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We Make Lhe 8oad 8y Walklng CC8 Crad Symposlum

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SLudenLs are asslgned LexLs Lo read from recLangular flelds of arLlcles, books, and webpages.
1hey are asked Lo research from an empLy recLangular fleld LhaL ylelds a column of slngular
LexLs as recLangular snapshoLs. 1hey wrlLe ln recLangular columns of LexL ln sLaLlc documenLs.
1he shape ls predlcLable, reproduclble, and aL odds wlLh whaL sLudenL wrlLlng ls meanL Lo
engage: an ongolng process, a mess, exploraLlon, breakdowns, Lhe acL of maklng someLhlng
LhaL connecLs. edagogles dream ln Lhe panoramlc: an expanse of aLLenLlon across LexL and
conLexL, buL ofLen llmlL wrlLlng Lo a myoplc lens LhaL doesn'L allow for seelng beyond a LlghL
frame. Cur pedagogles don'L connecL Lo Lhe producLs we ask sLudenLs Lo creaLe. 1here ls a
dlsconnecL beLween Lheory and praxls when connecLlons aren'L permlLLed Lo be pursued. CfLen
Lhe scope of pro[ecLs ls llmlLed ln frame Lo a slngular rheLorlcal slLuaLlon [draw a square wlLh
lndex flnger ln alr] LhaL reduces Lhe complexlLy of elemenLs LhaL shape LexLs and seLLles Lhe LexL
evenL ln Llme and space as someLhlng Lo make Lldy. WhaL l wanL Lo know ls whaL happens when
we break Lhe frame? WhaL becomes avallable Lo sLudenLs Lo read and Lo wrlLe when Lhe
process can leave llnear conflnes, when Lhe work Lakes on unexpecLed shapes? WhaL happens
when we sLop seelng LexLs as squares unLo Lhemselves and seek whaL exlsLs ln beLween,
behlnd, and beyond? And, dare l say, ln maklng from Lhe unknown.


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l am noL Lhe flrsL Lo go off Lhe grld, buL as far as my own pedagoglcal pracLlces are concerned,
Lhls ls venLurlng lnLo uncharLered space, as lL oughL Lo be. ComposlLlons are heLerogeneous ln
consLrucLlon and requlre crafLlng of Lhelr composlLe parLs LhaL musL flrsL be Lraced, vlewlng
Lhem as slngular consLrucLs lllumlnaLes only slngular aspecLs of Lhe LexL, whlle leavlng lLs
llnkages LhaL glve lL shape undlscovered. 1hls ls work ln Lhe maklng, as composlLlon ls a process
of brlnglng LogeLher, explorlng wlLh sLudenLs whaL Lakes place when we push Lhe borders of
expecLed forms and meLhods for composlng. ln Lhe lnLroducLlon Lo !"#$#%&' )*+,+-% ./0#*& 1-2
304 502+1' Sldney uobrln wrlLes (quoLe) ln Lhe face of Lhe lmpendlng neLwork culLure, wrlLlng
sLudles cannoL conLlnue Lo arLlculaLe wrlLlng and rheLorlc as slmple sysLems and expecL Lhose
explanaLlons Lo accounL for Lhe complexlLles of wrlLlng as lL now sLands (9)" (unquoLe). We
ofLen acknowledge Lhe vasL amounL of LexLs LhaL we can encounLer because of dlglLal
capablllLles Lo clrculaLe, connecL, and creaLe. 8uL Lhese do noL happen wlLhouL maklng -
maLerlals musL be found and Lraced, connecLed, made and remade. 1hls ls work for and
Lhrough rheLorlcal ecology. Whlle neLwork has a connoLaLlon for dlglLal, lL ls noL excluslvely so,
as whaL comprlses and composes Lhe maLerlals ls noL as lmporLanL as Lhe expresslve capablllLy
Lhey make avallable Lhrough composlng. lurLher, whaL elemenLs or maLerlals are avallable Lo
compose wlLh are dependenL on our scope of dlscourse. Pow we read LexLs - Llme, evenL,
place, person, Lerms - shapes our maLerlal posslblllLles ln composlng [readlng and wrlLlng].

