Community Coauthoring: Whose Voice Remains?

This article examines how texts are collaboratively produced in community development work when coauthors come from multiple racial, ethnic, and class backgrounds as well as business and other work experiences. We found that the term wordsmithing became a discursive tool that limited resident input and shaped the Plan toward an external audience. We argue that pressure faced by the initiative members are similar to pressures felt by teachers in an atmosphere of increased standardization and accountability. [coauthoring, cross-cultural writing, collaborative writing, community development]