Academia – Sowing the Seed

All Quiet on The Small Internet

Posted on January 9, 2020 by Richard Newton

And somewhere in-between I had the realization that, contrary to popular belief, the internet isn't just about generating original content that demonstrates influence or raises one's clout. The web need not be worldwide; and our time in it, world dominating. I'm here for the small internet, where a niche of people find what they're looking for--whether they were looking for it or not. And for me this has involved what Kelly J. Baker has called "the cold take," and C. Travis Webb describes as "intellectual intimacy."

Nadia…

Posted on January 17, 2019January 18, 2019 by Richard Newton

Life is about connections. Okay, life is about many things. But it's at the connections where we so frequently realize and savor what we have. During my last year at Elizabethtown College, I had the pleasure of teaching and learning with a student named Nadia Mourtaj. I recently learned that Nadia and her younger sister, … Continue reading Nadia…

As Good a Time as Any

Posted on January 30, 2018 by Richard Newton

A few days ago WordPress notified me that I've been blogging for 10 years! Some will remember that Sowing the Seed actually began in 2006 using Apple's iWeb software. In any case, the anniversary was a good reminder for me to take a look around at what's been going on at StS. Believe it or … Continue reading As Good a Time as Any

Real Talk: CFPs and Stepping up the AAR and SBL Pre-Game

Posted on May 4, 2017May 10, 2017 by Richard Newton

As I've written before, so much of academic life is trying to figure out how people fit into the boxes we use to make sense of our worlds. Knowing some of the politics and frustrations that entails, I've tried to use this website to open that process up a bit. And I appreciated sharing about that in some different venues.

Real Talk: Reading the Academic Conference Terrain

Posted on March 16, 2017September 3, 2017 by Richard Newton

Picture of scholars Aaron Hughes, Jason Blum, Mike Altman, Tara Baldrick-Morrone, and Richard Newton

My last post responded to a question about whether presenting conference papers is worthwhile. Readers weighed in with some great points that must be factored into such deliberations. Dr. Josh Brockway noticed that I had used the annual meetings of the American Academy of Religion and Society of Biblical Literature as my frame of reference. Thinking … Continue reading Real Talk: Reading the Academic Conference Terrain