Beth Pardoe
"My PhD program had a required seminar for entering students, which involved students sharing book reviews. I hadn't written a book review since my last elementary school book report. I was terrified of seeming ignorant and not satisfying my peers and professors. I picked a book on a subject familiar to me; I pored over every footnote; then I researched contextual information. The result was ponderous prose and a dull presentation. For my second turn, I didn't have time to induIge my nerves. Fortunately, the book so enraged me that I wrote and spoke in a furious fIurry of condemnation. My classmates loved it; my adviser loved it. More importantly, I learned to trust my own voice."