Original Outline for Book Presentation, Sept. 17, 2014

During our preliminary conversation, we agreed that the goal of our project should be to give life to  the legend of Mina Shaughnessy. Each of us is finding a personal connection to her story and her  work that we can build upon in doing that. Our project may take this four-part form:      • Introduction – Summary of Shaughnessy’s life and times, including the Open Admissions         movement and the creation of the new discipline called Basic Writing      • Interview – Possibly videotaped. We will pursue an interview with Jane Maher         and/or other people who knew and remember Shaughnessy      • Teacher’s Perspective – Nick and Maria may discuss how Shaughnessy’s Errors and         Expectations informs how they work with students      • Legacy – Mention Journal of Basic Writing, the MLA Mina P. Shaughnessy Prize, the         Mina Shaughnessy Speakers Series, CUNY Language and Literacy MA. Also, what has         become of the Basic Writing discipline? Has it shaped or even transformed all college (writing) education as Shaughnessy hoped it would? What do critics of her approach say? Next steps: We will all finish reading Mina Shaughnessy: Her Life and Work, Errors and Expectations, and other documentation of Shaughnessy’s life. We will pursue interview/s with Maher and/or others. As we collect information and learn where our interests lie, we will sort out who does what. We will use our group blog to share thoughts and ideas as we progress (http://minashaughnessybasicwritingbookgroup.blogspot.com/).