Writing Books as a Revolt Against Injustice

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Session Type: Concurrent Sessions

Session Capacity: N/A

Hotel: N/A

Room: Franciscan D

Floor: Ballroom Level

Each panelist has written a book that connects with our work as clinicians. As one of us explains, “I couldn’t have done half the work without the deep familiarity and constant state of inquiry that is at the heart of clinical practice. I think that amazing place we sit at – deeply steeped in practice but constantly watching our students discover it for the first time – helps me maintain an on the ground critical eye.” Presenters represent varied voices within academia and within criminal law, representing former public defenders, prosecutors, innocence litigators, and non-profit advocates. In the relatively male-dominated field of criminal law we are all women, two of us are queer women, and one of us is a woman of color. We hope through this discussion to share our unique paths from clinical practice to book-writing, and our presentations and experiences aim to open the tent to far more clinicians to share the books inside of each of them. This panel will discuss some questions, including: Why did we decide to write a book? The process of writing was important for our professional development and growth, but what does that mean? What types of collaboration were involved in the process that is different than law review writing? What were the greatest challenges and greatest rewards? Finally, this is a conference about hope and action. Without hope, no one can write. While we labored, we hoped that our ideas would catch on and make a difference. Many of us employ critical race theory, feminism and other disciplines to criticize the status quo. Our work takes aim at the racism in various parts of the criminal justice system and the subtle and explicit violence from “consent” stops to executions.