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The American Society for the History of Rhetoric (ASHR) invites submissions for its 2025 Mentor Award.

The ASHR Mentor Award honors an exemplary mentor in the field of rhetorical studies, whose record of supporting students and other young scholars embodies the standards and values of the discipline. Please submit nomination materials to Curry Kennedy, chair of the ASHR awards committee, at currykennedy@tamu.edu. The deadline for nomination is October 20, 2025.

To be considered for the award, nomination materials should include:  

• A 1 to 2-page letter of nomination from the person submitting the materials
• Up to two additional letters of support from individuals who have worked closely with the nominee
• An up-to-date copy of the nominee’s CV
• Optional: Additional supporting materials, such as representative comments from current or former students and colleagues, evidence of excellence in mentoring such as previous awards, etc.

Submissions will be evaluated on the following criteria:

• Consistent, on-going, and superlative support for others working on projects related to the history of rhetoric
• Specific support and advocacy for students, community members, and/or colleagues historically marginalized within the study of the history of rhetoric
• Investment in mentorship roles that extends beyond the requirements of the nominee’s paid positions
• Evidence of the mentor’s lasting impact within the field of rhetorical history, on the nominee’s campus, and/or in larger communities

For this year, ASHR membership is not required for award consideration, but please do consider the benefits of joining.

Please submit all materials via email (MS Word or PDF) to the selection committee chair, Curry Kennedy, at currykennedy@tamu.edu.

The deadline for submissions is October 20, 2025.

For more on ASHR awards, including a list of past winners, click here.

Curry Kennedy
Assistant Professor of English
Texas A&M University
currykennedy@tamu.edu

The American Society for the History of Rhetoric (ASHR) invites submissions for its 2025 Dissertation Award.

The ASHR Dissertation Award honors an exemplary dissertation treating rhetorical history (broadly construed) that was defended between September 2024, and September 2025.

Please submit all materials via email (MS Word or PDF) to the selection committee chair, Prof. Curry Kennedy, at currykennedy@tamu.edu. The deadline for submissions is October 20, 2025.

To be considered for the award, please submit:

• A 1-2-page dissertation abstract
• The dissertation’s table of contents
• One representative chapter (Do not send complete dissertations)
• A letter of recommendation from the dissertation advisor or a committee member that includes the defense date. Recommendation letters can be sent to the selection committee chair by either the applicant or the recommendation writer.

ASHR encourages a pluralistic conception of the history of rhetoric. The selection committee hopes to see dissertations treating histories of rhetoric from around the world that focus on any time period, draw on any type of archive, and use any method of rhetorical and/or historical analysis.

Submissions will be evaluated on the following criteria:

• Significance of the work’s contribution to histories of rhetorical theory, practice, and/or pedagogy
• Quality of research and analysis
• Ability of the writing to engage and inform readers.

For this year, ASHR membership is not required for award consideration, but please do consider the benefits of joining.

For more on ASHR awards, including a list of past winners, click here.

Curry Kennedy
Assistant Professor of English
Texas A&M University
currykennedy@tamu.edu 

Rhetorical History’s Past, Present, and Future

The American Society for the History of Rhetoric (ASHR), in collaboration with the International Society for the History of Rhetoric (ISHR), invites proposals for its 2026 Symposium. This interdisciplinary event will take place May 21-22, 2026, during the Rhetoric Society of America (RSA) Biennial Conference in Portland, Oregon.

The academic study of rhetorical history embodies a rich, complex, and layered history of its own. The 2026 ASHR Symposium theme, “Rhetorical History’s Past, Present, and Future,” invites scholars to recognize this legacy and to reflect on the theories, methods, and critical practices that define its scope and purpose.

The history of ASHR itself invites us to take stock of what this organization has been, is, and might be. In 1977, inspired by the International Society for the History of Rhetoric (ISHR), a small group of US-based historians of rhetoric convened to develop more robust conference programming featuring the history of rhetoric. These efforts led to panels focused on the history of rhetoric at the Speech Communication Association (now the National Communication Association), the first history of rhetoric pre-conference at RSA in 1986, and the formation of the American Society for the History of Rhetoric in 1990. As scholarly conversations about the history of rhetoric flourished across conferences, journal articles, edited volumes, and single authored works, David Zarefsky outlined four “senses” of rhetorical history: the history of rhetoric, the rhetoric of history, historical studies of rhetorical practice, and rhetorical studies of historical events. These distinctions were useful “not for boundary drawing,” he wrote in 1998, “but for understanding the richness of our field.” The 2026 ASHR Symposium will commemorate this rich past, consider the current state of historical / rhetorical scholarship today, and chart a path for the future of ASHR and the history of rhetoric more broadly.

