Sally Barr Ebest

When I started my MA, I was interested in literature. I loved reading and wanted to learn more. For some reason, I took a lot of courses in British drama and ended up writing my MA thesis on the role of women in Restoration Drama. So after finishing the MA I decided to pursue the PhD; however, after taking a few courses at my alma mater, I transferred to Indiana University and began the doc program. The IU profs were challenging; however, the thought of trying to conduct research that went beyond the usual dead white men, or even dead white women, did not interest me. Worse, it was clear that the job market was full of PhDs in literature—and as a single mother of two young boys, I needed a job.

So in addition to majoring in American lit, I began a specialization in composition studies. Although the readings themselves were often rather jargony, I liked the theories behind them, particularly as they pertained to teaching, which I really liked. Plus, the profs usually practiced what they preached, so I got experience working in small groups, freewriting, and drafting. Best of all, there were plenty of areas to research, the research was actually relevant and pragmatic, and—there were jobs. At this point (early 1980s) composition was just beginning to be recognized, not only as a field of study but also as a necessary component of graduate and undergraduate teaching, so I sought out experience in writing program administration. Serendipitously, my mentor had just been awarded a sabbatical for the next semester, so she created a position for me as her assistant. As a result, the following semester I served as Interim Director of Basic Writing at Indiana. Good credentials, great training.

So I earned a PhD in American Literature with a Specialization in Composition and set out on the job market. My first job was at Drake University, where I was hired for the specialization and as Writing Program Administrator (WPA). That is where my research interests began moving from reading-writing theory and basic writers to teaching TAs how to link reading w/ writing to improve their students’ learning; this in turn led me focus my subsequent research on TA training. After three years, I moved on to the University of Missouri-St. Louis and continued my research. You can see the results in Changing the Way We Teach: Writing and Resistance in the Training of Graduate Students.

TA training was my primary research focus for about 10 years, but then I became interested in Irish Studies after attending a symposium where not a SINGLE paper was about Irish or Irish American women writers. Suddenly, my early love of literature meshed with my feminist interests as I recognized a gap in Irish Studies that definitely needed filling. And that has been my research focus for roughly the past 20 years. First came two co-edited books—Reconciling Catholicism and Feminism? and Too Smart to be Sentimental. During this period, I was constantly finding and reading books about Irish American women writers, which is nice, because it means that quite often, I was doing my primary research on the beach or in bed. After contextualizing these novels with relevant political, historical, and religious history, this research culminated in The Banshees: A Literary History of Irish American Women Writers, which was published by Syracuse University Press in 2013—the first book-length study of this somehow “overlooked” cohort of feminist writers.

It was fun writing, and I think you’ll find it enjoyable reading. Next on the horizon—a book on Irish America women's autobiographies--which should be done in 2-3 years. --SBE