Diana Masny (University of Ottawa, Canada) and David R. Cole (University of Technology, Sydney) have assembled a rich collection of work in this volume, exploring and expanding Multiple Literacies Theory (MLT). The research presented employs MLT across a broad range of educational issues, including writing acquisition, affect and emotion in literacy practices, English as a second language (ESL), and the transformative capacity of education. The depth and originality of the application of MLT by the contributing authors makes this a significant addition to the discourse of literacy education.

Masny developed Multiple Literacies Theory (MLT) about a decade ago, and it has evolved more recently to become largely informed by the philosophical ideas of Gilles Deleuze, and the social theory Deleuze generated in collaboration with Felix Guattari. This poststructural, Deleuzian approach of MLT is a new direction in literacy theorising, offering an alternative to other pluralised conceptions of literacy such as Multiliteracies and New Literacies Studies. MLT is a project committed to the reconceptualisation of literacy, and is presented by the editors of this volume as a framework that enables an improved understanding of contemporary literate behaviour.