A child needs at least two kinds of skills before they can comprehend what they’re reading. These are oral language skills (listening, speaking and knowing how spoken words sound) and decoding skills (knowledge of letter-sound relationships to turn a written word into a spoken word).

My earliest teachers were those who walked and continue to walk beside me, who learn alongside me. In this way, my poetic lineage is situated not in the before, in the sense of being in the past. Instead, the poets I come from, are before me in the sense of being right in front of me, returning my gaze, answering my questions and asking their own.

From the classroom, to the street, to the Internet, Eric’s voice carried, and carried within it the possibility of a kind of education–amplified with digital technologies– that enables other human beings to become conscious, to become responsible, to learn.

ȄȄǼǼȅȅǷǷȐȐdzdzȔȔDZDZșșDZDZȗȗǴǴȔȔǶǶȓȓǶǶȎȎǹǹȊȊǸǸȃȃǹǹȋȋǺǺȇȇǼǼȃȃǾǾȂȂǽǽȂȂǽǽȂȂǾǾȁȁǾǾȁȁǿǿȁȁǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǾǾȀȀǿǿȁȁǿǿȀȀǸǸȉȉǷǷȒȒǵǵȎȎǵǵȍȍǵǵȍȍǴǴȎȎdzdzȏȏdzdzȏȏdzdzȐȐDzDzȑȑǴǴȑȑdzdzȔȔǶǶȖȖǵǵȗȗǶǶșșǴǴșșǴǴșșDZDZțțǴǴȚȚǶǶȔȔǴǴȍȍǯǯȍȍDzDzȌȌǶǶȌȌǸǸȇȇǻǻȆȆǻǻȅȅǺǺȆȆǻǻȇȇǽǽȃȃǾǾȁȁǾǾȂȂǼǼȄȄǾǾȂȂǽǽȃȃǻǻȇȇǹǹȍȍǸǸȍȍǹǹȋȋǸǸȈȈDZDZȊȊǷǷȆȆǼǼȄȄǿǿȁȁǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǾǾȂȂǽǽȂȂǹǹȌȌǷǷȐȐǹǹȏȏǻǻȍȍǻǻȈȈǼǼȄȄǽǽȄȄǽǽȁȁǾǾȂȂǾǾȂȂǽǽȆȆǸǸȔȔǷǷȔȔǸǸȕȕǷǷȕȕǹǹȕȕǷǷȔȔǸǸȒȒǸǸȒȒǸǸȓȓǶǶȐȐǷǷȑȑǷǷȏȏǺǺȋȋǻǻȃȃǼǼȃȃǽǽȂȂǻǻȄȄǻǻȂȂǸǸȆȆǹǹȄȄǸǸȅȅǸǸȅȅǸǸȅȅǾǾȅȅǸǸȂȂǼǼȃȃǽǽȂȂǾǾȂȂǾǾȁȁǾǾȂȂǽǽȂȂǽǽȃȃǾǾȂȂǾǾȁȁǿǿȁȁǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿǿȀȀǿ

speech is prior to and somehow superior to writing

Each kind of rhetoric has its own appropriate style. The style of written prose is not that of spoken oratory, nor are those of political and forensic speaking the same. The written style is the more finished: the spoken better admits of dramatic delivery -- alike the kind of oratory that reflects character and the kind that stirs emotion.

The written style is the more finished: the spoken better admits of dramatic delivery -- like the kind of oratory that reflects character and the kind that reflects emotion.