The author reveals the different kinds of work scholars, particularly those in rhetoric, writing, and literacy, need to do in order to recognize a serendipitous discovery or a missed opportunity.

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Stumbling into wisdom in rhetoric, writing, and literacy research : an introduction / Maureen Daly Goggin and Peter N. Goggin -- "Oh, my God! He was a slave!" : secrets of a Virginia courthouse archive / Shirley E. Faulkner-Springfield -- Where you see ruins, I see rhetoric : composing a methodology for "making sense" of disaster / Doreen Piano -- Death, dying, and serendipity in the scholarly imagination / Gale Coskan-Johnson -- Fortuitous happenstance : serendipity in archival research / Lynée Lewis Gaillet -- Pre-sentence : researching, reporting, and writing / Caren Wakerman Converse -- Echoes in the archives / Liz Rohan --Serendipity and memory : the value of participant-observation / Kim Donehower -- The serendipity of (mis)timing in research / Maureen Daly Goggin -- Setting out for serendip : of research quests and chance discoveries / Ryan skinnell -- The art of the "accident" : serendipity in research / Peter N. Goggin -- Reading between the power lines : how 'Nikola Tesla Corner' enhanced the wireless signals in a rhetorical analysis of electricity and landscape / Daniel Wuebben --Prepare to be surprised : how flexible, methodical, and organized research methods lead to serendipity in the archives / Lori Ostergaard -- Playing the name game : exploring name variations in archival research / Patty Wilde -- Serendipity and methodological willingness in team science / Ellen Barton --The sunshine of serendipity : illuminating scholarship of genre (a new canon!) and generosity (yes you can!) / Lynn Z. Bloom -- Serendology, methodipity : research, invention, and the choric rhetorician / Jennifer Clary-Lemon -- The ethics of serendipity : rare events and a need to act / Bill Endres -- Creating kismet : what artists can teach academics about serendipity / Brad Gyori -- Coordinating chaos and befriending a fuzzy focus : reflections of a serendipitist / Judy Holiday --The strange practices of serendipitous failure : considering metanoia as an alternative to kairos / Zachary Beare -- Afterword : serendipity and ethics in rhetoric, writing, and literacy research / Gesa Kirsch.