👋 Welcome to the December edition of The Latest, which is gearing up for winter break with dreams of peace and joy. ✌️
This month’s newsletter is 564 words — a 2-3 minute read.
📣 If Clothes Could Talk
My mom Penny Washbourn is a former dean, teacher, and mentor (and one of my favorite people). In a special guest blog post on my website, she tells the 50-year journey of her academic robe.
-
Spoiler alert: There is an appearance by Arnold Schwarzenegger!
I hope you delight in her unique take on all things leadership, relationships, and our journeys as personal and professional selves.
🎨 Watercolors for the Win
This holiday season, you may be seeking activities to get your family (and other folks) off their phones and a little more engaged and enlightened.
-
Here is a great activity: Disability Watercolor Conversations
It’s an activity I’ve done in workshops and classes to break the ice, get to know each other (and ourselves) a little better, and just relax with some watercolor prompts. Even better: No artistic skills or tech connections necessary!
🌀 ICYMI: Looking Ahead to 2024
-
Huge announcement for 2024! I am so excited my new book on accessibility will be published next year. Watch this one-minute video for more details. Here’s to manifesting a dream!
-
Mentorship matters. I am so proud to know and be part of the journey of my doctoral student, Ana Vielma, M.Ed! This profile of Ana by UT Austin, Passing the Torch: A First-Gen PhD Candidate on Becoming a Role Model, shows what a shining star she is as she prepares to graduate in May 2024.
-
Stay in the know. I know our email inboxes are overly full (especially this time of year), but if you want to stay up to date with my new research center in 2024, the National Disability Center for Student Success, subscribe to their emails. No spam ever, I promise!
📚 Calling All Aspiring Nonfiction Authors!
Do you have a great idea for a book, but don’t know where to start? Or started writing one, then stopped? Or explored writing a memoir, but gave up in exasperation?
My book-writing breakthrough happened last June, when I was really burned out (and super bummed out) after failed writing retreats, spinning in circles, and too many other work and life commitments.
-
That’s when I got a writing coach. Mei Mei Fox has made all the difference — especially for someone like me, who has written academic books but never something for a general audience.
We did some 1:1 coaching, then I signed up for her “Write Your Bestselling Book” course in September.
-
It was another critical turning point. All the structure, feedback, and support I needed in one place. I made enormous strides in just 6 weeks and finished my draft in 12 weeks.
Want to learn more? Take Mei Mei’s 30-minute masterclass, How to Write and Publish Your Bestselling Nonfiction Book or Memoir, for FREE with this referral link.
🥰 And Finally…
Dr. Jon Henner was a giant in deaf education and linguistics. He is gone too soon, and I miss him. This is one of my favorite quotes from him, which you can now own — to help support Jon’s family and a scholarship in his name.
[Image description: The words “How you language is beautiful. Don’t let anyone tell you your languaging is wrong. Your languaging is the story of your life.” in multicolored letters on a black background. The name Dr. Jon Henner is in the lower right corner, as author attribution.]