Podcasts about write time

Episode 537 - Matthew James Jones - Poet, Novelist, Storyteller and Veteran - Author of Predators, Reapers and Deadlier CreaturesMatthew James Jones is a poet, novelist, storyteller and veteran whose novel Predators, Reapers and Deadlier Creatures is available in Canada, France, the US, the UK, and Germany. Today, Matt writes and teaches in Paris: leadership at the École Militaire and creative writing at SciencesPo. His many published works interrogate themes of dehumanization, poetics, monsters, masculinity, cross-cultural exchange, and healing. He also co-hosts the by-donation Write Time workshop, and organizes fitness enthusiasts who use trees as barbells: the Log Club.Book: Predators, Reapers and Deadlier CreaturesPredators, ReaperSupport the show___https://livingthenextchapter.com/podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/Coffee Refills are always appreciated, refill Dave's cup here, and thanks!https://buymeacoffee.com/truemediaca

Tina Cane is the founder/director of Writers-in-the-Schools, RI, and, from 2016-2024, served as the Poet Laureate of Rhode Island where she lives with her husband and three children. In her capacity as poet laureate, Cane established her state's first youth poetry ambassador program in partnership with Rhode Island Center for the Book, and brought the Poetry-in-Motion program from the New York City Transit System to Rhode Island's state-wide buses. Cane is the author of The Fifth Thought, Dear Elena: Letters for Elena Ferrante, poems with art by Esther Solondz (Skillman Books, 2016), Once More With Feeling (Veliz Books 2017), Body of Work (Veliz Books, 2019), and Year of the Murder Hornet (Veliz Books, 2022). In 2016, Tina received the Fellowship Merit Award in Poetry from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts. She was also a 2020 Poet Laureate Fellow with the Academy of American Poets. Her debut novel-in-verse for young adults, Alma Presses Play (Penguin/Random House) was released in September 2021. Cane is also the creator/curator of the distance reading series, Poetry is Bread, and the editor of Poetry is Bread: The Anthology (forthcoming from Nirala Press, 2024). Her second verse novel for young readers, Are You Nobody Too? (Penguin/ Random House) was released in August 2024.Janelle Bence is a high-school English teacher with 24 years of experience teaching in Texas. Her favorite project is a Spoken Word event where freshmen support a local non-profit of their choosing. She is a longstanding member of the National Writing Project and enjoys collaborating with researchers to deepen her praxis. Currently, two projects she is working on are Transdisciplinary Civic Composing Collective (UT Austin) and Colorado State Sustainable Teaching and Learning (Colorado State University). Her writing is published in Civics for the World to Come: Committing to Democracy in Every Classroom (Mirra & Garcia, 2023) and Teaching for Equity, Justice, and Antiracism with Digital Literacy Practices (Edited By Meghan E. Barnes, Rick Marlatt).

Tina Cane is the founder/director of Writers-in-the-Schools, RI, and, from 2016-2024, served as the Poet Laureate of Rhode Island where she lives with her husband and three children. In her capacity as poet laureate, Cane established her state's first youth poetry ambassador program in partnership with Rhode Island Center for the Book, and brought the Poetry-in-Motion program from the New York City Transit System to Rhode Island's state-wide buses. Cane is the author of The Fifth Thought, Dear Elena: Letters for Elena Ferrante, poems with art by Esther Solondz (Skillman Books, 2016), Once More With Feeling (Veliz Books 2017), Body of Work (Veliz Books, 2019), and Year of the Murder Hornet (Veliz Books, 2022). In 2016, Tina received the Fellowship Merit Award in Poetry from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts. She was also a 2020 Poet Laureate Fellow with the Academy of American Poets. Her debut novel-in-verse for young adults, Alma Presses Play (Penguin/Random House) was released in September 2021. Cane is also the creator/curator of the distance reading series, Poetry is Bread, and the editor of Poetry is Bread: The Anthology (forthcoming from Nirala Press, 2024). Her second verse novel for young readers, Are You Nobody Too? (Penguin/ Random House) was released in August 2024. Janelle Bence is a high-school English teacher with 24 years of experience teaching in Texas. Her favorite project is a Spoken Word event where freshmen support a local non-profit of their choosing. She is a longstanding member of the National Writing Project and enjoys collaborating with researchers to deepen her praxis. Currently, two projects she is working on are Transdisciplinary Civic Composing Collective (UT Austin) and Colorado State Sustainable Teaching and Learning (Colorado State University). Her writing is published in Civics for the World to Come: Committing to Democracy in Every Classroom (Mirra & Garcia, 2023) and Teaching for Equity, Justice, and Antiracism with Digital Literacy Practices (Edited By Meghan E. Barnes, Rick Marlatt). About The Write Time The Write Time is a special series of NWP Radio, a podcast of the National Writing Project (NWP), where writing teachers from across the NWP Network interview young-adult and children's authors about their books, their composing processes, and writers' craft. You can view the archive at [https://teach.nwp.org/series/the-write-time/

Mahogany L. Browne is a Kennedy Center Next 50 fellow, writer, play-wright, organizer, and educator. Browne received fellowships from ALL ARTS, Arts for Justice, AIR Serenbe, Baldwin for the Arts, Cave Canem, Poets House, Mellon Research, Rauschenberg, and Wesleyan University. Browne's books include A Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe, Vinyl Moon, Chlorine Sky (optioned for Steppenwolf Theatre), Black Girl Magic, and banned books Woke: A Young Poet's Call to Justice and Woke Baby. Founder of the diverse lit initiative Woke Baby Book Fair, Browne is the 2024 Paterson Poetry Prize winner. She is the inaugural poet in residence at the Lincoln Center and lives in Brooklyn, New York. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz, Ph.D. (she/her), is a Professor of English Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her poetry collections, Love from the Vortex & Other Poems (2020) and The Peace Chronicles (2021), explore themes of love, healing, and growth toward liberation. She is co-author of the multiple award-winning Advancing Racial Literacies in Teacher Education: Activism for Equity in Digital Spaces (2021). In 2024, Yolanda was recognized for her scholarship with the Dorothy Height Distinguished Alumni Award from NYU. She has been named to EdWeek's EduScholar Influencers list four years in a row, placing her among the top 1% of educational scholars in the U.S. At Teachers College, Yolanda founded the Racial Literacy Project @TC, fostering dialogue on race and diversity for over 17 years.

