Teaching writing is not for the faint of heart, but it can be a tremendous gift to teachers and students. Students often approach writing courses with trepidation because they think of writing as a mystical and opaque process. Teachers often approach these same courses with dread because of the enormous workload and the often-unpolished skills of new writers. This approachable composition textbook for beginning writers contends that writing can be a better experience for everyone when taught as an empathetic and respectful conversation. In a time in which discourse is not always civil and language is not always tended carefully, a conversation-based writing approach emphasizes intention and care. Written by a teacher with more than fifteen years of experience in the college writing classroom, Composition as Conversation explores what happens when the art of conversation meets the art of writing. Heather Hoover shows how seven virtues--including curiosity, attentiveness, relatability, open-mindedness, and generosity--inform the writing process and can help students become more effective writers. She invites writers of all skill levels to make meaningful contributions with their writing. This short, accessible, and instructive book offers a reflective method for college-level writing and will also work well in classical school, high school, and homeschool contexts. It demystifies the writing process and helps students understand why their writing matters. It will energize teachers of writing as they encourage their students to become careful readers and observers, intentional listeners, and empathetic arguers. The book also provides helpful sample assignments.

This notebook features a beautiful cover illustration by acclaimed nature artist Jane Smith. It contains 192 pages of lined paper, head-and-tail bans, a ribbon marker and band to keep it securely fastened.

This unique book presents works that until now have only rarely been seen, even in private collections. Paintings, drawings and sculptures by well known outsider artists and new discoveries, all of which express deeply personal interpretations of sexual desire and activity. With texts by the world's leading academic experts in this field, Raw Erotica presents an essential element in the rich and varied world of outsider and self-taught art. With texts and contributions from: * Colin Rhodes, Univ of Sydney, author of Outsider Art: Spontanious Alternatives * Roger Cardinal, author of the original book Outsider Art * Jenifer Borum, New York based authority on self-taught art * Michale Bonesteel, Chicago based writer and author of Henry Darger * Thomas Roske, Curator, The Prinzhorn Collection, Heidelberg * Laurent Danchin, Paris author and French authority on Art Brut * Francois Monin, editor of Artension magazine, France.