This stimulating collection is the first to take on the issue of form and what it means to the future of scholarly writing. A wide range of distinguished scholars from fields including law, literature, and anthropology shed light on the ways scholars can write for different publics and still adhere to the standards of quality scholarship.

A provocative discussion about the past, present, and uncertain future of academic writing

Introduction; Angelika Bammer and Ruth-Ellen Boetcher Joeres1. The Work of Writing; Jane Gallop2. Writers, Authors, and the Extraordinary Ordinary; Naomi Scheman3. Tribal Rites: Academic-Speak and the Ambiguity of Belonging; Angelika Bammer4. When Nothing Is Cool; Lisa Ruddick5. Writing in the Clinic, or What Might Be Expressed; Rita Charon6. Looking for the Right Path; Paul Stoller7. Found in the Details: Thoughts About Particulars; Ruth-Ellen Boetcher Joeres8. The "State" and the "Plantation": Writing Differently; Gyanendra Pandey9. Stories and the Language of Law; Kate Nace Day10. "Life has a mind of its own": Public Administration and "The Soloist"; Ralph Hummel & Camilla Stivers11. Undisciplined Practice: Experimenting with Anthropological Form; Anna Grimshaw12. Big Words in Small Circles: Bad Writing and the Social Sciences; Michael Billig13. A Discontinuous Voice; Amy Katz Kaminsky14. First Person Plural: Notes on Voice and Collaboration; Marianne Hirsch and Leo Spitzer15. Writing about Music - and the Music of Writing; Susan Mcclary16. The Poetry of It (Writing History); Carolyn Kay Steedman17. In the Meantime; Ruth Behar