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Fearless Writing: Multigenre to Motivate and Inspire
"Multigenre writing is an immersion in a big topic of personal importance. I want students to taste such passionate immersion. I want them to experience how that immersion, combined with the possibility of multiple genres, can waken a boldness of expression in them. Students' subjective experience with multigenre will affect their attitude toward writing. It will affect your attitude toward teaching."
-Tom Romano What does it mean to write fearlessly? Tom Romano illustrates the power of multigenre papers to push students beyond the "safety zone" of narrative and exposition into a place where fact meets imagination, and research meets creativity. A place to try the untried. Fearless Writing empowers students to leap into this personal, multifaceted take on research writing by giving you specific strategies and practical ideas to help While multigenre papers address many Common Core writing standards, Tom's passionate response to both the strengths and weaknesses of the Common Core serves as a lightning bolt of awareness, and a rallying cry for a writing curriculum of genre diversity. Expand your notion of writing and teaching writing, fearlessly.
Read here.
-Tom Romano What does it mean to write fearlessly? Tom Romano illustrates the power of multigenre papers to push students beyond the "safety zone" of narrative and exposition into a place where fact meets imagination, and research meets creativity. A place to try the untried. Fearless Writing empowers students to leap into this personal, multifaceted take on research writing by giving you specific strategies and practical ideas to help While multigenre papers address many Common Core writing standards, Tom's passionate response to both the strengths and weaknesses of the Common Core serves as a lightning bolt of awareness, and a rallying cry for a writing curriculum of genre diversity. Expand your notion of writing and teaching writing, fearlessly.
Read here.
208 pages, Paperback
First published August 8, 2013
3 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 28, 2023
Tom Romano is my go-to when I need inspiration and motivation for what I do in my classroom. If you're an English teacher who is sick of Common Core, now rebranded as the Next Generation Standards, and rote, cookie-cutter graphic-organized writing instruction, look no further than Romano.
This book is all about the multi-genre approach to writing, especially research projects. He lays out his reasons, his philosophy, and provides multiple examples. He provides scaffolding for teachers to try this approach as well, advice on evaluating student work and even a rubric.
What is real writing and what does it look like? What should we English teachers try to instill in our students about writing? This will vary teacher to teacher, but I stand firmly with Romano. Good writing is writing that evokes a response, writing that "knocks readers off their feet," is "informative and emotionally moving," demonstrates "original thinking, deep insight, specificity of detail, [and] delights of language" (161).
This book is a decade old but it is more relevant now than ever. Most school writing assignments are BS tasks (most geared toward standardized testing) that AI/ChatGPT can complete in seconds. Why bother wasting everyone's time with irrelevant writing that has no bearing on a student's current or future life?
Good writing is a reflection of the human experience. It is imbued with life, with a writer's particular idiosyncratic worldview. It is varied. It is multi-genred.
This book is all about the multi-genre approach to writing, especially research projects. He lays out his reasons, his philosophy, and provides multiple examples. He provides scaffolding for teachers to try this approach as well, advice on evaluating student work and even a rubric.
What is real writing and what does it look like? What should we English teachers try to instill in our students about writing? This will vary teacher to teacher, but I stand firmly with Romano. Good writing is writing that evokes a response, writing that "knocks readers off their feet," is "informative and emotionally moving," demonstrates "original thinking, deep insight, specificity of detail, [and] delights of language" (161).
This book is a decade old but it is more relevant now than ever. Most school writing assignments are BS tasks (most geared toward standardized testing) that AI/ChatGPT can complete in seconds. Why bother wasting everyone's time with irrelevant writing that has no bearing on a student's current or future life?
Good writing is a reflection of the human experience. It is imbued with life, with a writer's particular idiosyncratic worldview. It is varied. It is multi-genred.
May 9, 2014
Since reading Blending Genre, Altering Style 10 years ago, I've been piecing together more and more tidbits from Tom Romano--through his website and through his various workshops at conferences--about teaching the beloved multigenre essay. Fearless Writing is a decade's worth of lessons and strategies and insights around the teaching of my favourite writing assignment now compiled in one place.
At first I was disappointed that much of the book was stuff I'd gleaned over the years from my own observations and research of Romano's research and teaching--but that's just it, this is all good stuff organized in a way that makes absolute sense. Plus it is pure Romano. Its voice is alive and crystal clear, and there is probably no teacher/writer who I aspire to be like more than Romano. Reading this text was like stepping into his own classroom, and for that, I'm grateful. As for my students, they got a more thoughtful, organized presentation of lessons, materials, and inspiration thanks to this wonderful guide. And I can't wait to start reading their MGPs this weekend.
At first I was disappointed that much of the book was stuff I'd gleaned over the years from my own observations and research of Romano's research and teaching--but that's just it, this is all good stuff organized in a way that makes absolute sense. Plus it is pure Romano. Its voice is alive and crystal clear, and there is probably no teacher/writer who I aspire to be like more than Romano. Reading this text was like stepping into his own classroom, and for that, I'm grateful. As for my students, they got a more thoughtful, organized presentation of lessons, materials, and inspiration thanks to this wonderful guide. And I can't wait to start reading their MGPs this weekend.