Mahogany L. Browne is a Kennedy Center Next 50 fellow, writer, play-wright, organizer, and educator. Browne received fellowships from ALL ARTS, Arts for Justice, AIR Serenbe, Baldwin for the Arts, Cave Canem, Poets House, Mellon Research, Rauschenberg, and Wesleyan University. Browne's books include A Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe, Vinyl Moon, Chlorine Sky (optioned for Steppenwolf Theatre), Black Girl Magic, and banned books Woke: A Young Poet's Call to Justice and Woke Baby. Founder of the diverse lit initiative Woke Baby Book Fair, Browne is the 2024 Paterson Poetry Prize winner. She is the inaugural poet in residence at the Lincoln Center and lives in Brooklyn, New York.Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz, Ph.D. (she/her), is a Professor of English Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her poetry collections, Love from the Vortex & Other Poems (2020) and The Peace Chronicles (2021), explore themes of love, healing, and growth toward liberation. She is co-author of the multiple award-winning Advancing Racial Literacies in Teacher Education: Activism for Equity in Digital Spaces (2021). In 2024, Yolanda was recognized for her scholarship with the Dorothy Height Distinguished Alumni Award from NYU. She has been named to EdWeek's EduScholar Influencers list four years in a row, placing her among the top 1% of educational scholars in the U.S. At Teachers College, Yolanda founded the Racial Literacy Project @TC, fostering dialogue on race and diversity for over 17 years.About The Write TimeThe Write Time is a special series of NWP Radio, a podcast of the National Writing Project (NWP), where writing teachers from across the NWP Network interview young-adult and children's authors about their books, their composing processes, and writers' craft. You can view the archive at https://teach.nwp.org/series/the-write-time/

Send us a textWebsite: https://www.matthewjamesjones.com/IG: https://www.instagram.com/matthew_jones_writer/FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089046767868Short story samples: https://short-stories.co/@matthew_james_jonesFree wordgift: http://eepurl.com/ddZeAXPre-order Matt's book on Kindle Links (Bodies of Work Paris): Website: https://bodiesofworkparis.com/IG: https://www.instagram.com/bodiesofworkparis/FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573701381075Also of note, the upcoming launch of "Predators, Reapers and Deadlier Creatures" coupled with the official birth of BOW is 26 April @ Bar le Commun. 1900-0000. Musicians, poetry, prose, cheese.

Our guests discuss their book, Teaching with Arts-Infused Writing Pedagogies, which features the work of a multigenerational collective of K–12 educators, students, and teaching artists seeking educational justice.About Our GuestsKelly Wissman is the director of the Capital District Writing Project and an associate professor in the Department of Literacy Teaching and Learning within the University at Albany School of Education.Christina Pepe is a Language Arts teacher at Shenandoah High School in Clifton Park, New York. She is the co-director of the Capital District Writing Project, and for 18 years has served as a public high school, career and technical, and community college educator in New York State. She is currently pursuing a CAS in TESOL.Matthew Pinchinat is the inaugural Deputy Managing Director of DEI for the New York State Teachers Retirement System. He also served as a co-facilitator of the Freedom Dreaming for Educational Justice Project. At the start of the project, he was a tenured member of the social studies department of Guilderland High School, shortly transitioning into a role as Guilderland's inaugural Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. He passionately believes in the power of dreams and to his core envisions a world where all are seen, valued, and treated with the dignity they deserve.Amy Salamone was a high-school English teacher for over 35 years and a proud co-director of the Capital District Writing Project.Leah Werther is the K-12 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Teacher on Special Assignment for the Guilderland Central School District in Guilderland, New York. Prior to this role, she taught English Language Arts for 16 years. Leah serves as a co-director of the Capitalist District Writing Project and is the cochair of the National Council of Teachers of English's Asian/Asian American caucus.

Keenan Jones is an author who currently resides in Plymouth, Minnesota, who spent his childhood in northwest Indiana (Gary, IN) and south suburban Chicago (University Park, IL). He comes from a family of educators, pastors, athletes, and musicians. After suffering a career-ending injury while playing college basketball, Keenan switched paths to pursue a career in education, serving as an elementary school teacher before returning to his passion of writing.As an author, Keenan believes that literacy can inspire young people to dream and strive for greatness. He is committed to providing every child with the opportunity to immerse themselves in great books. Keenan writes stories that reflect the beauty of Black culture in America and aims to create representation in children's literature. Keeanan' latest book is Saturday Morning at the Shop.Keenan is interviewed by Ali Adan who was born in a refugee camp in Dadaab, Kenya. He arrived in the U.S. in 2004 at age 10. He is the oldest of 14 brothers and sisters and the first generation to attend college. He graduated from Suny Brockport with a bachelor's degree in Physical Education. Before that, he went to Nottingham High School, where he met Bryan Ripley Crandall, director of the Connecticut Writing Project at Fairfield. Bryan became a mentor and a guide in Ali's life; he introduced books, poetry, and writing that helped Ali express himself and stay focused on his goals. Currently, Ali is a 5th-grade teacher at Delaware Primary School with a passion for inspiring young learners and a focus on fostering creativity, critical thinking, and a love for learning.About The Write TimeThe Write Time is a special series of NWP Radio, a podcast of the National Writing Project (NWP), where writing teachers from across the NWP Network interview young-adult and children's authors about their books, their composing processes, and writers' craft. You can view the archive at https://teach.nwp.org/series/the-write-time/.

Join this special Write Out edition of The Write Time! Born in Louisville, Mississippi, Jermaine Thompson learned language from big-armed women who greased their skillets with gossip and from full-bellied men who cursed and prayed with the same fervor. Jermaine earned his MFA in poetry from the University of Missouri Kansas City in 2018, and he currently teaches 9th–12th grade Humanities at Build Up Community School in Birmingham, AL.Jermaine will be interviewed by Connecticut teacher and Writing Project teacher-leader, Rich Novack.More about Write Out...

