This text suggests a way of framing academic work and outlines a design for a preparatory event based on this understanding. It conceives academic work as "practical activity" and potential "praxis" in emergence by focusing on four issues: how can I do this work (tactical stance), what can I accomplish and achieve in it (political), why are my means and goals justified (moral), and who am I becoming when engaging in this work (personal)? Practitioner accounts of academic work can be generated, shared, and reflected on, in a way that acknowledges also the mundane and non-heroic aspects of academic life. (Contains 1 table.)