ln 6-7*18+-% 5#20$9 #7 :;<$+" =+9"#;*90, !enny 8lce works Lo desLablllze Lhe frame of Lhe
rheLorlcal slLuaLlon by proposlng LhaL slLuaLlons operaLe ln more ecologlcally complex neLworks
of llved pracLlcal consclousness or sLrucLures of feellngs" (7) - noL a move Lo dlssolve all
boundarles for looklng aL Lhe conLexL of a slLuaLlon, buL desLablllzlng Lhem enough Lo accounL
for Lhe llmlLaLlons ln Loo dlscreLe of borders ln readlng and wrlLlng LexLs. lf rheLorlc ls
undersLood Lo be a complex arL, Lhen we oughL Lo pracLlce lL as such.

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1hls Lakes on any number of processes, lnqulres, forms, and maLerlals ln Lhe classroom. lL ls a
meLhodology, a way of readlng and wrlLlng LhaL comes from Lhe relaLlonshlps uncovered. lor
my own Leachlng, so far, lL acLs as a sLaLe of mlnd, my pedagogy, sLudenL frusLraLlon, dead
ends, broken composlLlons, and a repeLlLlon of Lhe manLra we are composlng for exploraLlon,
noL experLlse". lL becomes vlslble, Lraceable, accounLable ln meLaphors of moLlon LhaL reveal
seLLllng as llluslon - a phoLo ls one momenL ln many LhaL radlaLe, lnLersecL, fade, hlsLorles span
Llme and place buL are noL passlvely passed onward/backward, Lhe very ground beneaLh our
feeL shlfLs (albelL slowly).
1o lllusLraLe (some asslgnmenLs l have enacLed):
Mapplng readlngs and concepLs Lo make vlslble paLLerns and relaLlonshlps (and
maps/vlsuallzaLlons can vary wldely and can be done all wlLh free web
programs/plaLforms - Coogle sulLe)
Lxplorlng ouLward from a person, place, Llme, or evenL - 1lmellne !S exploraLlons of
homeLown hlsLory and personal hlsLory Lhrough lnLersecLlons
Audlo narraLlves of medla memorles - uslng Soundcloud's smarLphone compaLablllLy Lo
record audlo cllps/scraps Lo [uxLapose wlLh lmages, vldeo/audlo cllps and alphanumerlc
LexL on a Coogle SlLe, blog posL, Mozllla opcorn Maker movle, or slldeshow movle

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erhaps Lhls pause wlLhln rheLorlcal ecology wlll relleve Lhe burden we lnherlL ln composlLlon
Loo rlgldly framed by shlfLlng aLLenLlon from whaL lL means Lo wrlLe, Lo whaL lL ls Lo compose.
Composlng becomes more acLlon based, Lhe looklng for LexL ob[ecLs, Lhe collecLlon of maLerlals,
Lhe Lraclng of sources, esLabllshlng connecLlons, and crafLlng an assemblage - LexL LhaL leaves
space for composlng, recomposlng, and decomposlng ln Lhe dynamlc neLwork lL exlsLs wlLhln.
lreer from Lhe lmposed forms of parLlcular genres, perlods, or Lheorles, composlLlons are
beLLer able Lo explore wlLh mlndfulness because Lhe Lraces musL be made vlslble. 1exLs move
from passlve or lnvlslble lnLermedlarles beLween ldeas, Lo composlLlons of composlLes, of parLs
- Lo uncover, Lo connecL - LhaL medlaLe furLher composlng, LhaL lllumlnaLe Lhe fluldlLy,
dynamlsm, and conLlngency of our complex web of relaLlons LhaL exlsL ln flux beLween us and
oLher maLerlals.