Undoing the Silence

Louise Dunlap is a sixth-generation Californian. She has taught writing to undergraduates and grad students in urban and environmental planning, worked with writers in advocacy groups, wrote Undoing the Silence, and began journeys into the hidden history of white supremacy that led to this book. She honors the spiritual teachings of many traditions and, in 2004, was ordained by Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh into the Order of Interbeing, with the name True Silent Teaching.

"Undoing the Silence offers six tools to help us write. They are: The Freewriting Tool, The Process Tool, The Thinking Tool, The Audience Tool, The Feed-Back Tool and The Word-Power Tool. As I read through the explanation of each tool and tried the exercises, I noticed that, by trial and error, I have used some of them when I tackle a writing project. However, my employment of such techniques has been pretty haphazard. This toolbox is a wonderful resource because it includes strategies to help us overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of effective writing. Dunlap encourages us to step back from the pressure to make our writing perfect on the first attempt and to let a piece sit while we do something else to recharge our minds. I have found that the freewriting tool is quite liberating and has already enriched my writing. Another very important perspective I have gained is an understanding of my tendency to write in the passive voice. One of the exercises helped me to convert my passive verbs into active ones. A statement such as "it is believed" becomes "I believe". It may be scary to put my own opinions and thoughts into words, but they immediately become more powerful when I do.There are many more wonderful suggestions and tips for strengthening writing in this book. I believe every writer can benefit from reading it and trying them out. With the help of Louise Dunlap, may we all use our voices more effectively to change our communities for the better!"- Nancy McKinney (Gustavus Myers Center) "Undoing the Silence: Six Tools for Social Change Writing by Louise Dunlap is like The Artist's Way for social change activists. This book kicks off by examining why we often find it so difficult to put our thoughts, ideas, and motivations into words much less share them with the public even when we're passionately dedicated and feel strongly about the issues we're involved with. On top of our own personal fears of inadequacy that lead to self-silencing, we've got institutional silencing to deal with The social structures that discourage anyone from rocking the boat." - Siel (Green LA Girl: Urban Eco Living by the Beach) "I don't know anyone who conveys more essential insights more clearly and briefly. I can't think of a better book to recommend to people who want to make a difference." - Peter Elbow (Author, Writing With Power, Writing Without Teachers; Professor Emeritus, University of Massachusetts Amherst) "A valuable, beautifully written resource, this book will certainly inspire and unleash critical thinking and writing for social change--both for activists who never imagined they could be writers and for seasoned writers in need of renewal." - Shamin Meer (Activist Writer and Researcher, South Africa) "Louise Dunlap brings us this elegant and moving book on how to find your powerful voice and understand your audience. Every professional grad school should require this book." - Ann Markusen (Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota) "With these tools, my ordinary words become a vehicle for change." - Mary Leno (Eviction Free Zone, Cambridge Women's Commission) "...having worked in medical and federal government jobs that required writing in a passive voice. I took Louise's writing course and realized that not only was I writing passively, I was thinking passively!" - Emma Featherman-Sam (Transit Coordinator, Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Transportation) "If fish had hands, Louise Dunlap could teach them to write! After attending her workshops and classes, hundreds of labor and community activists have used Dunlap's tested techniques to write clearly and passionately for social and economic justice." - Susan Moir (Director, Labor Resource Center, University of Massachusetts Boston) "The techniques in Undoing the Silence value the knowledge ad experience of emerging writers. The power of this work is "The Lifting of Every Voice"... the basis of building a real democracy in this country." - Mel King (Community leader and former Massachusetts State Representative; Professor Emeritus, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT))