Best Newer Books for Teaching Composition (Fall 2026)

As students increasingly juggle more demands on their time (working, parenting, family and community obligations), and as we grow more addicted to our screens, it can be hard to have students read long-form books and novels for composition classes. However, there are many benefits of pushing them to do so, and to write compelling and well-supported papers about them.

In this webinar, English instructor and published writer Shannon Gibney will share texts that have worked well to engage her working class, racially and culturally diverse classrooms of adults and PSEO students. She will explore how reading and discussing these texts, as well as writing about them, helps students develop their critical thinking, writing, and social skills.

Accommodations

The NED is committed to providing universal access to all of our events, we’d like to discover how we can make the event more inclusive so you can fully participate!

Machine generated captions are available in real-time for all Zoom events, however human generated CART (live caption) service and ASL interpretation can be requested with advanced notice (2 weeks) to make the event more accessible.

Please, let us know of any disability-related accommodations that will facilitate your full participation.

Questions?

Contact facilitator Shannon Gibney.

Registration Required

Use the RSVP tool below to register. After registering, a calendar invite will be sent to you as a reminder of the event start date.