About Christina Gessler

Dr. Christina Gessler is a developmental editor, and a writing coach. She holds a Ph.D. in American history, and is driven to explore what stories we tell and what happens to those we never tell. She is the creator, producer, and show host of the Academic Life.
Dr. Christina Gessler is the creator, show host, and producer of the Academic Life podcast. She holds a PhD in U.S. history.
Christina's website

NBN Episodes hosted by Christina:

Secret Harvests: A Hidden Story of Separation and the Resilience of a Family Farm

March 14, 2024

Secret Harvests

David Mas Masumoto

Today’s book is: Secret Harvests: A Hidden Story of Separation and the Resilience of a Family Farm (Red Hen Press, 2023), by David Mas Masumoto. In hi…

The Ungrateful Refugee: What Immigrants Never Tell You

March 7, 2024

The Ungrateful Refugee

Dina Nayeri

Today’s book is: The Ungrateful Refugee: What Immigrants Never Tell You (Catapult, 2020), by Dina Nayeri, a book which asks “what is it like to be a r…

Get PhDone! Proven Strategies for Tackling Your Writing Roadblocks

February 29, 2024

Get PhDone! Proven Strategies for Tackling Your Writing Roadblocks

Briana Barner

Are you facing writing roadblocks? There are many guides on how to make your writing match academic standards, so why aren’t there any on how to make …

Look Again: The Power of Noticing What Was Always There

February 22, 2024

Look Again

Cass R. Sunstein

Today’s book is: Look Again: The Power of Noticing What Was Always There (Atria/One Signal Publishers, 2024), by Tali Sharot and Cass R. Sunstein, a b…

Deborah Taffa, "Whiskey Tender: A Memoir" (Harper, 2024)

February 15, 2024

Whiskey Tender

Deborah Taffa

Today’s book is: Whiskey Tender: A Memoir (Harper, 2024), by Deborah Jackson Taffa, who was raised to believe that some sacrifices were necessary to a…

Where is Home?: A Discussion with Zed Zha

February 8, 2024

Where is Home?

Zed Zha

When Zed Zha came to the United States for her education, she faced barriers to medical school admission and financial aid, and to establishing a sens…

Black Women, Ivory Tower: Revealing the Lies of White Supremacy in American Education

February 1, 2024

Black Women, Ivory Tower

Jasmine L. Harris

Today’s book is: Black Women, Ivory Tower: Revealing the Lies of White Supremacy in American Education (Broadleaf Books, 2024), by Dr. Jasmine L. Harr…

Inside Addiction and Sobriety in Academia

January 25, 2024

Inside Addiction and Sobriety in Academia

Alicia Andrzejewski

How do the pressures of academia affect our relationships with ourselves, our work, and with substance use? Dr. Alicia Andrzejewski joins us for a can…

Black and Queer on Campus

January 18, 2024

Black and Queer on Campus

Michael P. Jeffries

Today’s book is: Black and Queer on Campus (NYU Press, 2023) by Michael P. Jeffries, which offers an inside look at what life is like for LGBTQ colleg…

Montana Lee, a Journey to Togo, and the Duke Diary Dispatches

January 11, 2024

Montana Lee, a Journey to Togo, and the Duke Diary Dispatches

Montana Lee

Does time abroad teach you something about the world, or about yourself? Whether you are a student, staff, or have gone alt-ac, you’ve likely consider…

Claire Myers Owens and the Banned Book: A Discussion with Miriam Kalman Friedman

January 4, 2024

Claire Myers Owens and the Banned Book

Miriam Kalman Friedman

Why did the New York Public Library ban a novel about women’s independence? What was the Human Potential Movement? And who was Claire Myers Owens? To…

Brown and Gay in LA and the Craft of Writing Nonfiction:: A Discussion with Anthony Christian Ocampo

December 28, 2023

Brown and Gay in LA and the Craft of Writing Nonfiction

Anthony Christian Ocampo

In this episode, Dr. Anthony Christian Ocampo takes us both inside and beyond his new book, Brown and Gay in LA: The Lives of Immigrant Sons (NYU Pres…

Talking to Strangers: A Discussion with Psychotherapist Charlotte Fox Weber

December 21, 2023

Talking to Strangers

Charlotte Fox Weber

Can the kindness of strangers help with the loneliness crisis? Whether you are a student, staff, or have gone alt-ac, you’ve likely had to move at lea…

How to Build a Career: A Discussion with Ben Wildavsky

December 14, 2023

How to Build A Career

Ben Wildavsky

On this episode of the Academic Life, we dive into the book The Career Arts: Making the Most of College, Credentials, and Connections (Princeton UP, 2…

Hidden No More: A Conversation with Space Suit Technician Sharon McDougle

December 7, 2023

Hidden No More

Sharon McDougle

Who dresses the astronauts for flight? Why are the suits orange? And how are they cared for? Sharon Caples McDougle joins us to talk about her work as…

Education Behind the Wall: Why and How We Teach College in Prison

November 30, 2023

Education Behind the Wall

Mneesha Gellman
Listen:

Why are college programs offered in some prisons? How are the students selected? Where do the professors come from? What are the logistics of preparin…

Rachel Neff, "Chasing Chickens: When Life After Higher Education Doesn't Go the Way You Planned" (UP of Kansas, 2019)

November 16, 2023

Chasing Chickens

Rachel Neff
Listen:

The majority of PhDs won’t secure a tenure-track job. So how can you pivot, and find a new opportunity? Dr. Rachel Neff joins us to share her experien…

I Kick and I Fly: A Discussion with Ruchira Gupta

November 9, 2023

I Kick and I Fly

Ruchira Gupta
Listen:

Professor Ruchira Gupta joins us to share her young adult novel I Kick and I Fly (Scholastic, 2023), which was inspired by her experience making the E…

Exploring the Emotional Arc of Turning a Dissertation into a Book

November 2, 2023

Exploring the Emotional Arc of Turning a Dissertation into a Book

Leslie Wang
Listen:

Imposter syndrome. Intellectual fatigue. Feeling like you have nothing interesting to say. Not liking your topic or your research anymore. Wondering i…

Shark Sciences: A Conversation with Carlee Jackson

October 26, 2023

Shark Sciences

Carlee Jackson
Listen:

Today’s book is Minorities in Shark Sciences: Diverse Voices in Shark Research (CRC Press, 2022), edited by Jasmin Graham, Camila Caceres and Deborah …

The Benefits of New Forms of Assessments for Historical Thinking: A Conversation with Haley Armogida

October 19, 2023

The Benefits of New Forms of Assessments for Historical Thinking

Haley Armogida
Listen:

Considering trying ungrading? Assigning the unessay? What helps, and what hinders student progress? Today’s guest shares her own interrupted journey t…

Indigenous DC: A Conversation with Elizabeth Rule

October 12, 2023

Indigenous DC

Elizabeth Rule
Listen:

Today’s book is Indigenous DC: Native Peoples and the Nation’s First Capital (Georgetown UP, 2023), by Dr. Elizabeth Rule, which is the first and full…

Lee Wind, "No Way, They Were Gay?: Hidden Lives and Secret Loves" (Zest Books, 2021)

October 5, 2023

No Way, They Were Gay?

Lee Wind
Listen:

Which stories are left out of the history books? What’s in the documents omitted from the “official” record? And what happens when we go in search of …

Becoming the Writer You Already Are: A Conversation with Michelle R. Boyd

September 28, 2023

Becoming the Writer You Already Are

Michelle R. Boyd
Listen:

Procrastination. Writer’s block. Feeling stuck. Are you struggling with the blank page? Today’s guest shares her methods that help writers move past t…