Reader Appreciation Series: Z

Of all the blogs I follow, mine has the best readers and commenters. I can’t tell you how good it makes me feel to see such a bunch of passionate, well-informed, fascinating and intellectual people come to the space I created. This is why I decided to start the Reader Appreciation Series where I will dedicate separate posts to my favorite readers and commenters. The names of readers will come up randomly. I have entered all of the people I want to show appreciation for into a Kindle app, and it will be feeding me names randomly. So please don’t read anything into being appreciated in a post #5 or #15. I love you all a lot. You, people, make me feel very happy and relevant. And if you read but never comment, now is the time to start, or I won’t be able to dedicate a post to you.

Z is a fellow Hispanist and an academic blogger whose great blog can be found here. Z is one of the most passionate bloggers I have ever encountered and a daily source of inspiration. Z’s analysis of the structural problems plaguing the academic world is always profound. I keep her inspiring words “writing is fun, publishing is easy, teaching is a pleasant social and artistic experience, and administration is creative” on the wall of my office and repeat them to myself daily. And it really helps.

Z belongs to the generation of female academics who have had to face incredible hardships on their professional and personal journey. She is an activist whose capacity for caring is nothing short of stunning. Her dedication and power offer an example for all young scholars. I relate to Z’s passion, her thirst for knowledge and I envy her the resilience and the courage she has.

People like Z are the hope and the pride of the American academia, and I’m honored to have her visit my blog.