The world has changed. Accordingly, the ways we read imaginative literature and other texts must change.
This site is primarily intended to help people make shifts in thinking and practice. These shifts will allow for different kinds of reading, including the reading of both the text AND the world.
My work is driven by both observations about the needs of our world for better readers–of not just texts but also the world as text–and a conviction that imaginative literature and other art forms hold great and inexhaustible value which can benefit individuals, other disciplines, and the world at large.
In part, this work is a response to the question “What is the value of imaginative literature?” My work with students has shown me that shifts in how we read literature (including the readings we create through writing) can bring renewed vigor and meaning to the study of literature–and to other branches of the humanities.
I believe that the study of English (and Composition, Literature) at the university level and of English Language Arts at the secondary level can and should occupy a central role, and I seek to help people think about how these disciplines can re-assert that role. The current over-emphasis on Science Technology Engineering Math) learning has created an imbalance that needs to be corrected.
While this site is especially written for an audience of educators and students, information offered here might be of interest to a broader audience as well.
This site is a work-in-progress. Please check back for updates.
Dana Maloney 