A brief introduction.
 
I'm Pegeen Reichert Powell, a first-year Ph.D. in the English department.  The
idea of a collective is very compelling to me, for many of the same reasons
Kevin mentioned in his intro.
 
I am also concerned about the exploitation of grad students and especially of
part-timers, and talking and acting on those causes is important.  But I think
what intrigues me most about a project like this one are the possiblities for
thought and action in other areas as well.  Malea mentioned Native American
public intellectuals; I'm imagining a collective as a place to begin exploring
how/if grad students can see themselves as public intellectuals, while in the
academy and in the future, as individuals, and more important for our purposes,
as a group.
 
I guess I'm not sure what "public intellectual" means to others (Malea, do you
want to elaborate?) but hopefully it inheres some action.  And I'm pretty sure
I don't want to set up the "public" as somehow existing only outside the
academy.  Enough for now -- I'm looking forward to this!
 
Pegeen