Considers the problems associated with writing historical fiction for young adults. Discusses problems of definition, "truth," balance between historical details and fictional elements, accuracy, and provenance. Discusses how such writing negotiates the fine line between contemporary sensibilities and historical accuracy, offering a lens…

Discusses both the need for guides to women authors and their preparation, from the point of view of an author of a guide to books by women writers and a guide to books with major female characters. (RS)

Uses the technique of collage to analyze and illustrate Francesca Lia Block's use of that technique within and across her books. (RS)

Presents the author's (she is a well known poet, essayist, and fiction writer) 10 commandments of writing that portray writing as a moral force, an ethical practice, and also mundane plain and simple hard work. The commandments are in the form of quotes from famous writers. (SR)

Draws on the complementary processes of writing and photography. Suggests a theory and method of instruction employing visual and metacognitive strategies to aid students in discovering unseen details and meaning when writing descriptive prose. (RS)

Presents a discussion among a group of 12 doctoral students, recent PhDs and dissertation advisors. Considers why dissertation committees are not encouraging composition and rhetoric students to write innovative, tradition-challenging dissertations. Notes that educators should pay attention to tensions among styles and identities. (SG)

Describes how the author's life has been one long adventure with language, and how the distinction between reading and writing blurs into a continuum of words, images, and ideas. Describes his first ventures towards reading, which began by engaging in the spoken word with his mother. Describes his writing processes, and the six-part story form he…

Explains how a teacher used tape--pieces hanging from her hair, her desk, and student desks--to help students remember some of the principles of writing represented in the acronym TAPE: topic, audience, purpose, and elaboration. (TB)

Describes a procedure that encourages both earnest participation in the reviewing process (the production of detailed responses) and revision that actually takes student responses into consideration. Concludes that by requiring students to tell the teacher what they chose to leave alone and what they chose to change, the teacher is able to get…

Explores the nature of new story ideas coming from stories in progress, focusing particularly on the author's two recent nativity stories: "Hallelujah: A Christmas Celebration" and "To Hear the Angels Sing." Discusses challenges of writing outside of one's culture, i.e., the issue of authenticity and accuracy as a European-American writer writing…

Provides the example of writing as a subject in which an educator might design instruction so that students think their way through the logic of the subject rather than memorize bits and pieces of someone else's thought (never grasping its logic). Presents four instructional steps: prethinking the course, student orientation, initial practice, and…

Notes that the most pressing question occupying scholars in rhetoric and composition involves defining the relationship between the writing classroom and public discourse. Claims I. Young's notion of the ideal city, developed in her 1990 book "Justice and the Politics of Difference," can serve as a model to help theorize the connections…

Explores the intersection of poet William Stafford, the poet in each child, and poetry. Discusses influences of Stafford on the author during her academic training and subsequent academic career. Notes Stafford left behind a vision of the world, a way of thinking about the process of writing, and a respect for the writer that is each child as…

Asks seven successful poets to share their knowledge and experience of writing poetry by answering seven questions that provide classroom teachers with approaches for facilitating students' poetry writing. Addresses topic selection, writing processes, language usage, choosing a form, whether forms should be taught, revision, and whether hard work…

Katherine Keil, a high school English teacher, has developed an approach that goes beyond simply teaching poetry to creating classrooms that celebrate poetry in order to overcome the fear of poetry in students and the teacher. She encourages students to play with language, publishes student's work to a web site and models the writing process…