Reports on an interview with children's book author Pam Munoz-Ryan after her appearance at OCIRA's 1994 Fall Conference. Recounts that Munoz-Ryan did not consider writing a book until the age of 32, but that once her first book was published, she knew that she wanted to write books "forever." Explains the author's view on the writing…

Presents a dialogue between the authors on what it is like to collaborate in writing young adult fiction. Discusses their writing processes, how they come up with ideas for their books, and how they get the books published. (RS)

Raises questions about the epistemology inherent in composition studies, especially with regard to the issue of modeling. Investigates the usefulness and implications of modeling theory for contemporary composition study. Provides a context for discovering what it means to construct models of writing processes. (HB)

Discusses a new model for teaching writing that emphasizes the acts of composing, especially how writers generate ideas and revise them through a series of drafts. Expresses the wish that administrators not solve the problems of enrollment reductions and budget cuts by enlarging composition classes. (RS)

Describes the process of writing the picture book "Encounter," which tells of the fateful first meeting of Christopher Columbus and the Native Americans from the point of view of a boy raised in the Tanio culture. (RS)

Discusses three measures of process assessment, describing checklists, conferences, and self-assessment that focus on the writing process and what writers do as they write. (SR)

Reflects on the contributions of Dr. Seuss to the field of children's literature. (PRA)

Shares practical information that technical writers can use when writing scripts for video presentations. Discusses the kinds of information needed for script writing, the steps involved in doing so, and the script's role in production and editing. (SR)

Presents an interview with poet and teacher Barbara Juster Esbensen, 1994 recipient of the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. (SR)

Examines how journalists use three narrative strategies (synecdoche, omission, and personalization) to assert their authority in their retellings of the John F. Kennedy assassination. Finds that, by giving themselves a central position within the story, journalists make the assassination story as much about American journalists as about Kennedy's…

Discusses the 10 elements of the author's personal writing curriculum: solitude, experience, faith, need, tension, pattern, voice, ease, productivity, and readers. (RS)

Discusses plagiarism and offers guidelines for its prevention. Discusses writing program administrator policies on plagiarism and how to confront confirmed cheaters. Relates actual cases, and describes situations where plagiarism was not intended by the students. (PRA)

Describes a writing assignment that uses metaphors to encourage students to rethink their assumptions about writing and about themselves as writers. Discusses metaphors of process and speed, fear and courage, control, silence, and metaphors as invitations. (PRA)

Suggests that, at its best, fiction is more than story. Notes that the author did not realize how much more than story there can be, and how important it is to teach children how to mine stories for their deeper pleasures, until she began writing fiction herself. (RS)

Discusses the role that feminist issues played in a summer institute at the Literature Institute for Teachers and the role of feminist theory in teacher education. Shares thoughts about the role of feminist theory in the classroom. (MG)