What is Academaze?
Academaze is a book of essays and cartoons on academic life at a major research institution. I wrote it under the pen name Sydney Phlox and it was published on June 20, 2016 by Annorlunda Books. The book title is a combination of “academic” and “maze,” hinting at the labyrinthian nature of academia. You can think of Academaze as “The Best of Xykademiqz and Academic Jungle (my old blog)” that has been organized into coherent chapters, copyedited, and nestled between beautiful covers! I am very proud of it.
Where can I buy the book?
Paperback: Amazon | BN.com | Createspace
Ebook: Amazon | BN.com | GumRoad | iBooks | Kobo
Will I like this book?
The book is really cool, but don’t take my word for it. Here are all the reviews I am aware of:
Alex Small (Physicist at Large)
Natalienne (Fill Your Bookshelf Blog)
Review in POSDOCket (Newsletter of the National Postdoc Association)
From the back cover: “Academic life can be wonderful, but also daunting. This collection of essays and cartoons on life in academia provides an “insider’s guide” to the tenure track and beyond in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields at a major US research institution.
Sydney Phlox, a pseudonymous tenured professor, takes the reader through the maze of academic life: from the job search, through the research, teaching, and service that form the core of academic work to the quest for work-life balance and the unique challenges faced by women in STEM. Along the way, Phlox shares the joys and tribulations of working with students and collaborators and navigating academic politics while trying to get papers published and grants funded.”
Who are thee, Sydney Phlox, the author of this fascinating treatise?
Here is how my pen name Sydney Phlox came about. And here’s a biosketch:
Sydney Phlox is a professor at a large public research university in the US, working in one of the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. She loves quantum mechanics, science fiction, and bad puns. She and her husband raise a prime number of unruly children and drive in the snow like champs. Phlox blogs and doodles at Xykademiqz.
And, a little more about me and my various pseuds.
Where did you say I can buy the book, again?
Paperback: Amazon | BN.com | Createspace
Ebook: Amazon | BN.com | GumRoad | iBooks | Kobo
How did Academaze come to be?
All the posts about the book, from the idea, through the editing process, to publication, have been compiled under the tag Academaze.
Cartoons, I want more cartoons!
I am glad you like them! There are many that did not make it into Academaze; all have been collected under the Cartoons category. (Most are also under the comics tab.)
xykademiqz 
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