The Freeway Flier and The Life of the Mind

The Freeway Flier and the Life of the Mind offers an honest look at what it means to teach, think, and create while living on the margins of higher education. Written by Jean Waggoner and a group of fellow educators and writers, the book shares real stories from adjunct and part-time faculty who juggle long commutes, unstable work, and limited support while remaining deeply committed to learning and teaching.

Through personal essays, reflections, and creative pieces, the book explores intellectual life beyond traditional academic privilege. It highlights the challenges of contingent academic work while also celebrating curiosity, resilience, and the joy of ideas that persist despite difficult circumstances.

Thoughtful, candid, and relatable, this book is for educators, scholars, and readers interested in education, work, and the value of a life shaped by thinking, writing, and learning.

Retired instructor of English and English as a Second Language (ESL) at California community colleges and universities and a one-time ESL instructor in Istanbul; from 1970 to 1990, a music instructor and guitarist/vocalist at multiple venues, including Renaissance Faires, Catholic schools, coffee houses, music stores, and seniors' venues.