Gere-Kitchen Tables and Rented Rooms

Anne Ruggles Gere explores the idea of extracurriculum composition in her essay Kitchen Tables and Rented Rooms: The Extracurrciculum of Composition. Gere describes the way different communities use composition and how the meaning of it has changed over time. The two different towns use literacy to form workshops, reading clubs, and ways for ordinary people to express themselves through writing. The workshops allow for these average people to become motivated writers, better their writing skills, and encourage constructive criticism. The writing in these communities has even helped create clubs and literacy shelters for homeless people or laws to for better farming practices. I can relate to the people and workshops discussed in this essay. I have always found the writing workshops to be extremely helpful as well as interesting. I enjoy hearing what others have to say and love getting feedback on my writing. Although most of my current writing is for school purposes, I find the workshops allow me to get the best grade possible. Writing workshops allow writing to evolve and I feel improve literacy throughout communities.