Born in Louisville, Mississippi, Jermaine Thompson learned language from big-armed women who greased their skillets with gossip and from full-bellied men who cursed and prayed with the same fervor. Jermaine earned his MFA in poetry from the University of Missouri Kansas City in 2018, and he currently teaches 9th–12th grade Humanities at Build Up Community School in Birmingham, AL. Jermaine is interviewed by Connecticut teacher and Writing Project teacher-leader, Rich Novack.

Join The Write Time featuring Kate Messner, Write Out Author Ambassador and author of award-winning picture books like Over and Under the Snow, Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt, and The Brilliant Deep as well as books for older readers like Breakout and her forthcoming novel in verse, The Trouble with Heroes.Kate will be interviewed by San Diego Area Writing Project Director and early elementary educator, Kim Douillard.

Join The Write Time featuring Kate Messner, Write Out Author Ambassador and author of award-winning picture books like Over and Under the Snow, Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt, and The Brilliant Deep as well as books for older readers like Breakout and her forthcoming novel in verse, The Trouble with Heroes. Kate is interviewed by San Diego Area Writing Project Director and early elementary educator, Kim Douillard. Learn more about Write Out at https://writeout.nwp.org

This episode of The Write Time features members of the Furious Flower Syllabus Project, an open-access curriculum for incorporating Black poetry into classrooms of all ages and levels. More about the syllabus and guests at https://teach.nwp.org/the-write-time-and-the-furious-flower-syllabus-project

This episode of The Write Time features members of the Furious Flower Syllabus Project, an open-access curriculum for incorporating Black poetry into classrooms of all ages and levels.About Our GuestsMcKinley E. Melton earned his PhD from the W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Prior to joining the Gettysburg College faculty, Dr. Melton was a visiting assistant professor of literature at Hampshire College from 2007-2012. He is also the recipient of a 2015 Career Enhancement Fellowship for Junior Faculty from the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation and was a 2015-16 Postdoctoral Fellow at the Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry at Emory University. Most recently, Dr. Melton was awarded a 2019-20 Frederick Burkhardt Fellowship by the American Council of Learned Societies, in order to support a year as scholar-in-residence at the Furious Flower Poetry Center at James Madison University.Allia Abdullah-Matta is a poet and Professor of English at CUNY LaGuardia, where she teaches composition, literature, creative writing, and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies courses. She writes about the culture and history of Black women and explores the presence of Black bodies and voices in fine art and poetry. She was the co-recipient of the The Jerome Lowell DeJur Prize in Poetry (2018) from The City College of New York (CCNY). Her poetry has been published in Newtown Literary, Promethean, Marsh Hawk Review, Mom Egg Review Vox, Global City Review, and the Jam Journal Issue of Push/Pull. Her chapbook(s) washed clean & blues politico (2021) were published by harlequin creature (hcx). Abdullah-Matta has published critical and pedagogical articles and serves on the Radical Teacher and WSQ (Women's Studies Quarterly) editorial boards. She is working on a collection of poems inspired by archival and field research in South Carolina and Georgia, funded by a CUNY BRESI grant.Hayes Davis' first volume, Let Our Eyes Linger, was published by Poetry Mutual Press; he is currently serving as the Howard County (Md) Poetry and Literature Society Writer in Residence, and he won a 2022 Maryland State Arts Council Independent Artists Award. His work has appeared most recently on the Academy of American Poets Poem-a-Day feature, he has been anthologized in This is What America Looks Like, Deep Beauty, Furious Flower: Seeding the Future of African American Poetry, Ghost Fishing: An Eco-justice Poetry Anthology, and others. His poems have also appeared in Mom Egg Review, New England Review, Poet Lore, Auburn Avenue, Gargoyle, Kinfolks, Fledgling Rag, and other journals. He holds a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Maryland, and is a member of Cave Canem's (Cah-vay Cah-nem) first cohort of fellows. He has attended or been awarded writing residencies at the Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center, The Hermitage, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA), Manhattanville College, and Soul Mountain. He has appeared on the Kojo Nnamdi Show on WAMU, 88.5 in Washington, D.C. and at the Hay Festival Kells in Kells, Ireland. He has taught English and directed equity and justice work in Washington, D.C.-area independent schools for 20+ years; he shares his creative and domestic life with his wife, poet Teri Ellen Cross Davis, and their children.Dave Wooley is an English, Journalism and Creative Writing teacher at Westhill High School in Stamford, Connecticut, where he has taught since 2001. He has served as a Co-Adviser for the school's hybrid newspaper The Westword since 2003. He has served as an adjunct Professor at Fairfield University, teaching Philosophy of Hip Hop, and he is a teaching fellow at the Connecticut Writing Project. Dave is one half of the rap group d_Cyphernauts and a hip-hop educator who has presented at the HipHopEd conference, the NCTE annual conference, the CSPA conference, among others. He served as a curriculum and music coordinator for the National Endowment for the Humanities' “From Harlem to Hip-Hop: African- American History, Literature, and Song” which was hosted at Fairfield University. Dave is a contributing poet on the website Ethical ELA, and he has been involved with the Furious Flower Center for Black Poetry as a participating scholar in its last three Legacy Seminars. He is one of the authors of Furious Flower's newly created open access syllabus, Opening the World of Black Poetry: A Furious Flower Syllabus. He lives in Stratford, Connecticut with his wife and four children.About The Write TimeNWP Radio, in partnership with the Connecticut Writing Project at Fairfield and Penguin Random House Books, launched a special series in 2020 called “The Write Time” where writing teachers from across the NWP Network interview young-adult and children's authors about their books, their composing processes, and writers' craft.

