Notes that reader analysis is essential in writing technical documents. Reviews several ways to analyze readers, and groups the ways into three manageable categories: demographic, organization, and psychological approaches. (SR)

Discusses the benefits of producing theater for young audiences and some of the scripts available. Considers the value of theater for young audiences. Discusses where to look for scripts including several play anthologies. Presents a list of 13 publishers of plays for young audiences. (SC)

Challenges the prevailing view of publics as relative entities. Reviews the two primary schools of semiotics, Saussrean and Peircean, arguing for the utility of the latter. Concludes that a public can be best understood as an ongoing process of agreement upon an interpretation, and that the public may develop a more sophisticated, insightful…

Finds that students with the highest level of public speaking anxiety showed the largest improvement in perceived competence and perception of audience pleasantness. Discusses the speaker's perception of the audience as a key factor in public speaking anxiety. (SR)

States that training in legal writing is vital to a lawyer's education and is required by the successful practitioner. Suggests that learning to write as a lawyer is part of the process that creates lawyers. Argues that rhetoric is only effective for the audience and occasion it was written for. (PA)

In this article, the authors comment on two key issues that emanate from Anders Ericcson and his colleagues' manuscript: (1) the audiences that the authors address; and (2) the implications of their work for policy. The authors argue that in the imperfect world of limited resources, domain-specific abilities in combination with psychosocial…

Considering how to better assess student writing, middle school teachers Molly Fanning and Brigid Schmidt revolutionize their conception of themselves as teachers. They challenge all educators to become what Henry A. Giroux calls "transformative intellectuals" by identifying as writers, practicing collaborative inquiry, and sharing their work with…

This essay draws upon the work of Northrop Frye to show that stories enacting the American Dream contain elements associated with romance, and briefly traces how Ronald Reagan and conservatives utilized the romance of the American Dream to the point that many Americans associated it exclusively with conservatism. The essay then details how Barack…

This article addresses an under-researched area of graduate studies: the role of writing groups in developing the research and publication potential of university graduates. Drawing on focus group discussions with participants from a pilot program conducted in the Arts Faculty at Monash University in Australia, the authors investigate the outcomes…

"Harper's Bazaar" (spelled "Bazar" before 1925) was designed for use by, as well as for, the instruction of women readers in the 19th century. In the early "Bazar," the didactic discourses of domesticity and reading sometimes intersected. Such was the case with two humorous pieces, "Mrs. Typeset's Diary"…

As the National Parliamentary Debate Association (NPDA) debate spreads across the country, as more schools and more students become involved in this type of debate, those involved in the activity need to take a step back and evaluate their progress, as well as plot their future. Coaches have a critical role as educators. NPDA needs clear…

This essay analyzes Kenneth Burke's speech ("Revolutionary Symbolism") to the 1935 Writers Congress, a congress intended to explore the relationship between politics and art, and controlled closely by the American Communist Party. The essay maintains that Burke was prepared to offer to the Communist Party and to all…

This paper considers the British thinker C.S. Lewis as a "forensic figure," defining "forensic" in the sense of public discussion and debate. The paper relates that, long before Lewis emerged as a public persuader, he learned to hold his own in private exchanges with William T. Kirkpatrick, his tutor from 1914-1917, and in…

Looks at the changes made in different versions of "Sara Crewe" (better known as "A Little Princess") over the past 110 years. Finds that in all versions that have been adapted in the intervening century, including the most recent film, Sara is different from Frances Burnett's original conceptions--and different in disturbing…

Cites the news story "lead," which tells immediately what the story is about, as necessary for "hooking" the reader. States that leads do not come that easily, but that they must deliver the news. Adds that a good lead should eliminate unnecessary words and select key words. Offers examples of good and bad leads. (PA)