Best of the Journals in Rhetoric and Composition
Series Editors
Jessica Pauszek, Texas A&M University-Commerce
Kristi Girdharry, Babson College
Charles Lesh, Auburn University
Series Launch: 2010
The Best of the Journals in Rhetoric and Composition series represents an attempt to foster a nationwide conversation—beginning with journal editors, but expanding to teachers, scholars and workers across the discipline of Rhetoric and Composition—to select essays that showcase the innovative and transformative work now being published in the field's journals. Representing both print and digital journals in the field, the essays in each edition represent a snapshot of the traditional and emergent conversations occurring in our field—from classroom practice to writing in global and digital contexts, from border rhetorics to social justice research. Together, the essays provide readers with a rich understanding of the present and future direction of the field.
Essays included in the series volume undergo a rigorous review process. First, all essays must have already crossed the threshold to be published in an academic journal in the field. Then, out of all the essays published by a journal, the editor can only select two essays. Next, the series editors create reading groups across the country. These groups feature full-time faculty, adjunct faculty, and graduate students who teach in a range of institutions. In this way, all the nominated essays are assessed and ranked for how they speak to the interests of all those who work in our field—a review process that is unique to the series. The series editors, plus one guest editor, then assemble a final selection of essays that have the strongest support from the reading groups for inclusion in a particular volume.
In this way, the Best of the Journals in Rhetoric and Composition series includes the only publications in the field that can truly claim to represent the collective insight of students, teachers, and scholars into the pressing issues of the current moment. For this reason, authors selected for inclusion are celebrated at their home institutions and journals actively seek recognition for their work. The series provides the broadest conception of scholarship in our field and so each volume can find a home in introductory graduate courses and advanced undergraduate courses everywhere.
Finally, the "Best" series also provides financial support through sales for scholarship in the field of composition and rhetoric. All proceeds from sales are donated to secure space at the annual Conference on College Composition and Communication to highlight this award-winning work. When someone purchases a book in the "Best" series, they are directly contributing to the ability of journals to continue to do their work. For this reason, the series editors hope that professors will assign this book in their classes, advertise it on their home webpages, and encourage their college/university libraries to purchase the series. Through these seemingly small acts of support, the infrastructure that produces new knowledge in our field will gain the necessary support it needs to survive (and thrive) in an "age of austerity."
Contact the Editors
To request consideration for inclusion on the list of journals contacted by the series editors to nominate work, please email Series editor Jessica Pauszek at Jessica.Pauszek@tamuc.edu . To learn more about the series generally, contact Parlor Press at editor@parlorpress.com.
