Abstract
In this critical autoethnography, Deroo traces his formation into academic writing from his starting point as a language teacher in China, through graduate school, and into his current position as an assistant professor. Specifically, Deroo draws upon the theory of situated learning to highlight how his participation in various communities of practice provided him with insights needed to successfully navigate the highs and lows of academic writing and publishing. In tracing his learning journey alongside his advisor and fellow graduate students, Deroo highlights how knowledge and learning about academic writing were mutually co-constructed, and how aspects of the hidden curriculum associated with academic writing and publishing might be made explicit. Deroo offers implications for how early-career academic writers may pay forward their learning with others.