All good writing develops at the edge of risk

Using a variety of common forms from first-year composition, this paper examines the purposes of CCCC, transformative experiences at professional conferences, and the elements of my literary autobiography. I then argue for recognition of the knowledge-building role of writing programs in two-year colleges and for a 'write to work' principle, calling for full pay for all who teach required writing courses. Originally, this manuscript was a speech integrated with a PowerPoint* presentation using more than 1000 slides (text, photographs, and music), which cannot be fully represented here.