If my students doubt me, then I can prove it with this category.
Posted by: Bobby Kuechenmeister at December 26, 2007 05:03 PM
I admire the fact that you are so public with your disappointments. I don't generally mention my scholarly rejections on my blog -- I just announce the successes. But perhaps posting them in public is a useful way of letting go of the disappointment.
Posted by: Dennis G. Jerz at December 25, 2007 07:01 PM