Feel These Words : Writing in the Lives of Urban Youth

An In-depth Look At The Creative Writing Practices Of Nine Chicago Youths. I Am Me But Who Am I?: Introducing The Writers -- You Never Let Me Speak: Power, Language, And Learning -- Questioning Myself And The People Around Me: Identifications And Communality In Imaginative Writing -- You Gotta Be A Writer To Get In The Game: Understanding Rap As A Literate Discourse -- Pregnancy, Pimps & Clichéd Love Things: Writing Through Gender And Sexuality -- My Work Sparked An Interest In Someone Else: The Pleasures Of Imaginative Writing -- I'm Book Smart, Street Smart & Everything In Between: Writing, Literate Identity, And Academic Achievement -- If You Can't Write You Can't Succeed: Changing Attitudes Among Educators And Youth -- Epilogue: Where Are They Now? Susan Weinstein. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 173-179) And Index. State University of New York Press Title Page 5 Contents 9 Acknowledgments 11 Introduction 15 1. “I Am Me But Who Am I?”: Introducing the Writers 25 2. “You Never Let Me Speak”: POWER, LANGUAGE, AND LEARNING 53 3. “Questioning Myself and the People Around Me”: IDENTIFICATIONS AND COMMUNALITY IN IMAGINATIVE WRITING 71 4. “You Gotta Be a Writer to Get in the Game”: UNDERSTANDING RAP AS A LITERATE DISCOURSE 87 5. Pregnancy, Pimps & “Clichéd Love Things”: WRITING THROUGH GENDER AND SEXUALITY 115 6. “My Work Sparked an Interest in Someone Else”: THE PLEASURES OF IMAGINATIVE WRITING 133 7. “I’m Book Smart, Street Smart & Everything in Between”: WRITING, LITERATE IDENTITY, AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT 149 8. “If You Can’t Write You Can’t Succeed”: CHANGING ATTITUDES AMONG EDUCATORS AND YOUTH 169 Epilogue: Where Are They Now? 175 Appendix 179 Notes 183 Works Cited 187 Index 195 A 195 B 195 C 195 D 196 E 197 F 197 G 198 H 198 I 198 J 199 K 199 L 199 M 199 N 200 O 200 P 200 Q 201 R 201 S 201 T 202 U 202 V 202 W 203 y 203 1438426518,1438426526 Feel These Words is the story of nine young people from Chicago—Jig, Crazy, TeTe, Mekanism, Robbie, Marta, Patricia, Jose, and Dave—who regularly write poetry and/or song lyrics, but not for school. The Writers, as author Susan Weinstein calls them, are skilled in a variety of literacy-centered discourses through which they develop sophisticated understandings of core rhetorical issues and explore concepts of identity, social positioning, gender roles, and sexuality. Despite a deep engagement with imaginative composition, their work regularly goes unrecognized or is devalued due to the normative trends in standardized curricula and testing. Weinstein argues that this devaluation exists because their writing is informed by discourses that use language, forms, and styles different from—and at times at odds with—the mainstream. She explores the ways in which educators can focus not simply on what they believe kids need to be taught, but also on what makes them want to learn. "I am me but who am I?": presenting the writers "You never let me speak": power, language, and learning "Questioning myself and the people around me": identifications and communality in imaginative writing "You gotta be a writer to get in the game": understanding rap as a literate discourse Pregnancy, pimps, and "clichéd love things": writing through gender and sexuality "My work sparked an interest in someone else": the pleasures of imaginative writing "Book smart, street smart & everything in between": writing, literate identity, and academic achievement "If you can't write you can't succeed": changing attitudes among educators and youth Epilogue: where are they now? Appendix: Oakland Unified School District ebonics resolution.