Greetings! My name is Cory Myrtil and as part of my freshman year at American University I took my College Writing Seminar on “Mapping Complexity: Embodied Subjectivity, Multi-positionality, and the Becoming of the Citizen-Rhetor.” Through this class I was given the opportunity to talk about the rhetoric of Washington DC using the knowledge of books […]
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Mapping Commonplaces: A Story About Shaw – The Project
Throughout this semester I researched 5th & O Street intersection in the Howard/Shaw area. The reason why I had chosen Shaw was because in his book S Street Rising Ruben Castaneda had described this street intersection as a “combat zone” (105) one that was filled off strawberries, cocaine, and gang affiliated murders. I thought […]
The Theatre, the Wall, and Shaw
In Ruben Castaneda‘s S Street Rising, Shaw is described as “a vibrant cultural center” (50). I wanted to explore what Castaneda meant by this, so I set out into Washington to research the area myself. He was right. It is a cultural center and it is quite vibrant. But I feel there’s more to […]
Mapping Commonplaces: Replanting The Mayflower
By Kwesi Billups Introduction Throughout the course of the semester, students in my College Writing Seminar have embarked on a semester-long journey to investigate the rhetorical situations of various locations around the nation’s capital, Washington D.C. Some students chose to work with street intersections, while others chose more historically documented and culturally relevant locations such as […]
Leaving Home and Going Nowhere
I don’t know what else to say about this photograph other than the fact that it’s intense. The photo puts an actual person behind what seems like abstract ideas I can only talk about by reading about them. This photograph begins to connect everything I want to eventually bring to light. Although I haven’t taken […]
Digital Archives: Exterior & Political 5
Something that I started to notice was the separation between the newly renovated houses and the old houses. They were either on the opposite side of the street or a group of them would be on one street section before the crosswalk. It was almost as if the groups of houses were being renovated by […]
Digital Archives: Exterior & Politcal 4
Walking through the main streets, you can see the diversity of Shaw residence. The white groups of people are eating brunch with their families and friends and you see black individuals riding their blasting music and for the most part greeting individuals that look like them. Two groups of people living in the same are […]
Digital Archives: Exterior & Politcal 3
On my way to 5th & O St. I stumbled on Pastor Jim’s New Community Church, a church that was set in Ruben Castaneda’s book S Street Rising. This church seems to bring a sense of community for the nearby intersecting streets. From talking to residents living around the surrounding area New Community Church has […]
Digital Archives: Exterior & Politcal 2
When I first got out of the metro on my way to 5th & O the first thing I saw was a tall (very nice) building advertising new homes for sale or rent. The sign states “Shaw Streets, New Beats” in efforts to show off the new community that is being built throughout the “shaw […]
Digital Archives: Exterior & Political 1
When I saw this sign I saw it as a political statement from the Mayor’s office. Shaw is one of the most profitable neighborhoods in the D.C. area, there are dozens of houses either being built or on the market that go for at a minimum around 1.2 million dollars. The individuals that are moving […]