Terri Gross, host and co-producer of NPR’s “Fresh Air,” says the one of the best ice breakers ever is: “Tell me about yourself.” Knowing your story and how to craft it to a particular audience is a skill you will need in academic, professional, and public settings. Task: You will write a narrative essay on the general topic of your literacies, specifically discussing the following: Essay: Your interaction with a speech community. You will choose a speech community you are a part of and narrate and reflect on an insightful experience regarding literacy you’ve had with that speech community. I recommend staying on the small scale here—at the level of family, friends, or intimate community. Genre: The essay you will write is a personal narrative essay. A narrative essay is a hybrid genre—both creative and analytical. You are writing a story that is also critically analyzing the events detailed. Conventions: Rich, specific anecdotal details are necessary as is an overarching idea/goal for the essay. Cohesive and concise writing throughout will be a must. Remember that this is a snapshot of you—it should be vibrant and evocative as well as clear and precise with a clear logic to the organization. Audience: The audience for this essay is always, first and foremost, yourself as it is a reflective piece. Essay : Your audience for this essay is yourself and any other audience you might choose to share this with (and also Prof. Emrich) Constraints: The following constraints apply to the essays Word Count: approx 600 words for essay (roughly 2-2.5 pages typed) Formatting: 12 pt font, Times New Roman, double spaced Title: Must be given an appropriate and thoughtful title Memos: In addition to the narrative essay, you need to include TWO memos where you examine your writing choices and your writing process. Place these memos on a page before your essay. Rhetorical Analysis Memo (300 words): Analyze your navigation of genre, audience, and purpose. How well do you think your essays are answering the prompt and effectively narrating and reflecting on your experiences for their intended audiences? Metacognition Process Memo (300 words): Discuss and analyze your writing process for this project. What essay did you start with and why? How did you go about choosing your speech community and discourse community? During the drafting and editing process, what revisions did you make and describe their effectiveness as revision. How did peer review go?