Rob Rokicki is an NYC-based artist and educator. He wrote the music, lyrics, and co-orchestrated the Broadway show, The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical (book by Joe Tracz); nominated for a Lortel, Off-Broadway Alliance, and three Drama Desk Awards. His graphic novel/musical, Monstersongs (National Alliance for Musical Theatre official selection), is played internationally and is being developed as a VR game. He's a two-time Larson Award finalist, an alum of the BMI Workshop, and a graduate of the University of Michigan. As an actor, Rob has performed in Broadway national tours and at Carnegie Hall.Rob is interviewed by Kevin Hodgson, a sixth-grade teacher and musician in Southampton, Massachusetts, and a teacher-consultant with the Western Massachusetts Writing Project.About The Write TimeNWP Radio, in partnership with the Connecticut Writing Project at Fairfield and Penguin Random House Books, launched a special series in 2020 called “The Write Time” where writing teachers from across the NWP Network interview young-adult and children's authors about their books, their composing processes, and writers' craft.View the full archive at https://teach.nwp.org/series/the-write-time/

Rob Rokicki is an NYC-based artist and educator. He wrote the music, lyrics, and co-orchestrated the Broadway show, The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical (book by Joe Tracz); nominated for a Lortel, Off-Broadway Alliance, and three Drama Desk Awards. His graphic novel/musical, Monstersongs (National Alliance for Musical Theatre official selection), is played internationally and is being developed as a VR game. He's a two-time Larson Award finalist, an alum of the BMI Workshop, and a graduate of the University of Michigan. As an actor, Rob has performed in Broadway national tours and at Carnegie Hall. Rob is interviewed by Kevin Hodgson, a sixth-grade teacher and musician in Southampton, Massachusetts, and a teacher-consultant with the Western Massachusetts Writing Project.

Join writing coach Karena Akhavein on a transformative episode of How to be an Author, where she unveils essential time hacking tips tailored specifically for authors. In this deep dive into maximizing productivity, Karena shares invaluable strategies for not just finding time, but actively making time to write, ensuring you can meet your writing goals and publish more books. Discover how to reclaim precious hours in your day by implementing proven time management techniques designed to optimize your writing process. From prioritizing tasks to eliminating distractions, Karena provides actionable insights that will revolutionize the way you approach your writing routine. There will also be detailed tips on houw to harness the time saving power of AI to help with your writing tasks without losing your creativity. Explore innovative methods for overcoming common productivity pitfalls, banishing procrastination, and staying focused on your creative projects. Whether you're a seasoned author or just starting out, this episode equips you with the tools you need to unlock your full writing potential and achieve success in the literary world. Don't miss out on this game-changing discussion as Karena Akhavein shares her expertise and empowers you to take control of your time, your writing, and your future as an author. Tune in and embark on a journey towards greater productivity, fulfillment, and literary achievement. http://www.creativeandwritingcoach.com  

Jennifer Baker is a publishing professional of 20 years, the creator/host of the Minorities in Publishing podcast, a faculty member of the MFA program in Creative Nonfiction at Bay Path University, and a writing consultant at Baruch College. Formerly a contributing editor to Electric Literature, she received a 2017 NYSCA/NYFA Fellowship and a Queens Council on the Arts New Work Grant for Nonfiction Literature. Her essay "What We Aren't (or the Ongoing Divide)" was listed as a Notable Essay in The Best American Essays 2018. In 2019, she was named Publishers Weekly Superstar for her contributions to inclusion and representation in publishing. Jennifer is also the editor of the all PoC-short story anthology Everyday People: The Color of Life (Atria Books, 2018) and the author of the YA novel Forgive Me Not (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2023). She has volunteered with organizations such as We Need Diverse Books and I, Too Arts Collective, and spoken widely on topics of inclusion, the craft of writing/editing, podcasting, and the inner-workings of the publishing industry. Her fiction, nonfiction, and criticism has appeared in various print and online publications.Lauren Donovan is a teacher in Kansas City, Missouri, and has taught secondary English in both the middle and high school settings for nine years. She is also a student at the University of Kansas in an educational leadership doctorate program. She loves sharing her passion for reading and writing with her students. She enjoys to read and talk about realistic fiction as well as education reform nonfiction.

Jennifer Baker is a publishing professional of 20 years, the creator/host of the Minorities in Publishing podcast, a faculty member of the MFA program in Creative Nonfiction at Bay Path University, and a writing consultant at Baruch College. Formerly a contributing editor to Electric Literature, she received a 2017 NYSCA/NYFA Fellowship and a Queens Council on the Arts New Work Grant for Nonfiction Literature. Her essay "What We Aren't (or the Ongoing Divide)" was listed as a Notable Essay in The Best American Essays 2018. In 2019, she was named Publishers Weekly Superstar for her contributions to inclusion and representation in publishing. Jennifer is also the editor of the all PoC-short story anthology Everyday People: The Color of Life (Atria Books, 2018) and the author of the YA novel Forgive Me Not (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2023). She has volunteered with organizations such as We Need Diverse Books and I, Too Arts Collective, and spoken widely on topics of inclusion, the craft of writing/editing, podcasting, and the inner-workings of the publishing industry. Her fiction, nonfiction, and criticism has appeared in various print and online publications. Lauren Donovan is a teacher in Kansas City, Missouri, and has taught secondary English in both the middle and high school settings for nine years. She is also a student at the University of Kansas in an educational leadership doctorate program. She loves sharing her passion for reading and writing with her students. She enjoys to read and talk about realistic fiction as well as education reform nonfiction. --- About The Write Time NWP Radio, in partnership with the Connecticut Writing Project at Fairfield and Penguin Random House Books, launched a special series in 2020 called “The Write Time” where writing teachers from across the NWP Network interview young-adult and children's authors about their books, their composing processes, and writers' craft. View the full archive at https://teach.nwp.org/series/the-write-time/

This  past August, Maine Science Podcast host Kate Dickerson was a guest interviewer on  the National Writing Project's The Write Time podcast, and spoke with Meghan Wilson Duff about their children's' book, How Are You, Verity? (Illustrated by Taylor Barron). Meghan is on the faculty in the Psychology & Community Studies program at University of Maine at Machias. Our thanks to the National Writing Project and Tanya Baker & Bryan Crandall for letting us rebroadcast this episode.The conversation was recorded in August 2023, and aired on The Write Time in September. To learn more about Meghan and their book, check out their website: https://www.meghanwilsonduff.com/.To learn more about The National Writing Project, go to https://www.nwp.org/. Other episodes of The Write Time podcast are available in all the podcast places.  ~~~~~The Maine Science Podcast is a production of the Maine Discovery Museum. It was recorded at Discovery Studios, at the Maine Discovery Museum, in Bangor, ME. The Maine Science Podcast is hosted and executive produced by Kate Dickerson; edited and produced by Scott Loiselle.The Discover Maine theme was composed and performed by Nick Parker.To support the Maine Discovery Museum: https://www.mainediscoverymuseum.org/donate. Find us online:Maine Discovery MuseumMaine Science FestivalMaine Discovery Museum on social media: Facebook InstagramMaine Science Festival on social media: Facebook Twitter InstagramMaine Science Podcast on social media: Facebook Twitter Instagram © 2023 Maine Discovery Museum

