An Independent Scholar (or, what else did I do this year?)

In May of last year, I wrote with pride about the publication of my first academic article, in collaboration with my dad, Professor Raymond Knapp. I say first because ... there are now several such collaborations. This has been such a rewarding and joyous process (if occasionally plagued with deadline-induced anxiety).

In the year 2019, I presented at two conferences, Music and the Moving Image (joint paper with Prof. Knapp) and Song, Stage and Screen XIV (my first solo paper), which, while brand-new experiences, were not as nerve-jangling as I'd predicted. Acting aside, I used to be so uncomfortable with public speaking that I would visibly shake with the adrenaline. But both papers went well, even with the oh-so-convenient laryngitis that hit the day before MaMI, and I may say the dreaded post-paper Q&As were manageable. In fact, our MaMI paper will soon be published in MaMI's eponymous journal.

In addition to that, two further collaborations were published this year, one in the Journal of Interdisciplinary Voice Studies, and the other in The Routledge Companion to the Contemporary Musical. So academically speaking, it's been a pretty good year.

Things I Learned:

• How to make a PowerPoint
• That I'm allowed to be silly when I make a PowerPoint
• When one has no university affiliation at a conference, one is an Independent Scholar
• This has more dignity than calling oneself a civilian and running away
• Collaboration includes remembering to share your toys and not hoard all the best bits for yourself. Sorry, dad. I'll share better next time.
• Q&A doesn't have to be about others tearing you down. It can also be a moment to expand, explore, and exchange ideas. I'd apologize for that phrasing, but ... naw.
• There's a whole field of nerds out there like me who like analyzing musical theater and I'm friends with a bunch of them now.

What I've presented/had published this year:

• "Musicals and the envoicing of mental illness and madness: From Lady in the Dark to Man of La Mancha (and beyond)," published in Journal of Interdisciplinary Voice Studies, Vol 4 No 2. Co-written with Raymond Knapp.
• "Falsettos and Indecent in the Shadow of Fiddler on the Roof: Reconsidering Jewish Identity on Broadway in the New Millennium," published in The Routledge Companion to the Contemporary Musical. Co-written with Raymond Knapp.
• "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and the Trajectories of Mental Illness in Musicals," presented at the 2019 Music and the Moving Image conference at NYU, Steinhardt School. Co-written and co-presented with Raymond Knapp, and soon appearing in the Music and the Moving Image journal.
• "Taking Center Stage: The Theft and Reclamation of the Female Narrative," presented at the Song, Stage and Screen XIV: (Re-)Inventions conference at the University of Leeds.

(to read any of these, please reach out to me)