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Ian O'Byrne

Ian O'Byrne

Dr. W. Ian O’Byrne (@wiobyrne) is an associate professor of literacy education at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. His research focuses on the dispositions and literacy practices of individuals as they read, write, and communicate in online and/or hybrid spaces. His work can be found on his website (https://wiobyrne.com/) or in his weekly newsletter (https://digitallyliterate.net/).

Website: https://literacyresearchassociation.org/

Accepting Nominations for the 2022 Arthur Applebee Award

Ian O'Byrne April 15, 2022

Please take a moment to submit a nomination for an article for the Arthur Applebee Award for Excellence in Research on Literacy. The deadline is Tuesday, September 6, 2022.   The Arthur Applebee Award for Excellence in Research on Literacy is presented annually to honor an outstanding article in literacy research published in a refereed journal in the previous calendar year. The award is presented in memory of University at Albany – SUNY Distinguished Professor, Arthur N. Applebee, internationally renowned for his seminal scholarship in the fields of literacy and language learning. Eligibility In order to be considered for the Arthur Applebee Award, an article must meet the following eligibility requirements: A research article published in a refereed journal between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021 (for the 2022 recipient). For articles appearing in print only or in both print and on-line versions, the date of print version should be used to determine the date of publication. For articles appearing only on-line, the date of release should be used to determine the year of publication. If you are at all uncertain, please consult the journal editors to determine what they regard as the official year of publication. Refereed journals are construed to include journals published around the world, with the proviso that the content is available in English. Criteria for Consideration for the Award The topic of literacy research is construed broadly to include research that informs literacy theory, practice, and/or policy. Nominated articles should make significant contributions to the field, yielding the kind of “ah ha” moment that causes the field to see ideas in new ways with promise to positively influence literacy education. Contributions to the field may include articles that either substantively develop or add to an existing area of research, combine existing areas of research, or create a new or less considered area of investigation. As an award of the Literacy Research Association, the award focuses on the broadest possible conceptualization of literacy, including all the epistemological, methodological, disciplinary, and topical perspectives found in LRA. Award Details Recipients of the award receive a small cash award and a plaque commemorating the award. The authors are also recognized during a general session of the conference. For more information, see this webpage. Nomination Process To nominate an article, please send an electronic copy of the article and a nomination letter that states how the article meets the criteria to Kathleen Hinchman by Tuesday, September 6, 2022. Self-nominations are accepted.

Focusing On Publishing Research That Makes a Difference

Ian O'Byrne March 28, 2022

The Lead Editors of Literacy Research: Theory, Method, and Practice (LR:TMP), Volumes 70-72, will use this blog to advance publishing transparency and ethics. We will also promote content from past issues, link to online first articles for an upcoming issue, and broadcast messages about opportunities for publishing and reviewing for LR:TMP.   To promote transparency, we will share with the LRA community parts of the editorship proposal for LR:TMP. Our vision includes a Focus Upon Publishing Ethical Research that Makes an Affirmative Difference in the World. Here is an excerpt from our proposal:   The world is now and always has been in a state of perpetual flux, so ethical literacies scholarship must continuously recalibrate and transform to address new opportunities and problems and to inquire more generatively into seemingly intractable issues. A review of conference themes over the past 15 years shows a persistent optimism that literacy research has a part to play in “illuminating the future,” setting in motion “activism, community, and love,” and “mobilizing,” “expanding,” or “widening” pathways toward a better world. We agree.  But the invisible hand of progress doesn’t inexorably move in this direction; rather, if affirmative change materializes, it is through ethically-engaged, justice-oriented practices that frequently conflict with the status quo. We believe the journal is in a unique position to expeditiously circulate life-affirming practices, theories, methods, and policy positions that warrant our optimism in the power of transformative literacies and move the field forward.To advance this scholarship, we will:– Highlight in each issue a paper (or set of papers) that exhibits a profound commitment to research that significantly contributes to making the world more just (e.g. through improving the lives of some segment of the population; advancing the field in theory, method, or policy).– Focus on troubling conversations about literacies research and the complex web of factors that affect it. For example, we look forward to putting into conversation different scholarly approaches centering on politically volatile topics of grave concern in literacies research, such as immigration policies, rising racism in schools and society, and environmental sustainability.   In our first issue (Volume 70), we recognized the work of the Literacy Futurisms Collective-in-the-Making for their paper “We Believe in Collective Magic”: Honoring  the Past to Reclaim the  Futures of Literacy Research. They earned the first “More Just World” Award, fulfilling our proposal promise outlined in #1 above.   In 2020, LRA President-Elect Gwendolyn McMillon designed a series of Collaborative Panel Discussions for the annual conference. These focused upon antiracism, Black Lives Matter in Literacy Research,Black Boys’ Literacies, and the Science of Reading. These invited papers to Volume 70 more than fulfilled our promise in #2 above, plus Volume 70’s accepted papers in part also fulfill this promise. For example, check out Presiado and Frieson’s article,“Make Sure You See This’: Counternarratives of Multilingual BlackGirls’ Language and Literacy Practices,” which focuses on the wealth of language and literacy practices that their Black, multilingual girl participants contributed to schools through their multidimensional counternarratives that challenged dominant White Mainstream narratives.   All LR:TMP articles are available to LRA Members. Log in and go toLR:TMP Member Access to view the current and prior issues.

