While sitting in his office one day in 1970, a representative from Oxford University Press came to show him some books that he might like to use in his classes. When the representative asked Elbow if he was writing anything, Elbow replied that he had thought about trying to write something to do with teacher-less writing groups—a process he had experimented with while teaching courses for Harvard's extension program.
In 1970, a representative from Oxford University Press visited the author to show him some books that might be relevant to his classes. When asked about his current writing projects, Elbow mentioned his interest in exploring teacher-less writing groups, an idea he had experimented with during his teaching at Harvard's extension program.