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    Read more about Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing Vol. I

    Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing Vol. I

    (18 reviews)

    Charlie Lowe, Grand Valley State University

    Pavel Zemliansky, James Madison University

    Copyright Year:

    ISBN 13: 9781602351844

    Publisher: WAC Clearinghouse

    Language: English

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    Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs
    CC BY-NC-ND

    Reviews

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    Reviewed by Katie Fuller, Assistant Professor, Mount Wachusett Community College on 6/27/24

    A comprehensive collection of readings with a thoughtful range of topics that cover all aspects of the writing process; from drafting to seeking resources on campuses. These texts teach students to write better but also to empower themselves... read more

    Reviewed by Jacqueline Cason, Professor of Writing, University of Alaska Anchorage on 1/3/21, updated 1/10/21

    The collection of essays offer a comprehensive range of options for supporting the work of college-level writers. It begins by exploring the open text movement explicitly; supports students in academic settings with help in breaking down their... read more

    Reviewed by Kevin O'Donnell, Professor, East Tennessee State University on 4/26/19

    This book covers a lot of ground and brings a fresh approach to topics that most instructors will want to address in a first year college writing course. The general index is thorough and helpful. The 16 chapters/ essays here, taken as a whole,... read more

    Reviewed by Leigh Graziano , Assistant Professor of English; Director of First-Year Writing, Western Oregon University on 2/19/19

    Comprehensiveness is hard to define and is likely variable, but this text includes chapters on a wide range of writing topics that are very relevant to the first-year writing classroom, especially. Chapters include campus resources like the... read more

    Reviewed by Jeff Pruchnic, Associate Professor, Wayne State University on 12/7/18

    Writing Spaces is a collection of chapters by various authors on a diverse range of topics (e.g., rhetorical analysis, inquiry-based writing, reflective writing, invention strategies). While what counts as "comprehensive" in a writing course is... read more

    Reviewed by Laurel Smith, Part-Time, Temporary Instructor, Century College on 6/20/17

    This text is striving for comprehensiveness. It is attempting to cover a lot of composition ground in 262 pages; however, because it is trying to cover so many topics, it does not go as in-depth as it could. It begins by addressing a first-year... read more

    Reviewed by Stacey Foster, Instructor, Pine Technical and Community College on 8/21/16

    The text includes both theoretical discussions, on topics such as rhetorical strategy and plagiarism, and practical suggestions, on topics such as invention and reflection, for teachers of writing and students of writing to consider. The essays... read more

    Reviewed by Zian Butler, English Instructor, Kansas State University on 8/21/16

    Comprehensiveness Overall, this book could work to compliment other source material necessary for a variety of classroom settings. The text covers all areas an ideas necessary in order to be appropriate for the subject in question as well as... read more

    Reviewed by Lin Guo, English Language Specialist, Miami University on 8/21/16

    Writing Spaces (Volume 1) covers a wide range of topics suitable for freshmen composition. The first noticeable characteristic is that the text directly addresses first-year college students, which draws the students into the text. Secondly, the... read more

    Reviewed by Brandy Hoffmann, English Faculty, Central Lakes College on 1/7/16

    This text speaks to student writers in essay form rather than in the drier mode of a traditional, skills-based textbook. Writing Spaces offers practical advice, but, more importantly, it invites students into the conversation on common writing... read more

    Reviewed by Leane Flynn, English Instructor, Central Lakes College on 1/7/16

    The first volume of Writing Spaces covers many topics that are essential to a first-year writing student's education, including an explication of academic writing, the writing process, and argumentation. The essays within the text dispel common... read more

    Reviewed by Brian Hull, Adjunct Professor Liberal Arts/Interdisciplinary Studies, Colorado State University, Fort Collins on 1/7/16

    As anyone who as ever taught composition at the university level knows, teaching this subject matter is extraordinarily complex. Writing Spaces does an excellent job of covering the subject matter from multiple angles. From the nuts and bolts... read more

    Reviewed by Ben McCorkle, Associate Professor, The Ohio State University at Marion on 6/10/15

    Writing Spaces is a fairly comprehensive collection of essays covering a variety of topics germane to the topic of writing and writing development in higher ed. Individual contributions to the collection cover topics ranging from: utilizing... read more

