Coming to Terms

Coming to Terms: The Collected Works of Jane Blankenship, an edited collection from Jane Blankenship and Janette Kenner Muir, is the story of one academic journey through self-discovery, intellectual development, and mentorship. It is a conversation that illustrates how, in Mary Catherine Bateson’s terms, one composes a life that has meaning and makes a significant difference in other lives as well. Jane Blankenship was an active member of the speech communication discipline, starting with her first job teaching in the Rhetoric and Composition program at Mount Holyoke College and finishing with the great distinction of Professor Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. As a noted rhetorical scholar in both criticism and theory, Jane Blankenship was a long-time leader within the National Communication Association (including one of a handful of women who served as president in the 20th Century), and an award winner of numerous teaching and scholarship awards. Throughout her academic career, Blankenship made important contributions to the understanding of language and form, specific literary critics such as Kenneth Burke and Samuel Coleridge, and the role of women in politics. Most importantly, she worked with and inspired a cadre of graduate students who continue to reflect her ideas and perspectives in their own work, particularly in the area of political communication. Through her writing and mentoring, she impacted and changed thousands of lives. Coming to Terms brings together some of the significant pieces that marked Jane Blankenship’s career and also shows the process wherein one makes choices in writing and publishing that underscore the interrelationship between scholarship and teaching—an important element throughout her academic life.