Mindful of ASHR’s rich history and cognizant of the possibilities and perils that inform academic scholarship today, this Symposium provides a space for scholars at all career stages to engage and reflect on the theories, methods, critical orientations, and research questions that ground studies of rhetorical history, broadly defined. We invite paper proposals that address at least one the following questions:

• What is the disciplinary legacy (or legacies) of the history of rhetoric, and how has this mode of inquiry shaped the field of rhetoric more broadly?
• What methods or modes of inquiry characterize the current focuses/foci of rhetorical history and the history of rhetoric, and what new approaches might we consider?
• How might rhetorical scholars be especially well-positioned to study and engage with the rhetoric of history, particularly in the context of our current moment?
• What subject areas remain unexplored (or underexplored) in the history of rhetoric?
• How does an international or transnational lens shift our study of the history of rhetoric?
• How can we make the study of rhetorical history even richer, more expansive, and more inclusive?
• What methods or theories might best carry the study of rhetorical history into the future?

Presenters may address one (or more) of the questions above through a specific case study or focus on a specific theoretical, methodological, or critical approach as a direction for future scholarship. Regardless of the approach, presenters should be sure to articulate how their presentation contributes to the Symposium theme of advancing the study of rhetorical history.

In addition to the traditional panel format, this Symposium will also feature keynote speakers, facilitate small group research clusters (details and application forthcoming), and include an evening reception on Thursday, May 21 celebrating the fifty-year partnership between ASHR and ISHR.

Submission Guidelines

Please submit a paper title, abstract (no more than 500 words), author biography (no more than 100 words), and contact information by October 31, 2025 via this link. Paper acceptances and program information will be sent out in late January 2026.

Please contact Dr. Allison Prasch, incoming ASHR president and organizer of the 2026 ASHR Symposium, with questions via email (aprasch@wisc.edu).

Dear ASHR members,

The Journal for the History of Rhetoric welcomes your submissions. The journal aims to promote rigorous research in the primary sources in both text and non-text media, while encouraging the exploration of new frames and methods; to engage with global rhetorical traditions and pivotal rhetorical events; to bring rhetorical histories to bear on present events; and to promote the study of rhetorical tools from diverse traditions as legitimate instruments of analysis. We accept traditional academic articles as well as discussion forums; in addition, the journal is inviting essays addressing issues in rhetorical history but written in historical rhetorical forms (for example, a progymnasma, a disputatio, an epistle, a sermon, an epideictic oration) as a way of demonstrating the viability of the historical forms.

Manuscripts are accepted through our submission platform; for questions, please email jhrjournal@gmail.com.

***Video recording available here for ASHR members.*** 

Friday, May 2, 2025, 12:00-1:00pm CT/1:00-2:00pm EST

Prof. Cara A. Finnegan, University of Illinois
Prof. Debra Hawhee, Penn State University

Academics often think of summer as a magical time when the demands of the typical academic year can be set aside so that we can finally turn to our writing and research. Overachievers that we are, we imagine that we will have time and energy to complete All The Things. All too soon, however, the fantasy of “all summer to write” fades into the reality of our actual lives and then we beat ourselves up for not getting it all done. This workshop will offer attendees strategies designed to skip the fantasy and instead develop a concrete, specific, sustainable writing practice that will set you up for your work this summer and beyond. Attendees should come with pen/paper/screen and a calendar and expect to leave with a doable summer plan in hand.

Resources for Writing Guidance and Inspiration:

Cayley, Rachael. Thriving as a Graduate Writer: Principles, Strategies, and Habits for Effective Academic Writing. University of Michigan Press, 2023. 

Germano, William. On Revision: The Only Writing That Counts. University of Chicago Press, 2021.

Jensen, Joli. Write No Matter What: Advice for Academics. University of Chicago Press, 2017.

Smith, Maggie. Dear Writer: Pep Talks & Practical Advice for the Creative Life. Washington Square Press, 2025.

Sword, Helen. Air & Light & Time & Space: How Successful Academics Write. Harvard University Press, 2017.