    Reviewed by Karolyn Redoutey, Senior Academic Advisor/Instructor, University of Minnesota on 6/10/15

    Instructors who might adopt this text need more organization in the Table of Contents. Here are some suggestions: Pre-writing: Bunn 71/Charleton 122/ Exploratory writing: (Reid3/Ramsdell 270/ perhaps Boyd) Essay Writing: Krause 71/ DasBender 37/... read more

    Reviewed by Chris Edison, Graduate Assistant, University of Oklahoma on 1/12/15

    This textbook presents complex rhetorical concepts in a language students would likely find approachable. This approachability is very attractive to me as an instructor. I especially appreciated how the book's chapters are scaffolded, beginning... read more

    Reviewed by Linda Haynes, Assistant Director of Introductory Composition, Purdue University on 7/15/14

    This text covers most of the topics that are important in a first-semester composition course. The principles of rhetoric that students need to understand and practice to write well in their college courses are presented with accessible language.... read more

    Reviewed by Sunyoung Kim, E-campus Korean Instructor, Oregon State University on 7/15/14

    The text covers many areas of challenges and questions that the first year college students might encounter in writing at higher education.The text is written in narrative essay style which makes easy to read, yet the contents are informative.... read more

    Reviewed by Melanie Senn, Lecturer, California Polytechnic State University on 7/15/14

    The first thing I noticed about Writing Spaces was the comprehensive table of contents and the varied authors. I have been teaching a first-year writing course titled Writing and Rhetoric for almost a decade, and Lowe and Zemliansky have included... read more

    Table of Contents

    • Introduction: Open Source Composition Texts Arrive for College Writers by Robert E. Cummings
    • What is Academic Writing by L. Lennie Irvin
    • So You've Got a Writing Assignment. Now What? by Corrine E. Hinton
    • The Inspired Writer vs. the Real Writer by Sarah Allen
    • Backpacks vs. Briefcases: Steps Toward Rhetorical Analysis by Laura Bolin Carroll
    • From Topic to Presentation: Making Choices to Develop Your Writing by Beth L. Hewett
    • Taking Flight: Connecting Inner and Outer Realities during Invention by Susan E. Antlitz
    • Reinventing Invention: Discovery and Investment in Writing by Michelle D. Trim and Megan Lynn Isaac
    • "Finding Your Way In": Invention as Inquiry Based Learning in First Year Writing by Steven Lessner and Collin Craig
    • Why Visit Your Campus Writing Center? by Ben Rafoth
    • Finding the Good Argument OR Why Bother With Logic? by Rebecca Jones
    • I Need You to Say “I”: Why First Person is Important in College Writing by Kate McKinney Maddalena
    • Reflective Writing and the Revision Process: What Were You Thinking? by Sandra Giles
    • Wikipedia Is Good for You!? by James P. Purdy
    • Composing the Anthology: An Exercise in Patchwriting by Christopher Leary
    • Collaborating Online: Digital Strategies for Group Work by Anthony T. Atkins
    • Navigating Genres by Kerry Dirk

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    About the Book

    Volumes in Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing offer multiple perspectives on a wide-range of topics about writing, much like the modelmade famous by Wendy Bishop's “The Subject Is . . .” series. In eachchapter, authors present their unique views, insights, and strategies forwriting by addressing the undergraduate reader directly. Drawing ontheir own experiences, these teachers-as-writers invite students to joinin the larger conversation about developing nearly every aspect of thecraft of writing. Consequently, each essay functions as a standalonetext that can easily complement other selected readings in writing orwriting-intensive courses across the disciplines at any level.

    Topics in Volume 1 of the series include academic writing, how to interpret writing assignments, motives for writing, rhetorical analysis, revision, invention, writing centers, argumentation, narrative, reflective writing, Wikipedia, patchwriting, collaboration, and genres.

    About the Contributors

    Authors

    Dr. Charlie Lowe is an assistant professor in the Department of Writing at Grand Valley State University where he teaches first year composition, professional writing, and web design, and he is a strong advocate of open source software adoption and open access publishing.

    Dr. Pavel Zemliansky is an associate professor and graduate coordinator in the School of Writing, Rhetoric, and Technical Communication at James Madison University where he teaches courses in composition, rhetoric, and professional communication.

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