Patricia Park is a tenured professor of creative writing at American University, a Fulbright Scholar in Creative Arts, an Edith Wharton Writer-in-Residence, and a Jerome Hill Artist Fellow. She is the author of the YA novel, Imposter Syndrome and Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim, and the adult novel, Re Jane, a retelling of Jane Eyre named New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice, winner of an American Library Association Award, an NPR Fresh Air pick, and others. She's written for the New York Times, New Yorker, The Guardian, and others. Her new YA novel, What's Eating Jackie Oh? is forthcoming in April 2024.Joanna Dalton is in her senior year at Fairfield University, where she is passionately pursuing her studies as an English major, accompanied with minors in elementary and special education. Her academic journey will culminate with a master's degree in Elementary Education. Joanna is also a dedicated substitute teacher at an elementary school.About The Write TimeNWP Radio, in partnership with the Connecticut Writing Project at Fairfield and Penguin Random House Books, launched a special series in 2020 called “The Write Time” where writing teachers from across the NWP Network interview young-adult and children's authors about their books, their composing processes, and writers' craft.View the full archive at https://teach.nwp.org/series/the-write-time/

Patricia Park is a tenured professor of creative writing at American University, a Fulbright Scholar in Creative Arts, an Edith Wharton Writer-in-Residence, and a Jerome Hill Artist Fellow. She is the author of the YA novel, Imposter Syndrome and Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim, and the adult novel, Re Jane, a retelling of Jane Eyre named New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice, winner of an American Library Association Award, an NPR Fresh Air pick, and others. She's written for the New York Times, New Yorker, The Guardian, and others. Her new YA novel, What's Eating Jackie Oh? is forthcoming in April 2024. Joanna Dalton is in her senior year at Fairfield University, where she is passionately pursuing her studies as an English major, accompanied with minors in elementary and special education. Her academic journey will culminate with a master's degree in Elementary Education. Joanna is also a dedicated substitute teacher at an elementary school.

Dr. Muhammad is an Associate Professor of Literacy, Language, and Culture at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and she has previously served as a classroom teacher, literacy specialist, school district administrator, curriculum director, and school board president. She studies Black historical excellence in education, intending to reframe curriculum and instruction today. Dr. Muhammad's scholarship has appeared in leading academic journals and books. She has also received numerous national awards and is the author of the best-selling book, Cultivating Genius: An Equity Model for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy. She also co-authored Black girls' literacies: An Edited Volume. Her newest book, Unearthing Joy, is the sequel to Cultivating Genius and provides a practical guide for putting culturally and historically responsive education into curricular practice.Dr. Muhammad is interviewed by Stacey Joy, a National Board Certified Teacher, Google Certified Educator, and 2013 L.A. County Teacher of the Year. Stacey has taught elementary school for 38 years in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Currently, she teaches 5th grade at Baldwin Hills Pilot and Gifted Magnet School. In addition to cultivating the genius and joy in her Joyteam scholars, she also mentors novice teachers and is a teacher-leader in her school district. Stacey is a UCLA Writing Project fellow and a dedicated writer with Dr. Sarah Donovan's community of teacher-poets at Ethical ELA. Stacey is a self-published poet and she has poems published in various anthologies: Out of Anonymity, Savant Poetry Anthologies, Teacher Poets: Writing to Bridge the Distance, and Rhythm and Rhyme: Poems for Student Athletes. Stacey is a proud mom of two adults, Kenneth and Noelle.

Dr. Muhammad is an Associate Professor of Literacy, Language, and Culture at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and she has previously served as a classroom teacher, literacy specialist, school district administrator, curriculum director, and school board president. She studies Black historical excellence in education, intending to reframe curriculum and instruction today. Dr. Muhammad's scholarship has appeared in leading academic journals and books. She has also received numerous national awards and is the author of the best-selling book, Cultivating Genius: An Equity Model for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy. She also co-authored Black girls' literacies: An Edited Volume. Her newest book, Unearthing Joy, is the sequel to Cultivating Genius and provides a practical guide for putting culturally and historically responsive education into curricular practice. Dr. Muhammad is interviewed by Stacey Joy, a National Board Certified Teacher, Google Certified Educator, and 2013 L.A. County Teacher of the Year. Stacey has taught elementary school for 38 years in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Currently, she teaches 5th grade at Baldwin Hills Pilot and Gifted Magnet School. In addition to cultivating the genius and joy in her Joyteam scholars, she also mentors novice teachers and is a teacher-leader in her school district. Stacey is a UCLA Writing Project fellow and a dedicated writer with Dr. Sarah Donovan's community of teacher-poets at Ethical ELA. Stacey is a self-published poet and she has poems published in various anthologies: Out of Anonymity, Savant Poetry Anthologies, Teacher Poets: Writing to Bridge the Distance, and Rhythm and Rhyme: Poems for Student Athletes. Stacey is a proud mom of two adults, Kenneth and Noelle.

This episode of The Write Time features Don P. Hooper, a writer and filmmaker of Jamaican heritage (and a programmer in a former life). His short story “Got Me a Jet Pack” is part of the New York Times bestselling anthology Black Boy Joy. His directing work has been featured in the Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival, the NY TV Film Festival (award winner), the New York City Horror Film Festival, the New Jersey Horror Con and Film Festival (award winner), and more. He does voice-over in video games and documentaries. True True is his debut novel.Don is interviewed by Abimbola Cole Kai-Lewis who is an Ethnomusicologist and educator with the New York City Department of Education and an adjunct assistant professor at York College–City University of New York.

