Considering the Alternative in Composition Pedagogy: Teaching Invitational Rhetoric With Lynda Barry'sWhat It Is

Lynda Barry's book What It Is offers an alternative idea of composition pedagogy, utilizing an approach that communication scholars might call “invitational rhetoric.” Barry resources the trappings traditionally associated with education and invites the reader to render experiences through his or her own writing practice. This article explores invitational rhetoric as represented in various fields, particularly composition and rhetoric, and examines how Barry's What It Is serves as a model of invitational rhetoric. The article also considers how the book offers a way of teaching invitational rhetoric as a less adversarial form of argument.