Panel Discussion: Expanding the History of Rhetoric: Pedagogical Puzzles and Possibilities

Friday, April 4 2025

12:00-1:00pm CT

Join via Zoom: https://bit.ly/426f6cl

This month’s forum will explore strategies for teaching an expansive rhetorical history. Curry Kennedy (Texas A&M), Jamie Downing (Georgia College & State University), and Caroline Koons (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University) will share pedagogical approaches for broadening students’ understanding of rhetorical history, even within curricular structures that emphasize a single tradition. The discussion will highlight ways to present rhetorical traditions as dynamic responses to historical exigences rather than as belonging to a single dominant framework.

Our panelists will speak as editors of the ongoing ASHR Expanding the History of Rhetoric Pedagogy Initiative, which is seeking proposals for pedagogical resources designed to support instructors interested in broadening their approaches to rhetorical history. Accepted authors will receive an honorarium upon successful completion of their materials and publication on ASHR’s website. The full call for proposals can be found here: https://ashr.org/2025/02/expanding-the-history-of-rhetoric-pedagogy-initiative-call-for-proposals-mar-15/

ASHR membership is not required to attend—all are welcome!

About the ASHR First Friday Forum Series: Inspired by the classical conception of the forum as an intellectual gathering place, ASHR’s “First Friday Forum” series promotes educational programming, professional development, and an inclusive, collaborative virtual community. It is our hope that this virtual space will foster dynamic, cross-disciplinary scholarly engagement for those interested in reexamining and reimagining the various histories of rhetoric across all periods, languages, cultures, and modes of performance. The Spring 2025 “First Friday Forum” series will focus on key questions related to the research and teaching of the history of rhetoric / rhetorical history. These virtual gatherings will take place on February 7, March 7, April 4, and May 2, 2025 from 12:00-1:00pm Central Time via Zoom.

Please direct any questions to ASHR Vice President Dr. Allison Prasch (aprasch@wisc.edu) or ASHR Special Programs Coordinator Dr. Kristen Einertson (carl4818@umn.edu).

As part of our ongoing mission to extend and expand the study and teaching of the history of rhetoric across all time periods, places, and cultures, ASHR invites proposals for its Expanding the History of Rhetoric Pedagogy Initiative.

The purpose of this initiative is to support instructors in expanding their educational focus beyond the times, geographies, and vocabularies that most often receive scholarly attention in the teaching of the history of rhetoric. We welcome submissions drawn from the various histories of rhetoric across all periods, languages, cultures, and modes of performance. Each submission should provide an entry point for scholars looking to expand their rhetorical histories beyond the Greco-Roman canon.  We encourage proposals from graduate students, non-tenure track faculty, and early career scholars. 

Submit proposals as a PDF to Jamie Downing (Jamie.downing@gcsu.edu) with the email subject line “ASHR pedagogy proposal” by April 15th. Proposals should include:  

• An overview of the entry’s topic and scope (300 – 500 words) 
• A list of the types of courses (graduate and undergraduate) that may find the resource useful  
• A statement of the author’s interest and expertise (200 words maximum) 

Selected authors will be notified of acceptance in early April with initial drafts of completed resources due by July 1st. We anticipate publishing the completed resources on ASHR’s website (www.ASHR.org) in early August. Upon successful completion of their materials and publication on ASHR’s website, authors will receive an honorarium of $200.  

Completed resources should include:  

•  A brief introduction to the topic  
•  A list of courses (graduate and undergraduate) that may find the resource useful  
• 4-5 main ideas or core premises a unit could be based around  
• Key terms and definitions  
• 3-7 primary sources with 2-3 sentence annotations. These might include treatises, speeches, letters, archival documents, videos, podcasts, or digital rhetoric that reflect the principles of the rhetorical tradition under study.  
• 5-10 academic secondary sources with 2-3 sentence annotations. These provide analyses to some of the primary texts, develop rhetorical theory, and/or contextualize against other rhetorical traditions or concepts.  
• 5-10 potential discussion questions. 

The editors Jamie Downing (Jamie.downing@gcsu.edu), Caroline Koons (koonsc@erau.edu), and Curry Kennedy (currykennedy@tamu.edu) welcome questions and inquiries.

Please join us for a panel discussion featuring four award-winning scholars whose work demonstrates the value of doing archival research: Prof. Thomas R. Dunn (Colorado State University), Prof. Kristen Einertson (University of St. Thomas), Prof. Derek Handley (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee), and Prof. Angela G. Ray (Northwestern University). 

Panelists will share tips & tricks for identifying online and brick-and-mortar archives related to a research topic/project, strategies for navigating finding aids and working with archivists, and resources for organizing, notating, and deciphering archival finds.