Inaugural RSA Series in Transdisciplinary Rhetoric Book Proposal Workshop

October 24, 2025

Penn State University Press is now accepting applications for the inaugural RSA Series in Transdisciplinary Rhetoric book proposal workshop! Whether you are working on your first book or your third, on a scholarly monograph or a book intended for general readers, the book proposal is a useful tool for thinking through argument, organization, and audience, and it is an essential document for editors and publishers as they evaluate projects. The Rhetoric Society of America and Penn State University Press are excited to offer this book proposal workshop to provide concrete feedback on projects in development and to create space for support, guidance, and community as authors begin the publishing process.

Led by series editors Leah Ceccarelli and Michael Bernard-Donals and Penn State University Press acquisitions editor Archna Patel, this in-person workshop will take place at the 2026 RSA conference in Portland, Oregon. The workshop aims to support emerging and established scholars working on their book proposal materials, including the proposal itself along with one or two sample chapters.

PSU is seeking up to six scholars who are interested in publishing in the RSA Series in Transdisciplinary Rhetoric. Applicants should plan to have a draft book proposal and sample chapters on hand by April 1, 2026, in order to share with the series editors prior to the RSA conference. Applications for the workshop are due December 15 and should include one to two paragraphs on the scope of the project and why it is a fit for the series. Priority will be given to first-time authors, those working on a book for promotion, and scholars without institutional support.

Fill out this form to apply.