When Doug Downs and Elizabeth Wardle published their article “Teaching about Writing, Righting Misconceptions” in June 2007, they challenged the field to imagine a new approach to first-year composition. Their groundbreaking new reader,
Writing About Writing, does exactly that, by encouraging students to draw on what they know in order to contribute to ongoing conversations about writing and literacy.
Class-tested by thousands of students,
Writing about Writing presents accessible writing studies research by authors such as Donald Murray, Mike Rose, and Deborah Brandt, together with popular texts by authors such as Malcolm X, Sherman Alexie, and Junot Díaz. Throughout the book, friendly explanations and scaffolded questions help students connect to readings and — even more important — develop knowledge about writing they can use at work, in their everyday lives, and in college.
The conversation on writing about writing continues on the authors' blog,
Write On: Notes on Writing about Writing (a channel on
Bedford Bits, Bedford/St.Martin's blog for teachers of writing).