Overview
In Literacy as Conversation, the authors tell stories of successful literacy learning outside of schools and inside communities, both within urban neighborhoods of Philadelphia and rural and semi-rural towns of Arkansas. They define literacy not as a basic skill but as a rich, broadly interactive human behavior: the ability to engage in a conversation carried on, framed by, or enriched through written symbols. Eli Goldblatt takes us to after-school literacy programs, community arts centers, and urban farms in the city of Philadelphia, while David Jolliffe explores learning in a Latinx youth theater troupe, a performance based on the words of men on death row, and long-term cooperation with a rural health care provider in Arkansas. As different as urban and rural settings can be—and as beset as they both are with the challenges of historical racism and economic discrimination—the authors see much to encourage both geographical communities to fight for positive change.
Full Product Details
Author: Eli Goldblatt ,
David Jolliffe
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
Imprint: University of Pittsburgh Press
ISBN: 9780822966982
ISBN 10: 0822966980
Pages: 228
Publication Date: 31 May 2025
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.
Reviews
"""Literacy as Conversation offers a deep dive into community literacy projects that work in both urban and rural areas. It advocates for more partners in shoring up the sagging corners of American communities in which literacy is badly needed."" --Teachers College Record ""Literacy as Conversation is a genuine and important contribution to public discourse about literacy and the work literacy does in the world. Goldblatt and Jolliffe offer a much-needed glimpse into how holistic, quality-of-life enhancing networks of literacy could transform communities for the better. Crucially, the authors go farther than most in bridging the divide between specialized academic audiences and more general audiences."" --Paul Feigenbaum, Florida International University"
"""Literacy as Conversation is a genuine and important contribution to public discourse about literacy and the work literacy does in the world. Goldblatt and Jolliffe offer a much-needed glimpse into how holistic, quality-of-life enhancing networks of literacy could transform communities for the better. Crucially, the authors go farther than most in bridging the divide between specialized academic audiences and more general audiences."" --Paul Feigenbaum, Florida International University ""Literacy as Conversation offers a deep dive into community literacy projects that work in both urban and rural areas. It advocates for more partners in shoring up the sagging corners of American communities in which literacy is badly needed."" --Teachers College Record"
Author Information
Eli Goldblatt (Author) Eli Goldblatt is Professor Emeritus of English at Temple University and former director of New City Writing, an institute focused on community-related literacy projects in North Philadelphia. David A. Jolliffe (Author) David Jolliffe is Professor Emeritus of English at the University of Arkansas, where he was the initial occupant of the Brown Chair in English Literacy.
