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.
"Literacy as Conversation is a genuine and important contribution to public discourse about literacy and the work literacy does in the world. Goldblatt and Joliffe 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 au
