Letter to Susan Naomi Berstein

April 20, 2013
Susan Naomi Bernstein
College of New Rochelle
29 Castle Place
New Rochelle, NY 10805

Dear Ms. Bernstein,
Thank you for visiting our class on April 16, 2013.
You should know I read your responses and postings on the Council of Basic Writing Facebook page and always find them insightful and helpful. I was excited to learn that you were coming to visit us.
Your love of reading is a testament to the amount of work and passion you have for Teaching Developmental Writing. Because you have geared the book to an audience that includes anyone who reads or writes or teaches reading or writing, this book is accessible for everyone no matter where they are in their careers. The articles are so rich and diverse I look forward to reading them all, especially the ones you informed us that moved you in some special way.
The article that resonated for me is Valerie Kinloch’s “Harlem, Art and Literacy and Documenting.” I have been a Harlem resident for nine years now and after reading this article I realized I did not see “Harlem as Art.” I certainly did not recognize “Harlem as Art.” I’ve been too busy to see my adopted neighborhood as a piece of literature. Instead, I saw Harlem as a place where black literature began and not thinking that it continues despite the changes that seem to threaten its residents. I walk around Harlem with new eyes as a direct consequence of reading that article.
Because Teaching Developmental Writing was based on the belief of a student’s resilience and abilities to learn regardless of how institutions label, categorize, and segregate students, it is an invaluable resource for professionals and it will be an invaluable resource for me as I begin my teaching career.
I look forward to many more editions and I thank you again for taking the time to come to our class to share your experience and expertise.

Yours truly,
Nayanda M. Moore