When an English instructor enjoys reading narratives about others’ relationships with reading and writing, no one should really be surprised. But when first-semester college students (some of them supposedly sworn haters of all things written) discover that they have a story to relate regarding the role of reading and writing in their lives--and then say that the literacy narrative was their favorite assignment of the semester--the results are gratifying.

We began the literacy narrative assignment (our first assignment of the semester) by reading examples of narratives that address the significance of reading and the craft of constructing a personal story in writing. In their own essays, many of the students recall positive experiences with reading books, newspapers, and magazines; writing letters, journal entries and other creative pieces; speaking with friends and family; or even listening to music. Some of them, however, vent about negative experiences. Yet, fortunately, many of the students have learned positive lessons from those experiences and are no longer hindered in their use and/or enjoyment of reading and writing, and language in general. At the authors’ request, some essays appear under pseudonyms, and some of the names in the pieces have been changed. The opinions expressed in the essays are those of the authors, not the editor of this anthology or the class members.

First-Semester Farrago: An Anthology of Literacy Narratives is a souvenir from many of my students’ first semester of college at East Carolina University and of my first semester teaching. I have divided the essays into four sections: "Reading: Positive and Negative Experiences," "Writing: Correspondence, Fun, and Therapy," "Speaking: Growing Up with English Colloquialisms and Other Languages," and "Listening: Music Lyrics as an Emotional Outlet." Enjoy perusing our collection!

-- Leanne E. Smith, Editor