Conclusions

Even though the title of this collection, Writing and the Digital Generation, might conjure for some images of the composition classroom, the writing that occurs in and around fan culture is in fact at the heart of this collection. However, that is not to say that this collection is unimportant to composition studies. In fact, many of these essays (even those not situated in the actual Teaching section) offer valuable theoretical strategies and possibilities for praxis that close the gap between “academic” writing and writing that occurs, well, everywhere else. Urbanski and her collaborators find myriad innovative ways to extend the conversation about what “writing” looks like in a digital culture, but also about how fan culture exemplifies many rhetorical concerns with implications far beyond a singular fandom.

The expansion of this collection into the digital realm would  be the next step in moving the discussion about writing and new media forward, if for no other reason than it would engage in the very medium it examines. Unfortunately, at this time, little online supplementary material is available for this text, presumably because it so recently went to press. Hopefully, Urbanski and her collaborators will heed this call to expand their work into digital environments to increase access, usability, and continuity. Ideally, the possibilities of the internet coupled with the burgeoning aca-fan movement would give this project another dimension of viability and reach. This collection is one of many texts that are leading the conversation about new media rhetoric—developing a broader reach through the use of the very media they examine, these authors can continue in that charge.