Abstract

This monograph investigates 15 L2 creative writers’ social constructive power in identity constructions. Through interviews and think-aloud story writing sessions, the central study considers how L2 writer voices are mediated by the writers’ autobiographical identities, namely, their sense of selves formulated by their previous language learning and literacy experiences. The inquiry takes the epistemological stance that L2 creative writing is simultaneously a cognitive construct and a social phenomenon and that these two are mutually inclusive. The study contributes to L2 creative writing research and L2 learner identity research and will be of benefit to researchers, language teachers and writing instructors who wish to understand creative writing processes in order to help develop their students’ positive self-esteem, confidence, motivation and engagement with the L2.

This highly original book gives a penetrating account of the creative processes of second language writers. Drawing on the latest advances and research in sociocultural theory, identity theory and second language acquisition research – Zhao provides a readable yet minutely detailed account of her participants, located within their cultural contexts and personal histories.

This exploration of L2 creative writers’ identities and writing processes is a pedagogical mastercraft. It is cutting-edge scholarship in which writers and their writing become an L2 learning resource. The breadth and depth of Yan Zhao’s study are evident in the vast traditions that her critique covers both theoretically and methodologically.

Yan Zhao is Lecturer in Applied Linguistics in the Department of English, Culture and Communication, Xijiao-Liverpool University, PR China. Her research interests include discourse analysis, L2 creative writing, L2 identity and L2 academic writing.

(Academics involved in research on writing) will value the cutting-edge research framework and the way in which the author has integrated quantitative and qualitative tools in her data collection and analysis.