ABSTRACT
i’ll begin by telling a story. Years ago I taught creative writing to a group of high school girls who had come from all over the country to Mt. Holyoke College to brush up on their math (creative writing was an afternoon “fun” activity, along with arts and crafts, and sports). The first night of orientation, a speaker was brought in to lead us in some “touchy-feely” exercises that would explore the notion of diversity. For many students, this was their first experience away from home, their first time sharing a dorm room with a stranger, their first time interacting closely with people of different races, ethnic and economic groups.
