PhDivas

From seminar papers to pieces for The Guardian -- how do we write for the public and how can our graduate training prepare us for non-academic work? Meredith Talusan is BuzzFeed's first openly trans LGBT staff writer and was a PhD in comparative literature. We interview Meredith about what it means to be a professional trans woman in the media and writing for different audiences. How do we balance the complexity of our expertise with the necessity for simplicity in communication? If we're at the "tipping point" of trans issues, what battles must be fought against transmisogyny? How do we represent ourselves but also our communities? Meredith chats about everything from colorism to taking criticism online to relative privilege to (lack of) support for LGBT students in the academy. As of this writing, Meredith has moved on from BuzzFeed and is working on a few books! Good luck, Meredith! You can follow her on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/demerith?fref=ts) and Twitter @1demerith