The CFI is pleased to host authors Drs. Georgiann Davis and Ranita Ray from the University of New Mexico for an online talk to demystify the process of writing, publishing, and publicizing books across genres. Drawing from their experiences with academic presses, trade publishers, and research driven narrative writing, they will walk participants through key considerations when choosing between academic and trade publishing; outline the stages of book development and publicity; and share insights from their own books.
Participants will gain a practical understanding of how book proposals work, how to communicate with editors, and how to navigate publication timelines. Georgiann and Ranita will also discuss their writing processes and offer space for questions tailored to attendees' interests and publishing goals. This workshop is appropriate for faculty at any stage of a book project.
Dr. Davis is the author of Five Star White Trash: A Memoir of Fraud and Family (2025), an unflinching response to JD Vance's Hillbilly Elegy, describing an unforgettable journey from seventh-grade dropout to celebrated professor.
Her first book, Contesting Intersex: The Dubious Diagnosis (2015), draws on interviews with intersex people, their parents, and medical experts to explore the oft-questioned views on intersex in medical and activities communities, as well as the evolution of thought in regard to intersex variability and transparency. This book was the winner of the 2017 Distinguished Book Award from the American Sociological Association, Section on Sex and Gender and the 2016 Donald Light Award for the Applied Public Practice of Medical Sociology from the American Sociological Association, Section on Medical Sociology.
Dr. Ray's most recent book, SLOW VIOLENCE: Confronting Darks Truths in the American Classroom (2025), is a powerful exposé of the American public education system's indifference toward marginalized children and the "slow violence" that fashions schools into hostile work and learning environments. Shortlisted for Columbia Journalism School and Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard's 2024 Lukas Work-in-Progress Prize.
Her first book, The Making of a Teenage Service Class: Poverty and Mobility in an American City (2017), challenges common wisdom that focusing on "risk behaviors" such as drug use, gangs, violence, and teen parenthood is the key to ameliorating poverty in Black and brown communities. It was the winner of the 2018 C. Wright Mills Award from the Society for the Study of Social Problems and the 2020 Distinguished Scholarship Award from the Pacific Sociological Association, among several other honorable mentions.
Location
Online via Zoom (The meeting link will be provided either with the email registration confirmation or by email the day before the event.)
Program Details
Genre: Presentation
Facilitator: Javier Padilla, CVPA & CFI
Program Date and Time
Monday, April 20, 3:00 - 4:15 p.m.
About the Presenters
Georgiann Davis is an intersex scholar-activist whose research, teaching, and activism focus on institutional violence and feminist theory. Her work has appeared in outlets ranging from the Los Angeles Times to the American Journal of Bioethics. She is the author of Contesting Intersex: The Dubious Diagnosis and a new research-driven memoir, Five Star White Trash, which explores familial trauma, medical abuse, and injustices within the criminal legal system. Georgiann previously served as board president of interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth and as past president of InterConnect Support Group, one of the largest intersex support organizations in the world.
Ranita Ray is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of New Mexico, where she holds an endowed chair. For 15 years, her research program has centered on youth, education, and gender and racial injustice. Ray is a 2019 National Academy of Education/Spencer fellow, as well as a 2018 Racial Democracy and Criminal Justice Network fellow. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation several times, including in 2018 when her team was awarded a large grant to study urban inequalities in Las Vegas. Slate, The Atlantic, The New York Times, the Las Vegas Review Journal, Las Vegas Sun, and the Las Vegas Weekly have featured Ray's research and original writing. She is author of The Making of a Teenage Service Class, which won four prizes and is widely adopted for classroom use. In addition, Ray's TED talk is often used by educators. And, Slow Violence was shortlisted for the 2024 Lukas Work-in-Progress Prize.
Attendance & Registration Information
Programs within the CFI are designed to support the development of instructional faculty and AP faculty with instructional responsibilities. We also welcome staff to many of our programs. If you are interested in attending one of our programs but do not identify with the above classifications, please email cfi@jmu.edu.
For more information on registering for our programs, please visit the CFI Programs & Events webpage, which includes details on registering for programs and an instructional video on how to use the registration portal.
LOG IN: If this is your first time visiting the registration page, your account will be created automatically when you sign in with your JMU e-ID and password (Okta required). Be sure to clear your browser cache/cookies upon each visit to the registration page.
- Complete your profile information:
- Update your college/division and department (use the search feature and/or select from the dropdown) and enter your Mail Stop Code (MSC) for your department on-campus mail.
- Add comments about your dietary & accommodation needs at the bottom of the profile form. (This information is collected and stored with your online account for all future programs you may attend.)
- Once your profile is complete, you should see a status update as complete on your Dashboard (an overview of your account).
Register by Friday, April 17, at 11:59 p.m.
Cancellations
If you find that you are unable to attend a scheduled event prior to the registration deadline, please return to your CFI Program Account and cancel your registration. If it is after the event registration deadline email cfi@jmu.edu as early as possible.
CFI programs will be canceled automatically if JMU is closed for inclement weather.
We want this program to be welcoming, accessible, and inclusive for all of our participants. Please describe any considerations or accommodations (e.g., dietary, disability, wellness, cultural, etc.) you want us to know about in your account profile. You may also reach out to us at cfi@jmu.edu or (540) 568-4846.