Quintilian’s notion of imitation is often acclaimed for its focus on invention and appropriateness and for highlighting attunement to individual talent. Yet these aspects tend to be somewhat neglected in the practice of imitation as shaped by the classical rhetorical tradition, which primarily focuses on imitation exercises for beginners. This essay accentuates Quintilian’s chapter on imitation, which, as stressed by Murphy, is aimed at the mature student, in order to propel these precepts into today’s teaching. Specifically, this article advances a pedagogy of student-driven imitation constituted of five dimensions and characterized by the student’s own choice of text, valuing reflexive process over mirroring, and strengthening rhetorical agency. The exposition of student-driven imitation is supplemented with questions that students might address and excerpts from a student’s work.

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During a series of writing workshops at a shelter for young homeless people in Copenhagen, I examined to what extent the literary practice of student-driven imitation with its emphasis on self-governance and a dialogical approach can engage marginalized learners in reading and writing. I found that studentdriven imitation had the potential to engage different kinds of writers and that they adopted the practice with ease and confidence. In addition, I experienced that the residents' preferred genre was poetry and that they generally sought a neutral space with low attention to social status, characterized by dialogue and a homely feel. This space is comparable to Oldenburg's third place, and I suggest that poetry is a textual marker of this space. Reading, however, is free.-Quintilian (X.I.19) Clearly, it began with an idea. Not an explicated need. Not an invitation or request. Actually, I ended up insisting, mostly out of curiosity, but some stubbornness might have been at play. My idea was cultivated from two interests especially: my exploration of imitation as delineated by Quintilian; and my attraction to the public turn of composition as scrutinized by Elenore Long and developed by Linda Flower and Paula Mathieu, amongst others, as well as the ethnographic work of Ralph Cintron. My exploration of imitation as delineated by Quintilian had led to the development of a concept I call student-driven imitation (Matthiesen 5). Student-driven imitation foregrounds the choice and reflection of the individual student: "Which texts fascinate me, and what do I need or want to learn?" Here, I will tell a story of what happened at a shelter for young homeless people in Copenhagen, where I held a writing workshop series of thirteen sessions based on student-driven imitation. My aim was to examine if, and to what extent, student-driven imitation has the potential to engage marginalized learners in reading and writing. These learners may be with or without learning disabilities, but typically have negative, or poor, educational experiences due to difficult life situations, and therefore may struggle with reluctance towards learning and low confidence levels. community literacy journal 2 CHRIStINA MAttHIESEN Imitation exercises from the classical rhetorical tradition are seldom seen in community literacy projects, maybe due to their often restricted pedagogical scope, which focuses primarily on pattern practice (see D' Angelo; Glenn, Goldthwaite, and Connors; terrill; and Fish). However, student-driven imitation foregrounds a practice based upon the students' own choices of text and an unrestricted interaction, in which mirroring is not the goal but process is. This practice, I claim, has the potential to engage marginalized learners in reading and writing, since it is highly inclusive of the experiences and reflective practice of the individual learner, and emphasizes the decision-making of the individual learner as a reader and writer, her preferences, goals, and manner of interaction. Where imitation exercises generally bui...