This episode of The Write Time features Don P. Hooper, a writer and filmmaker of Jamaican heritage (and a programmer in a former life). His short story “Got Me a Jet Pack” is part of the New York Times bestselling anthology Black Boy Joy. His directing work has been featured in the Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival, the NY TV Film Festival (award winner), the New York City Horror Film Festival, the New Jersey Horror Con and Film Festival (award winner), and more. He does voice-over in video games and documentaries. True True is his debut novel. Don is interviewed by Abimbola Cole Kai-Lewis who is an Ethnomusicologist and educator with the New York City Department of Education and an adjunct assistant professor at York College–City University of New York.

NWP's The Write Time will “Write Out” this month by welcoming poet and author Nikki Grimes discussing her new children's book, A Walk in the Woods. She is interviewed by elementary school teacher and poet Willeena Booker and Park Ranger Maryann Zujewski.New York Times bestselling author Nikki Grimes is the recipient of the 2022 CSK Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award, the ALAN Award for significant contributions to young adult literature, the Children's Literature Legacy Medal, and the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. The author of Coretta Scott King Award-winner Bronx Masquerade, and five Coretta Scott King Author Honors, her most recent titles include the YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults title Between the Lines, companion to Bronx Masquerade, NCTE Notable Words With Wings, the much acclaimed Garvey's Choice, One Last Word, Printz Honor and Sibert Honor Ordinary Hazards, ALA Notables Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance and Southwest Sunrise, Kirkus Best Books Bedtime for Sweet Creatures and Playtime for Restless Rascals, and Kamala Harris: Rooted in Justice. Ms. Grimes lives in Corona, California.Willeena Booker is an inspiring educator, powerful poet, and passionate advocate of social justice. Willeena's poetry celebrates Black Identity, diversity, and equality. Willeena writes poetry for adults as well as young readers and loves using her poetry as a catalyst for change.Maryann Zujewski has worked for the National Park Service for over 30 years. She is currently the Education Program Manager for the Northeast Region of the National Park Service providing support and assistance to the 83 parks in states from Maine to Virginia in their efforts to provide equitable and inclusive place-based learning experiences.

NWP's The Write Time will “Write Out” this month by welcoming poet and author Nikki Grimes discussing her new children's book, A Walk in the Woods. She is interviewed by elementary school teacher and poet Willeena Booker and Park Ranger Maryann Zujewski. Nikki Grimes: https://www.nikkigrimes.com/ A Walk in the Woods: https://bookshop.org/a/17775/9780823449651 About Our Guests New York Times bestselling author Nikki Grimes is the recipient of the 2022 CSK Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award, the ALAN Award for significant contributions to young adult literature, the Children's Literature Legacy Medal, and the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. The author of Coretta Scott King Award-winner Bronx Masquerade, and five Coretta Scott King Author Honors, her most recent titles include the YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults title Between the Lines, companion to Bronx Masquerade, NCTE Notable Words With Wings, the much acclaimed Garvey's Choice, One Last Word, Printz Honor and Sibert Honor Ordinary Hazards, ALA Notables Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance and Southwest Sunrise, Kirkus Best Books Bedtime for Sweet Creatures and Playtime for Restless Rascals, and Kamala Harris: Rooted in Justice. Ms. Grimes lives in Corona, California. Willeena Booker is an inspiring educator, powerful poet, and passionate advocate of social justice. Willeena's poetry celebrates Black Identity, diversity, and equality. Willeena writes poetry for adults as well as young readers and loves using her poetry as a catalyst for change. Maryann Zujewski has worked for the National Park Service for over 30 years. She is currently the Education Program Manager for the Northeast Region of the National Park Service providing support and assistance to the 83 parks in states from Maine to Virginia in their efforts to provide equitable and inclusive place-based learning experiences. More information about Write Out: https://writeout.nwp.org

Don't miss this episode of The Write Time featuring Kate Dickerson, executive director of the Maine Discovery Museum, interviewing Meghan Wilson Duff, about their children's book, How Are You, Verity? in which Verity, a neurodivergent child with a love for sea creatures, interacts with neighbors to discover the true meaning behind greetings and salutations. Like many authors interviewed on The Write Time, Duff says they wanted to make the book they wish they'd had when they were a child. The show contains references to many more books with neurodivergent characters written by neurodivergent writers.

Don't miss this episode of The Write Time featuring Kate Dickerson, executive director of the Maine Discovery Museum, interviewing Meghan Wilson Duff, about their children's book, How Are You, Verity? in which Verity, a neurodivergent child with a love for sea creatures, interacts with neighbors to discover the true meaning behind greetings and salutations. Like many authors interviewed on The Write Time, Duff says they wanted to make the book they wish they'd had when they were a child. The show contains references to many more books with neurodivergent characters written by neurodivergent writers.

Luma Mufleh is an activist, twice-published author, entrepreneur, coach, and thought leader in refugee and English Language Learner Education. As an asylee, as well as daughter and granddaughter of Syrian refugees, Luma continues to draw on her personal experiences to fuel her passion for empowering refugees and immigrant children through education. In 2006, she founded Fugees Family, the only network of schools in the U.S. dedicated to refugee and immigrant education. Luma's work is not only changing the lives of children and families, but also shifting the narrative around refugees from one of fear to one of courage and resilience. Her TED Talk on educational justice has been viewed more than 1.8 million times and she is the author of two books, 2022's Learning America: One Woman's Fight for Educational Justice for Refugee Children and the recently released memoir From Here. Connecticut Writing Project at Fairfield teacher-consultants William King and Jessica Baldizon conduct the interview.

Luma Mufleh is an activist, twice-published author, entrepreneur, coach, and thought leader in refugee and English Language Learner Education. As an asylee, as well as daughter and granddaughter of Syrian refugees, Luma continues to draw on her personal experiences to fuel her passion for empowering refugees and immigrant children through education. In 2006, she founded Fugees Family, the only network of schools in the U.S. dedicated to refugee and immigrant education. Luma's work is not only changing the lives of children and families, but also shifting the narrative around refugees from one of fear to one of courage and resilience. Her TED Talk on educational justice has been viewed more than 1.8 million times and she is the author of two books, 2022's Learning America: One Woman's Fight for Educational Justice for Refugee Children and the recently released memoir From Here. Connecticut Writing Project at Fairfield teacher-consultants William King and Jessica Baldizon conduct the interview.