Accepting 2023 LRA Early Career Award Nominations

Ian O'Byrne March 26, 2022

We welcome nominations for the LRA Early Career Award!  The Early Career Achievement Award was established in 1999 to recognize the work of one member each year who is in the early part of their career. Eligible members may either self-nominate or be nominated by another LRA member. Nominations should be sent to Kristin Conradi Smith in the form of a letter describing the nominee’s qualifications for the award. Nominations are due May 15th. Nominees will then be contacted and asked to submit a packet for review by the committee (due June 15th).  To be eligible for consideration for the Award, an individual must: Have been a member of LRA for at least three (but not necessarily consecutive) years; and Have graduated with a doctoral degree no more than seven years from the date of nomination. Each year a call and deadline (May 15th) for nominations are announced in the LRA spring newsletter and on the listserv.  Nominations are in the form of a letter describing the nominee’s qualifications for the Award, with priority given to the nominee’s achievements in: 1) research; 2) publication and impact of contributions to the field; 3) service; and 4) teaching. All nominated members who meet the eligibility requirement will be contacted by the committee chair in April and asked to submit: A letter of support from their home institutions; A current curriculum vita, including all publications, degrees, honors and awards, and service on editorial boards of research journals; and A written statement by the nominee that describes their professional growth and research agenda. More information can be found here.

Accepting Nominations for the 2022 Brian Street Award

Ian O'Byrne March 3, 2022

Please consider nominating yourself or someone else for the Brian Street Memorial Award. Brian Street was a British anthropologist whose scholarship helped establish the social turn in literacy research. A core theme of Street’s scholarship was recognizing the dignity and integrity of all people and their uses of written language as they navigated the social, cultural, economic, and political structures of their lives. The Award was established in 2017 to recognize the contributions Street made to the field of Literacy Studies. The Brian Street Memorial Award for Scholarship Bridging Anthropology, Education & Literacy Practices is now accepting nominations The award provides financial support of $1000 to enable the participation at the Literacy Research Association annual conference of a scholar (or scholars) whose scholarship bridges anthropology, education, and literacy practices. Preference will be given for junior scholars, doctoral students, and others who would otherwise not be able to attend the LRA conference. Preference will also be given for nominees from outside the United States (particularly from those areas in which Brian conducted research) How to apply Nomination materials should include: The paper proposal (or the specific presentation part of a symposium proposal) submitted to the LRA annual conference; A letter (600-word maximum) from either the nominee or from the person making the nomination describing: (a). The quality of the research being reported, including the quality of the ethnographic methods employed; (b). The contribution of the research to the field of literacy studies; (c). How the scholarship to be presented brings together anthropology, literacy studies, and education together. A letter of recommendation (600-word maximum) from someone familiar with the nominee’s scholarship describing the quality of the nominee’s program of research and how the scholarship to be presented brings together anthropology, literacy studies, and education. All materials and questions should be directed to the award committee chair, Michiko Hikida. For more information on the history of the award the criteria for consideration, please visit this web page.

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