In this essay, the author suggests that recent developments in English studies and popular culture create an opportune moment for writing teachers to welcome such literature in composition curricula. The author describes how studying stories by John Edgar Wideman enabled first-year composition students to engage political and interpersonal issues surrounding language choice, specifically in the case of Black English. Despite teachers' intentions of promoting diversity and empowering non-white or non-privileged students, the author's experience illustrates the extent to which the subject of race remains a source of discomfort for students and instructors. With reference to this discomfort, the author concludes her argument that exploring literature in writing courses could encourage members of the classroom community, teachers and students alike, to collaboratively confront concerns about language, race, and literacy.