Reaching 20,000 readers daily, Sociological Images helps a broad public audience develop and apply a sociological imagination. In addition to offering an overview of the blog’s reach and impact, Lisa Wade, PhD – founder, author, and editor – will narrate the blog’s unlikely beginnings, reveal the “behind the scenes” workings, and share its evolving philosophy, including those features that have contributed to its success. She’ll close with a frank discussion of some of the challenges facing academics interested in blogging for a general audience and an optimistic call to take advantage of the keen and eager public interest in the social sciences.

Dr. Lisa Wade is a cultural critic and sociologist based in Los Angeles. An assistant professor at Occidental College, her research involves discourses about gender, sexuality, and transnational feminisms. She is most widely known for her work on the popular blog “Sociological Images,” a site that reaches 20,000 readers daily. Lisa’s public sociology, born in the blog, now extends to print, radio, television, and online news and commentary.