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Professional Texts

I had the good fortune to attend the MLA, TESOL, CCCC, and AAAL during the past year, so I was exposed to a number of volumes that are both appealing and useful. The two volumes (above) are not entirely new, but both are highly recommended---for different reasons. Freedman and Medway have provided accessible and useful collections on genre and the New Rhetoric--good placesto begin reading about this genre "school." Hunston and Thompson have been the rage in some circles for a year or so. They are revitalizing our thinking about the writer's voice in disciplinary texts through discussions of stance and evaluation.

What else?

Bawarshi, Anis (2003). Genre and the invention of the writer: Reconsidering hte place of invention in composition. Utah State University Press. You remember those books which you read just at the right time? Bawarshi's volume has been central to my current reconsideration of the writing process in light of genre theory. An excellent discussion of rhetoric, composition--and social-cognitive approaches.

Bazerman, Charles & Paul Prior [eds.] (2004) What writing does and how it does it: An introduction to analyzing texts and textual practices. Lawrence Erlbaum. These two fine scholars have invited 11 chapters from linguists and rhetoricians. Two of the best are by the editors, on intertextuality and writing processes. But others are very good, too, e.g., Jack Selzer's on "Understanding how texts persuade readers."

Ivanic, Roz (1998). Writing and Identity: The Discoursal Construction of Identity in Academic Writing. John Benjamins. In this intelligent volume, Ivanic explores issues of identity construction (and voice) in discourse, in literacy--and especially in academic writing. She explodes the concept so long held by expressivists and many writing teachers that voice must be autobiographical. Instead, "writing is an act of identity in which people align themsevles with socio-culturally shaped subject positions..."

Selber, Stuart A. (2004). Multiliteracies for a Digital Age. Southern Illinois University Press. Selber discusses computers as tools---and then goes on to talk about them as cultural artifacts (critical literacy) and as hypertextual media (rhetorical literacy). Rhetoric is the focal point, not technology. A refreshing and informative volume.

Swales, John M. & Christine Feak (2000). English in today's research world: A writing guide. University of Michigan Press. They've done it again! A sequel to Academic writing for graduate students , this volume takes the readers into their professional lives with genres such as the dissertation abstract, proposals, requests, correspondence with editors, and the curriculum vitae. No one can write curricula for advanced students and scholars like Swales and Feak.

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