January 22, 2014
Romano has yet again produced a book that inspires you on every page. There are many wonderful ideas for teaching multigenre style contained in its pages but it is his voice as a human being that resonates off the parchment. The poem he shared, "Regret" made me think about my life as a teacher and a wife. He lets his readers into his life as if it is an open door and connects us to what the classroom could be if we wrote alongside our students and shared our messy moments. The many "written voices" made me "think, question and learn."
December 3, 2013
Yet another magnificent book from Tom Romano. His writing literally posits us into his teacher-mind and, at the same time, leads me to feel like he is talking just to me. It's as if he has seen our triumphs (and failures) and knows just how to stretch my thinking into multigenre work. This is one of those books that will live on my teacher shelf, dog-earred, annotated, full of notes and response as I grow with his ideas.
December 15, 2019
I liked a lot of this. Though Romano seems to take some liberties as to a solid definition of multigenre writing, at times stating that it has to incorporate multiple modes as almost separate parts, then in other places saying it could be a poem infused with research, etc., I love books that advocate for students as choice-makers who have stories worthy of telling. Plus, as an educator myself, I love anything that promotes something other than the same sterile, lifeless research papers many students are accustomed to.
I can't give it 5 stars because in both Romano books I've read, he doesn't engage with or situate his arguments with enough discourse on the subject/theoretical underpinnings. Yes, I get that you're a professor, but it seems to negate the works that others do. For instance, the whole subject of currere would be very applicable.
The book is also dated, plugging Common Core in what seems to be a marketing strategy. Lastly, though I appreciate that Romano gives examples for practicing teachers, he isn't a k-12 teacher and makes assumptions as to what is possible in their curriculum. As a professor of teacher prep, he could have at least included k-12 teacher voices instead of showcasing what he does in his university classes, then stating it would work the same way for k-12. If you're going to do that, at least provide suggestions for advocating for that in a k-12 school...
I can't give it 5 stars because in both Romano books I've read, he doesn't engage with or situate his arguments with enough discourse on the subject/theoretical underpinnings. Yes, I get that you're a professor, but it seems to negate the works that others do. For instance, the whole subject of currere would be very applicable.
The book is also dated, plugging Common Core in what seems to be a marketing strategy. Lastly, though I appreciate that Romano gives examples for practicing teachers, he isn't a k-12 teacher and makes assumptions as to what is possible in their curriculum. As a professor of teacher prep, he could have at least included k-12 teacher voices instead of showcasing what he does in his university classes, then stating it would work the same way for k-12. If you're going to do that, at least provide suggestions for advocating for that in a k-12 school...
April 28, 2018
This book inspired one of the coolest experiences I have tried in the past few years with my students. Heard Dr. Romano speak at the NCTE conference In November and was fascinated by how the multi genre paper could inspire students to explore a topic while writing in many many ways. This is the way to incorporate MORE writing into my students’ classroom experiences. It definitely makes sense to me that we limit them by only honing the analytical five paragraph model! Wonderful tips and ideas here to get me started on a path that, along with the work of Kelley Gallagher, will change my teaching trajectory for the better!
December 24, 2020
Great, inspiring book. Teaching writing in many more interesting ways than the dreaded 5 paragraph essay - much more realistic for today's world of reading/writing.
July 16, 2022
This book is a game changer for my high school English classes. I’ve read very few professional books that are as fully explained and easy to implement as this one. I cant wait to try this with my juniors and seniors!
May 17, 2023
Absolutely a 10/10. Working on a MG project with my students right now. LOVING how they're turning out!
August 11, 2016
I became interested in multi-genre research papers when I was researching how to blend narrative structure with informational and argumentative writing for a workshop I was giving. MGRPs intrigued me, so I continued reading, reaching out, researching, and playing with the genre well after that narrative workshop, and I'm glad I did.
Although there are a lot of multi-genre books and articles out there (including two others from Tom Romano), I feel like this is the most cohesive and thoughtful of the resources I've taken in so far. There is some overlap from Romano's previous books, but there is much that is new here, including the ways he addresses the Common Core State Standards (multi-genre wins), grading and the way he has refined it since he wrote Blending Genres, and new understandings of the place that visual elements have in the final MGRP.
Fearless Writing has also gotten me thinking about which topic I'd like to pursue and how I'd go about doing it. I look forward to engaging in an inquiry with some of my writing project colleagues this summer.
Although there are a lot of multi-genre books and articles out there (including two others from Tom Romano), I feel like this is the most cohesive and thoughtful of the resources I've taken in so far. There is some overlap from Romano's previous books, but there is much that is new here, including the ways he addresses the Common Core State Standards (multi-genre wins), grading and the way he has refined it since he wrote Blending Genres, and new understandings of the place that visual elements have in the final MGRP.
Fearless Writing has also gotten me thinking about which topic I'd like to pursue and how I'd go about doing it. I look forward to engaging in an inquiry with some of my writing project colleagues this summer.
January 8, 2014
I have used MG before but this refocused my thinking. Romano gives tons of great examples, insights into his writing philosophy (which mirrors mine), and even links MG to the Common Core. It has jump-started my thinking to the 2014 Lit based Multi-genre paper for my 9h graders. Time to write!
February 16, 2014
Again an inspiring, invigorating work from Romano. I read this fast, which is unusual for me for teaching books, as it seems to take forever to annotate them. This one reenergized me and I'll be going into fourth quarter strong as I start multigenre!!
February 11, 2015
A writing book that will compel you to change and action in your own teaching. A must-read.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews