ABSTRACT
One is hard pressed to avoid the mention of the term voice in talk about the teaching and learning of writing. Teachers of writing, professional writers, and students use it, generally to describe a feature or set of features of style in writing. Sometimes stance or persona can be substituted for voice; other times, it is style or tone. A longtime critic of voice, I rail against its use in my courses. Despite this, the term invariably emerges, often sheepishly from one of my students and, more frequently than I’d like to admit, from me as I stumble over my own inability to describe what I mean. What do we mean when we talk about voice in writing? What is understood by finding your own voice when you write? What relationship does voice have with style? Perhaps most important, why might voice be valuable and why might it be problematic?
