| Sumario: | What if, instead of viewing legislators as distant or indirect audiences for public writing, we shifted to engage them as community partners, collaborating in a mutually beneficial relationship to develop fresh policy ideas from voices that are often missing in lawmaking? This article tells the story of a partnership between a college composition class, a civic literacy non-profit, and state senators that has led to the passage of at least two state laws based on student ideas. Through this story, we make a larger argument about how public writing pedagogy might expand to conceptualize and engage elected officials as community partners. Co-authored by a student whose idea became law, a non-profit staff member who helps broker partnerships with state legislators, and a composition professor who taught a policy-writing class, this piece explores the complications, promises, and practical steps of partnerships with lawmakers.
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