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Open Admissions: The Poetics and Pedagogy of Toni Cade Bambara, June Jordan, Audre Lorde, and Adrienne Rich in the Era of Free College
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
264 pages, Paperback
Published August 30, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 22, 2024
impressive archive, but otherwise reductive readings
July 7, 2025
This book has shifted my teaching and my thinking about teaching in so many ways, grounding some practices that I already do in a historical legacy of feminist and abolitionist practices (ungrading, self-assessment, publishing student work) and providing incentive/ideas toward future pedagogical practices (hosting student symposiums open to the public, explicitly connecting student work to the issues they face, etc.)
Toni Cade Bambara - ‘denounced how hierarchical student-teacher relationships nurture psychological dependence on those in positions of authority. This, in turn, can serve the interests of the ruling class by teaching students to accept what those in power tell them to be true” (p. 31)
June Jordan: “how does this study, how does this subject, relate to the truth of my life?” p. 72
June Jordan/Toni Morrison - their practice of publishing student writing as a form of both pedagogical and editorial activism p. 82
If liberatory pedagogy conjures anarchic images of a leaderless classroom, they remind us that structure, too, can be empowering. In fact, we might think of these instructions, sequences, and pathways as a form of radical scaffolding. P. 111
The seemingly contradictory realities of the classroom - how they are sites of social reproduction that can be transformed into sites of alternative worldmaking p. 116-7
Adrienne Rich - “the veins of possibility” run through all students and that the political potential of teaching lies not necessarily in mentoring a handful of highly skilled individuals, but in developing teaching strategies that would benefit all, regardless of their previous academic training, ability, or interest p. 117
Social justice pedagogies must extend beyond the classroom to the material conditions that enable (or foreclose) learning p. 179
Read with UGA Qual book club
Toni Cade Bambara - ‘denounced how hierarchical student-teacher relationships nurture psychological dependence on those in positions of authority. This, in turn, can serve the interests of the ruling class by teaching students to accept what those in power tell them to be true” (p. 31)
June Jordan: “how does this study, how does this subject, relate to the truth of my life?” p. 72
June Jordan/Toni Morrison - their practice of publishing student writing as a form of both pedagogical and editorial activism p. 82
If liberatory pedagogy conjures anarchic images of a leaderless classroom, they remind us that structure, too, can be empowering. In fact, we might think of these instructions, sequences, and pathways as a form of radical scaffolding. P. 111
The seemingly contradictory realities of the classroom - how they are sites of social reproduction that can be transformed into sites of alternative worldmaking p. 116-7
Adrienne Rich - “the veins of possibility” run through all students and that the political potential of teaching lies not necessarily in mentoring a handful of highly skilled individuals, but in developing teaching strategies that would benefit all, regardless of their previous academic training, ability, or interest p. 117
Social justice pedagogies must extend beyond the classroom to the material conditions that enable (or foreclose) learning p. 179
Read with UGA Qual book club
March 20, 2025
Fantastic!!! Ahhh made me proud to go to a CUNY! Talks about when CUNY was free and Toni Cade Bambara (I got a whole new perspective of how radical hardcore and cool she was), Audre Lorde, June Jordan, and Adrienne Rich (who was sooo annoying white feminist at times!…) anyway they all taught there and this pulled from their teaching archives with so much depth and care! Thank you Danica! And it was written in Klapper Hall where I been spending all my goddamn time the past 2 years making art! And talks about Cooper in the intro! God bless, needed this one. Was a great gift from the inimitable Sonika Misra
December 31, 2025
As an educator this was inspiring. Nothing in it was particularly groundbreaking or new to me as someone who studies and practices liberatory pedagogy, but it was fascinating to connect my experiences to those of these literary/activist giants from the recent past, and reflect on how we build on their work.
January 20, 2026
This is a tribute to the iconic scholar-women writers who helped shape activist writing pedagogy at CUNY. Also a testament to how fundamental collaboration and community are to change-making praxis. Educators genuinely committed to disrupting the status quo and committed to inclusivity and access for all students should read this.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews