Bordered Writers by Isabel Baca

Bordered Writers by Isabel Baca

Examines innovative writing pedagogies and the experiences of Latinx student writers at Hispanic-Serving Institutions nationwide.

Winner of the 2021 Advancement of Knowledge Award presented by the Conference on College Composition and Communication

Bordered Writers explores how writing program administrators and faculty at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) are transforming the teaching of writing to be more inclusive and foster Latinx student success. Like its 2007 predecessor, Teaching Writing with Latino/a Students, this collection contributes to ongoing conversations in writing studies about multicultural pedagogy and curriculum, linguistic diversity, and supporting students of color, while focusing further attention on the specific experiences and strategies of students and faculty at HSIs. Although members of Latinx communities comprise the largest underrepresented minority group in the nation, the needs and strengths of Latinx writers in college classrooms are seldom addressed. Bordered Writers thus helps to fill a critical gap, giving voice to past and present Latinx scholars, rhetoricians, and students, both in academic essays and in personal testimonios, in four pivotal areas: developmental English and bridge programs, first-year writing, professional and technical writing, and writing centers and mentored writing. Across contributions, the collection strives to connect all bordered writers and educators, making higher education today not only stronger but also more representative of the nation's population.

"Bordered Writers constructs a full and complex image of Latinx writers … This collection not only will expand the definition of bordered, Latinx writers in current scholarship, it will act as a beneficial tool for students, like those discussed within the collection, to recognize that our cultural experiences are valid and should not be removed from academic writing" — Rhetoric Review

"Bordered Writers is a rare volume for our discipline that centers the voices, practices, and experiences of Latinx educators teaching at Hispanic-Serving Institutions." — Composition Studies

"This book is a concerted effort by a group of impassioned scholars who wish to contribute to a better understanding of the challenges Latinx students encounter as they embark on their college careers, especially in terms of the narrow, monolinguistic ideologies that continue to inform the teaching of writing in colleges across the country." — Juan C. Guerra, University of Washington

Isabel Baca is Associate Professor of English at the University of Texas at El Paso. She is the editor of Service-Learning and Writing: Paving the Way for Literacy(ies) through Community Engagement. Yndalecio Isaac Hinojosa is Assistant Professor of English at Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi. Susan Wolff Murphy is Associate Professor of English at Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi. She is the coeditor (with Cristina Kirklighter and Diana Cardenas) of Teaching Writing with Latino/a Students: Lessons Learned at Hispanic-Serving Institutions, also published by SUNY Press.