Janae Marks is the New York Times bestselling author of middle-grade novels, From the Desk of Zoe Washington, A Soft Place to Land, and On Air with Zoe Washington. She has an MFA in Writing for Children from The New School, and lives in Connecticut with her husband, daughter, and miniature schnauzer named Cookie.Terri Fredrick is a Professor of English and Writing Center Director at Eastern Illinois University. She is also the director of the Eastern Illinois Writing Project. She and her daughter have read three of Janae Marks's novels together.Tesla, Terri's daughter, is a 7th-grade student in Champaign Illinois. She enjoys theater, basketball, dance, and track. She loves Janae Marks's books.

Janae Marks is the New York Times bestselling author of middle-grade novels, From the Desk of Zoe Washington, A Soft Place to Land, and On Air with Zoe Washington. She has an MFA in Writing for Children from The New School, and lives in Connecticut with her husband, daughter, and miniature schnauzer named Cookie. Terri Fredrick is a Professor of English and Writing Center Director at Eastern Illinois University. She is also the director of the Eastern Illinois Writing Project. She and her daughter have read three of Janae Marks's novels together. Tesla, Terri's daughter, is a 7th-grade student in Champaign Illinois. She enjoys theater, basketball, dance, and track. She loves Janae Marks's books.

New York Times bestselling author Nikki Grimes is the recipient of the 2022 CSK Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award, the ALAN Award for significant contributions to young adult literature, the Children's Literature Legacy Medal, and the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. The author of Coretta Scott King Award-winner Bronx Masquerade, her most recent titles include the YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults title Between the Lines, companion to Bronx Masquerade. Ms. Grimes lives in Corona, California.After over a decade of facilitating student, teacher, and adult learning as a literacy teacher, adjunct professor, teacher coach, and diversity, equity, and inclusion specialist, Barrett Rosser is currently a full-time doctoral candidate in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. She is in the Reading, Writing, and Literacy program and has been the Philadelphia Writing Project Scholar for the last three years. Barrett leads communities of teachers, principals, parents, and out-of-school-time leaders to explore literacy, writing, teaching, and learning across all grade levels and disciplines. Further, Barrett is the founder of the Black Girls' Literacies Project, an out-of-school inquiry group for high-school-aged Black girls to use their literacies to build knowledge about and practice self-love. Barrett is also a dreamer, lover, and poet. She loves reading and giving back to the Philadelphia community.

New York Times bestselling author Nikki Grimes is the recipient of the 2022 CSK Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award, the ALAN Award for significant contributions to young adult literature, the Children's Literature Legacy Medal, and the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. The author of Coretta Scott King Award-winner Bronx Masquerade, her most recent titles include the YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults title Between the Lines, companion to Bronx Masquerade. Ms. Grimes lives in Corona, California. After over a decade of facilitating student, teacher, and adult learning as a literacy teacher, adjunct professor, teacher coach, and diversity, equity, and inclusion specialist, Barrett Rosser is currently a full-time doctoral candidate in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. She is in the Reading, Writing, and Literacy program and has been the Philadelphia Writing Project Scholar for the last three years. Barrett leads communities of teachers, principals, parents, and out-of-school-time leaders to explore literacy, writing, teaching, and learning across all grade levels and disciplines. Further, Barrett is the founder of the Black Girls' Literacies Project, an out-of-school inquiry group for high-school-aged Black girls to use their literacies to build knowledge about and practice self-love. Barrett is also a dreamer, lover, and poet. She loves reading and giving back to the Philadelphia community.

Ralph Fletcher, a member of the NWP Writers Council, has been a long-time mentor to teachers and young writers and has helped generations of teachers understand the importance of letting go and trusting their writers.Ralph Fletcher has written over fifty books for writing teachers and young readers including Joy Write, Nonfiction Craft Lessons, What a Writer Needs, Focus Lessons: How Photography Enhances the Teaching of Writing, and The Writing Teacher's Companion. His most recent books are The World's Loneliest Elephant, a picture book illustrated by Naoko Stoop, and A Writer's Notebook: Unlocking the Writer Within You. Ralph visits schools and speaks at educational conferences around the world, helping teachers find wiser ways of teaching writing. He also has a passion for nature photography.Tracey T. Flores is an assistant professor of Language and Literacy at the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Flores is a former English Language Development (ELD) and English Language Arts (ELA) teacher, working for eight years alongside culturally and linguistically diverse students, families, and communities in K-8 schools throughout Glendale and Phoenix, Arizona. Dr. Flores is the founder of Somos Escritoras/We Are Writers, a creative space and writing workshop for Latina girls (grades 6-8) that invites them to write stories from their lived experiences using art, theater, and writing as a tool for reflection, examination, and critique of their worlds.

Ralph Fletcher, a member of the NWP Writers Council, has been a long-time mentor to teachers and young writers and has helped generations of teachers understand the importance of letting go and trusting their writers. Ralph Fletcher has written over fifty books for writing teachers and young readers including Joy Write, Nonfiction Craft Lessons, What a Writer Needs, Focus Lessons: How Photography Enhances the Teaching of Writing, and The Writing Teacher's Companion. His most recent books are The World's Loneliest Elephant, a picture book illustrated by Naoko Stoop, and A Writer's Notebook: Unlocking the Writer Within You. Ralph visits schools and speaks at educational conferences around the world, helping teachers find wiser ways of teaching writing. He also has a passion for nature photography. Tracey T. Flores is an assistant professor of Language and Literacy at the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Flores is a former English Language Development (ELD) and English Language Arts (ELA) teacher, working for eight years alongside culturally and linguistically diverse students, families, and communities in K-8 schools throughout Glendale and Phoenix, Arizona. Dr. Flores is the founder of Somos Escritoras/We Are Writers, a creative space and writing workshop for Latina girls (grades 6-8) that invites them to write stories from their lived experiences using art, theater, and writing as a tool for reflection, examination, and critique of their worlds.

