UPDATED SUMMER 2024

Cover: Joining the Conversation: A Guide and Handbook for Writers, 5th Edition by Mike Palmquist; Barbara Wallraff

Joining the Conversation: A Guide and Handbook for Writers

Fifth Edition  ©2023 Mike Palmquist; Barbara Wallraff Formats: Achieve, E-book, Print

Authors

  • Headshot of Mike Palmquist

    Mike Palmquist

    Mike Palmquist is a professor of English and a University Distinguished Teaching Scholar at Colorado State University, where he has also served as Associate Provost for Instructional Innovation and Director of the Writing Center. He is recognized internationally for his work in writing across the curriculum, the effects of computer and network technologies on writing instruction, and new approaches to scholarly publishing. He is the founding editor of the WAC Clearinghouse (http://wac.colostate.edu), the leading site for communication across the curriculum, and is the author of numerous articles and essays on writing across the curriculum and writing and teaching with technology. He served as an at-large member of the Association for Writing Across the Curriculum, which named him a Distinguished Fellow in 2021, and is a trustee of the University Press of Colorado and a member of the editorial boards of several journals. In 2004, he received the Charles Moran Award for Distinguished Contributions to the Field, which recognizes "exemplary scholarship and professional service to the field of computers and writing." In 2006, the CCCC Committee on Computers in Composition and Composition named him Outstanding Technology Innovator. He served as chair of the National Council of Teachers of English College Section Steering Committee and as a member of the NCTE Executive Committee from 2009 to 2011. He also served as the chair of the NCTE College Section Working Group on the Status and Working Conditions of Contingent Faculty. He is the author of Joining the Conversation: A Guide and Handbook for Writers; In Conversation: A Writer’s Guidebook; and The Bedford Researcher.

  • Headshot of Barbara Wallraff

    Barbara Wallraff

    Barbara Wallraff is a professional writer and editor. She spent 25 years at the Atlantic Monthly, where she was the language columnist and an editor. The author of three books on language and style—the national bestseller Word Court, Your Own Words, and Word Fugitives—Wallraff has lectured at the Columbia School of Journalism, the Council of Science Editors, Microsoft, the International Education of Students organization, and the Radcliffe Publishing Program. Her writing about English usage has appeared in national publications including the American Scholar, the Wilson Quarterly, the Harvard Business Review blog, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times Magazine.

Table of Contents

Part One    Joining the Conversation
    Chapter 1, Understanding Yourself as a Writer
    Chapter 2, Finding and Listening in on Conversations
    Chapter 3, Reading to Write
    Chapter 4, Assessing and Evaluating Sources
    Chapter 5, Working Together


Part Two    Contributing to a Conversation
    Chapter 6, Choosing Your Writing Role
    Chapter 7, Writing to Reflect
    Chapter 8, Writing to Inform
    Chapter 9, Writing to Analyze
    Chapter 10, Writing to Evaluate
    Chapter 11, Writing to Solve Problems
    Chapter 12, Writing to Convince or Persuade


Part Three    Conducting Research
    Chapter 13, Focusing Your Search
    Chapter 14, Locating Sources
    Chapter 15, Conducting Field Research
    Chapter 16, Managing Your Sources
    Chapter 17, Avoiding Plagiarism


Part Four    Crafting and Polishing Your Contribution
    Chapter 18, Developing Your Thesis Statement
    Chapter 19, Organizing Your Ideas
    Chapter 20, Drafting Your Document
    Chapter 21, Using Sources Effectively
    Chapter 22, Designing Your Document
    Chapter 23, Working with Genres
    Chapter 24, Revising and Editing


Part Five    Documenting Sources
    Chapter 25, Using MLA Style
    Chapter 26, Using APA Style


Part Six    Handbook
    Chapter 27, Style: Writing Confidently
    Chapter 28, Grammar: Writing Skillfully
    Chapter 29, Punctuation and Mechanics: Giving Your Readers Direction

Product Updates

Summer 2024 Updates:

New! Exclusive Palmquist Content: AI Guides for Instructors and Students.
Boost AI literacy with How Can I Use Generative AI in My Writing Classroom?, a brief resource by Mike Palmquist that helps college writers understand the opportunities and challenges of AI use in academic settings. Separate instructor and student guides offer support for using AI ethically and responsibly, with assessment to help reinforce concepts. Now available in the Achieve courses for In Conversation, Joining the Conversation, and The Bedford Researcher.

Fifth Edition Updates (2023):

A new chapter on “Choosing your writing role” provides a thorough exploration of the roles writers take on in their documents. These roles give students crucial lenses for understanding their rhetorical situations and empower them to make informed decisions about every aspect of their writing process.

Expanded treatment of source credibility and bias. Chapter 4, “Assessing and Evaluating Sources” features a new process for assessing and evaluating sources that incorporates lateral reading—a technique used by fact checkers—and rhetorical listening to help writers select the best sources for their writing projects.

Three new thought-provoking student essays. Three of the six featured student writers in the fifth edition are new, and they write on three of the key tasks writers take on: informing, solving problems, and convincing or persuading. These writers put a face on purpose-based writing, while “In Process” boxes trace their progress as they draft and revise.

New readings offer a variety of genres, purposes, and tones to challenge and engage students. The seven updated readings in this edition — and the “Start a Conversation” activities that accompany them —  offer engaging readings by a wide range of authors whose work appears in mainstream media and scholarly publications.

