Revolutionary Love: Authoring Belonging and Joy in Early Childhood Writing Communities

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Abstract

Many schools serving Black and Latine communities face the most rigid mandates around writing instruction. This silences the creativity and lived experiences that young children are skilled at creating together. Using a theory of revolutionary love, we explore the writing experiences in two early childhood communities. Findings elaborate on the narratives created by the children including stories of identity, stories of joy and leadership, and stories of activism. The implications of this work prioritizes the possibilities when writing is reoriented towards humanizing practices, and built from the narratives, and interests of diverse young writers. This study offers promise for preparing teachers in teaching writing from a culturally sustaining and responsive lens that centers love in literacy teaching and learning.

Authors

• Erica Holyoke, University of Colorado - Denver

• Susan Tily, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire