Today’s guest is the writer, editor, and educator Sarah Trembath. Sarah has been teaching since 1998 and joined the faculty of American University in 2014 where she’s co-chair of the Critical Information Literary Committee; her written work has been widely published and anthologized and her most recent book is the poetry/creative non-fiction hybrid This Past Was Waiting for Me. Our discussion is part of a continuing dialogue we’ve enjoyed about creativity, community, the teaching of writing, and promoting civic engagement. While this conversation covers a lot of ground, the guiding topic is the concept of Invitational Rhetoric: what it is, how it’s effectively utilized (inside and outside the classroom), and why encouraging productive and respectful dialogue is particularly vital during an election year. Too much contemporary discourse (inside and outside the classroom!) quickly devolves into “I’m right, you’re wrong!” which serves little purpose other than perpetuating division; invitational rhetoric is an impactful tool for initiating conversation and accelerating the possibility of progressive cultural change.
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Ep. 5: Sarah Trembath on Creative and Cultural Applications of Invitational Rhetoric