Authors

  • Headshot of Mike Palmquist

    Mike Palmquist

    Mike Palmquist is a professor of English and a University Distinguished Teaching Scholar at Colorado State University, where he has also served as Associate Provost for Instructional Innovation and Director of the Writing Center. He is recognized internationally for his work in writing across the curriculum, the effects of computer and network technologies on writing instruction, and new approaches to scholarly publishing. He is the founding editor of the WAC Clearinghouse (http://wac.colostate.edu), the leading site for communication across the curriculum, and is the author of numerous articles and essays on writing across the curriculum and writing and teaching with technology. He served as an at-large member of the Association for Writing Across the Curriculum, which named him a Distinguished Fellow in 2021, and is a trustee of the University Press of Colorado and a member of the editorial boards of several journals. In 2004, he received the Charles Moran Award for Distinguished Contributions to the Field, which recognizes "exemplary scholarship and professional service to the field of computers and writing." In 2006, the CCCC Committee on Computers in Composition and Composition named him Outstanding Technology Innovator. He served as chair of the National Council of Teachers of English College Section Steering Committee and as a member of the NCTE Executive Committee from 2009 to 2011. He also served as the chair of the NCTE College Section Working Group on the Status and Working Conditions of Contingent Faculty. He is the author of Joining the Conversation: A Guide and Handbook for Writers; In Conversation: A Writer’s Guidebook; and The Bedford Researcher.

  • Headshot of Barbara Wallraff

    Barbara Wallraff

    Barbara Wallraff is a professional writer and editor. She spent 25 years at the Atlantic Monthly, where she was the language columnist and an editor. The author of three books on language and style—the national bestseller Word Court, Your Own Words, and Word Fugitives—Wallraff has lectured at the Columbia School of Journalism, the Council of Science Editors, Microsoft, the International Education of Students organization, and the Radcliffe Publishing Program. Her writing about English usage has appeared in national publications including the American Scholar, the Wilson Quarterly, the Harvard Business Review blog, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times Magazine.

Table of Contents

Part One    Joining the Conversation
    Chapter 1, Understanding Yourself as a Writer
    Chapter 2, Finding and Listening in on Conversations
    Chapter 3, Reading to Write
    Chapter 4, Assessing and Evaluating Sources
    Chapter 5, Working Together


Part Two    Contributing to a Conversation
    Chapter 6, Choosing Your Writing Role
    Chapter 7, Writing to Reflect
    Chapter 8, Writing to Inform
    Chapter 9, Writing to Analyze
    Chapter 10, Writing to Evaluate
    Chapter 11, Writing to Solve Problems
    Chapter 12, Writing to Convince or Persuade


Part Three    Conducting Research
    Chapter 13, Focusing Your Search
    Chapter 14, Locating Sources
    Chapter 15, Conducting Field Research
    Chapter 16, Managing Your Sources
    Chapter 17, Avoiding Plagiarism


Part Four    Crafting and Polishing Your Contribution
    Chapter 18, Developing Your Thesis Statement
    Chapter 19, Organizing Your Ideas
    Chapter 20, Drafting Your Document
    Chapter 21, Using Sources Effectively
    Chapter 22, Designing Your Document
    Chapter 23, Working with Genres
    Chapter 24, Revising and Editing


Part Five    Documenting Sources
    Chapter 25, Using MLA Style
    Chapter 26, Using APA Style


Part Six    Handbook
    Chapter 27, Style: Writing Confidently
    Chapter 28, Grammar: Writing Skillfully
    Chapter 29, Punctuation and Mechanics: Giving Your Readers Direction

Product Updates

Summer 2024 Updates:

New! Exclusive Palmquist Content: AI Guides for Instructors and Students.
Boost AI literacy with How Can I Use Generative AI in My Writing Classroom?, a brief resource by Mike Palmquist that helps college writers understand the opportunities and challenges of AI use in academic settings. Separate instructor and student guides offer support for using AI ethically and responsibly, with assessment to help reinforce concepts. Now available in the Achieve courses for In Conversation, Joining the Conversation, and The Bedford Researcher.

Fifth Edition Updates (2023):

A new chapter on “Choosing your writing role” provides a thorough exploration of the roles writers take on in their documents. These roles give students crucial lenses for understanding their rhetorical situations and empower them to make informed decisions about every aspect of their writing process.

Expanded treatment of source credibility and bias. Chapter 4, “Assessing and Evaluating Sources” features a new process for assessing and evaluating sources that incorporates lateral reading—a technique used by fact checkers—and rhetorical listening to help writers select the best sources for their writing projects.

Three new thought-provoking student essays. Three of the six featured student writers in the fifth edition are new, and they write on three of the key tasks writers take on: informing, solving problems, and convincing or persuading. These writers put a face on purpose-based writing, while “In Process” boxes trace their progress as they draft and revise.

New readings offer a variety of genres, purposes, and tones to challenge and engage students. The seven updated readings in this edition — and the “Start a Conversation” activities that accompany them —  offer engaging readings by a wide range of authors whose work appears in mainstream media and scholarly publications.

Helping students explore and respond to the complex conversations around them.

Grounded in the best practices of effective writing instruction, Joining the Conversation’s rhetorical approach teaches students the key critical thinking skills they need to explore and respond thoughtfully to the complex conversations around them. From reflective and informative to analytical and persuasive writing, chapters follow real student writers as they find a conversation, develop, revise, and document their writing. Engaging readings that mix public and academic audiences, traditional and multimodal styles offer models for writing Paired with Achieve, an engaging and powerful digital platform, Joining the Conversation empowers students to make informed decisions about every aspect of their writing process.

Success Stories

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Prof. Kiandra Johnson, Spelman College

See how the resources in Achieve help you engage students before, during, and after class.

Prof. Jennifer Duncan

Use diagnostics in Achieve for a snapshot into cognitive and non-cognitive factors that may impact your students’ preparedness.

Prof. Ryan Elsenpeter

Here’s why educators who use Achieve would recommend it to their peers.

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