Writing Now with 2009 MLA and 2010 APA Updates Shaping Words and Images

Writing Nowhelps students connect the visually rich texts they read every day with strategies for college writing. Focusing on six real-world genres memoirs, profiles, reports, position papers, evaluations, and proposals students learn to read words, images, and design with a critical eye, decoding the writer's choices about audience and purpose. To highlight the visual elements, many of the 39 contemporary readings are laid out as they originally appeared when published. Within the writing guide for each genre-based assignment, friendly advice in an innovative visual format gives students practical strategies for tackling each task in the writing process. Extensive guidance on research and design, along with coverage of portfolios, oral presentations, and other writing situations make this the one textbook students need, when they need more than words. #xA0; Introducing Author Talk: Watch our video#xA0;interview with#xA0;Lee Odell.

LEE ODELL is professor of composition in the Department of Language, Literature, and Communication at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. In addition to teaching rhetoric and writing, writing for classroom and career, research in composition, and related courses, he has also directed the department's off-campus M.S. program in Technical Communication and a summer workshop, the Technical Writers' Institute. He is editor, with Charles Cooper, of Evaluating Writing, and with D. Goswami, of Writing in Non-Academic Settings. The author of over 50 published articles and book chapters, Odell has served as a consultant to numerous colleges, universities, and other organizations over the past thirty years. In 1986, he was the chair of the Conference on College Composition and Communication, and in 1980 he received the NCTE's Braddock award for the article "Teachers of Composition and Needed Research in Discourse Theory."

SUSAN KATZ is associate professor of English at North Carolina State University, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in composition, technical writing, and the rhetoric of science and technology. She is also coordinator for the undergraduate internship program for English majors. Katz spent twelve years in television and advertising before turning to the study of writing in public and private organizations. She earned her Ph.D. in Communication and Rhetoric at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1996. Katz is the author of The Dynamics of Writing Review: Opportunities for Growth and Change in the Workplace, a chapter of which was reprinted in the anthology Professional Writing and Rhetoric: Readings from the Field. Katz is the recipient of the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools Achievement Award for New Scholars in the Humanities and the Arts (2003) and several other awards.

1. Reading Words and ImagesBecoming a Reflective Reader Reading Critically Reading Like a Writer  Part I Writing Assignments

Each chapter in Part I includes support for the writing process (as in Ch. 2) omitted here for brevity.

2. MemoirsReading Memoirs Reading to Write Sarah Vowell, Shooting Dad Jennifer Kahn, Stripped for Parts Matthew Currier Burden, Ahmed, from The Blog of War Bill Buford, Sweat Is Good Annie Dillard, Total Eclipse David Perry [student], Theatre Geek Guide to Writing a Memoir Getting Started         Selecting a Topic         Understanding Your Audience and Purpose Creating a Draft         Exploring Your Topic         Engaging Your Audience: Writing an Introduction         Creating an Appropriate Voice         Organizing         Concluding Designing Your Memoir and Integrating Visual Information         Creating a Review Draft Reviewing and Revising         Getting a Final Review         Revising Your Work Taking Stock of Where You Are  3. ProfilesReading Profiles Reading to Write Ellen McGirt, Hacker. Dropout. CEO. Timothy Egan, No Degree, and No Way Back to the Middle Jim McLauchlin, My Cancer Year Robert Mackey and Naomi Harris, E.R. Unscripted Sam Quinones, Diez in the Desert Stephanie Guzik [student], Behind a Plain White Lab Coat Guide to Writing a Profile Getting Started Creating a Draft Reviewing and Revising Taking Stock of Where You Are  4. ReportsReading Reports Reading to Write Steven Kotler, The Perils of Higher Education Brian Hiatt and Evan Serpick, The Record Industry’s Slow Fade Steve Casimiro, Seeing Is Not Believing Carl Zimmer, Whose Life Would You Save? Malcolm Gladwell, The Art of Failure: Why Some People Choke and Others Panic Margaret Tomeo [student], ACL: The Curse of Women Athletes Guide to Writing a Report Getting Started Creating a Draft Reviewing and Revising Taking Stock of Where You Are  5. Position PapersReading Position Papers Reading to Write Ellen Goodman, SUVs Belong in Car Ads Only Steve Sack, SUVs Eric Schlosser, Cheap Food Nation Karrie Jacobs, Drop in the Bucket Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, Where Have All the Criminals Gone? John R. Lott Jr., What Decreased Crime? Charles Fishman, Message in a Bottle Ashley B. Roberts [student], Considered Living Car-Free? Guide to Writing a Position Paper Getting Started Creating a Draft Reviewing and Revising Taking Stock of Where You Are  6. EvaluationsReading Evaluations Reading to Write Jim Giles, Internet Encyclopedias Go Head to Head Consumer Reports, Popcorn: Which Kernels Are King? Seth Shostak, You Call This Progress? Patrick Vitarius, Breakfast at Manory’s A. O. Scott, We’ll Always Have Springfield: The Simpsons Movie McKenzie Funk, Is America Ready to Get Smart? Zane Van Dusen [student], Ground Zero at RPI: A Great New Venue in the Northeast Guide to Writing an Evaluation Getting Started Creating a Draft Reviewing and Revising Taking Stock of Where You Are  7. Proposals Reading Proposals Reading to Write Lawrence Epstein and Steven Mardon, Homeroom Zombies Richard Louv, Leave No Child Inside Al Gore, from An Inconvenient Truth Leon Botstein, Let Teenagers Try Adulthood Richard D. Emery, Cameras in the Station House Melanie Markham and Jonathan Quimby [students], Ticket to the Top Guide to Writing a Proposal Getting Started Creating a Draft Reviewing and Revising Taking Stock of Where You Are Part II Strategies for Design and Research  8. Reading and Writing About Visual ImagesStrategies for Reading Visual Images Examples of Student Visual Analyses Jenna Gatsch [student], The Emotion of Nighthawks Kyle Okaly [student], The Two Sides of Spider-Man: A Visual Analysis of Movie Posters Michelle Pelersi [student], "Brandon": A Prospective Alcoholic Visual Images for Analysis and Reflection  9. Designing Pages and ScreensUnderstanding Design Principles Establishing Layout Integrating Images Creating Tables, Charts, and Graphs Adding Color Choosing Typefaces and Fonts  10. Starting Research and Finding SourcesStarting Your Research Searching for Information Using Your Library’s Resources Searching for Information on the Internet Sorting through Your Sources  11. Conducting Field ResearchConducting Interviews Making Observations Conducting Surveys  12. Evaluating Sources and Taking NotesEvaluating the Appropriateness of Sources Evaluating the Trustworthiness of Sources Taking Notes Synthesizing Your Research Avoiding Plagiarism  13. Documenting Sources: MLA and APA StyleUsing MLA Style Using APA Style  Part III Strategies for Special Writing Situations  14. Writing for Essay ExamsResponding to Essay Questions in Class Responding to Essay Questions at Home Analyzing the Question Organizing Your Essay Drafting Your Essay Reviewing Your Work Sample Student Essay Exams  15. Writing PortfoliosPortfolios in Context Creating Your Portfolio  16. Writing for the CommunityWriting Successfully for the Community Sample Writing for the Community Frequently Asked Questions about Writing for the Community  17. Writing in Online EnvironmentsUsing E-Mail Participating in Online Discussions  18. Making Oral PresentationsCreating a Compelling Introduction Forecasting Your Main Points Using Visual Aids Talking to Your Listeners Finishing Strong Frequently Asked Questions about Delivery Group Presentations  Glossary of Visual and Rhetorical Terms