Sonya Huber is the author of seven books, including the new guide, Voice First: A Writer's Manifesto, and the award-winning essay collection on chronic pain, Pain Woman Takes Your Keys and Other Essays from a Nervous System. Her other books include Supremely Tiny Acts: A Memoir in a Day, Opa Nobody, Cover Me: A Health Insurance Memoir, and The Backwards Research Guide for Writers. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Brevity, Creative Nonfiction, and other outlets. She teaches at Fairfield University and in the Fairfield low-residency MFA program. Michelle Caruso Walker has been working in education for the last 20 years. She's taught middle school and high school in both CT and NY. Michelle has a PhD from Fordham University and currently works in Westport Public Schools as the middle school instructional coach. She's also the mom to three boys!

All of us in education can find opportunities to interrupt the status quo that allows inequities to go unchallenged. In Teaching for Racial Equity: Becoming Interrupters, authors Tonya Perry, Steven Zemelman, and Katy Smith show us the way. In this episode of The Write Time, listen to the authors talk about the making and use of this professional text.Tonya B. Perry is the director of the Red Mountain Writing Project in Birmingham, Alabama. She also is the vice provost of Miles College, a Historically Black College University, and a co-author of Teaching for Racial Equity: Becoming Interrupters. She is the vice-president of NCTE. Her favorite pastime is writing and spending time with family and friends. Katy Smith is the Chair of the Department of Educational Inquiry and Curriculum Studies and the Director of Graduate Studies at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. She began her association with the Illinois Writing Project (IWP) as a teacher-consultant while she was teaching high school students, and now directs IWP with Steve Zemelman.Steve Zemelman is a visiting scholar at Northeastern Illinois University and a founding director of the Illinois Writing Project. He promotes student civic engagement and restorative justice in Chicago schools. His books on teaching writing and reading have long been widely appreciated, including Best Practice: Bringing Standards to Life in America's Classrooms (with Harvey Daniels and Arthur Hyde), and From Inquiry to Action: Civic Engagement with Project-Based Learning.

All of us in education can find opportunities to interrupt the status quo that allows inequities to go unchallenged. In Teaching for Racial Equity: Becoming Interrupters, authors Tonya Perry, Steven Zemelman, and Katy Smith show us the way. In this episode of The Write Time, listen to the authors talk about the making and use of this professional text. Tonya B. Perry is the director of the Red Mountain Writing Project in Birmingham, Alabama. She also is the vice provost of Miles College, a Historically Black College, and a co-author of Teaching for Racial Equity: Becoming Interrupters. She is the vice-president of NCTE. Her favorite pastime is writing and spending time with family and friends. Katy Smith is the Chair of the Department of Educational Inquiry and Curriculum Studies and the Director of Graduate Studies at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. She began her association with the Illinois Writing Project (IWP) as a teacher-consultant while she was teaching high school students, and now directs IWP with Steve Zemelman. Steve Zemelman is a visiting scholar at Northeastern Illinois University and a founding director of the Illinois Writing Project. He promotes student civic engagement and restorative justice in Chicago schools. His books on teaching writing and reading have long been widely appreciated, including Best Practice: Bringing Standards to Life in America's Classrooms (with Harvey Daniels and Arthur Hyde), and From Inquiry to Action: Civic Engagement with Project-Based Learning.

Dr. Yohuru Williams is a distinguished University Chair, Professor of History, and the founding Director of the Racial Justice Initiative at the University of St. Thomas. He received his Ph.D. from Howard University in 1998 and is the author and editor of several books including Rethinking the Black Freedom Movement and Black Power/White Politics: Civil Rights, Black Power, and Black Panthers in New Haven.Dr. Williams has appeared on a variety of local and national radio and television programs, most notably CNN, BET, History Channel, Huff Post, Matter of Fact Listening Tour with Soledad O'Brien, and NPR. His scholarly articles have appeared in the American Bar Association's Insights on Law and Society, The Organization of American Historians Magazine of History, The Black Scholar, and The Journal of Black Studies.Joe Anson has been working in education since 2000. After spending 18+ years in the throes of junior-high language arts in Spanish Fork, Utah, he now works in teacher education at Bellevue University in Nebraska. His involvement with the National Writing Project began in the Central Utah Writing Project's inaugural year (2009), where he was heavily involved until he and his amazing wife packed up their five kids and moved a thousand miles away. He hopes to become more involved in the Nebraska Writing Project when he is not observing student teachers and designing curriculum such as the new class he is excited to teach: Teaching Adolescent Literature and Social Justice. He is an avid baseball fan and enjoys charring mammal flesh over open flames and dabbling in poetry.

Sonya Huber is the author of seven books, including the new guide, Voice First: A Writer's Manifesto, and the award-winning essay collection on chronic pain, Pain Woman Takes Your Keys and Other Essays from a Nervous System. Her other books include Supremely Tiny Acts: A Memoir in a Day, Opa Nobody, Cover Me: A Health Insurance Memoir, and The Backwards Research Guide for Writers. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Brevity, Creative Nonfiction, and other outlets. She teaches at Fairfield University and in the Fairfield low-residency MFA program.Michelle Caruso Walker has been working in education for the last 20 years. She's taught middle school and high school in both CT and NY. Michelle has a PhD from Fordham University and currently works in Westport Public Schools as the middle school instructional coach. She's also the mom to three boys!

Rose Brock, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Library Science at Sam Houston State University, is a veteran educator and advocate for using audiobooks as a tool for literacy and is the cofounder of the national literacy initiative Guys Listen, a part of the Guys Read literacy national program. Dr. Brock was awarded the Siddie Joe Johnson Award for Outstanding Service to Youth by the Texas Library Association and is cofounder of NTTBF, the North Texas Teen Book Festival. She is the editor of Hope Wins, Hope Nation: Young Adult Authors Share Personal Moments of Inspiration, and author of Young Adult Literature in Action: A Librarian's Guide.James Ponti is the New York Times bestselling author of three middle grade book series: City Spies, about an unlikely squad of five kids from around the world who form an elite MI6 spy team; the Edgar Award-winning FRAMED! Series, about a pair of tweens who solve mysteries in Washington, DC; and the Dead City trilogy, about a secret society that polices the undead living beneath Manhattan. He lives with his family in Orlando, Florida.Jill Stedronsky is a teacher, professionally, and personally. She teaches 8th graders at William Annin Middle School in Basking Ridge, NJ for the past sixteen years. She is a teacher-consultant for the Drew Writing Project, an adjunct for Drew University, and a researcher. Her focus is intrinsic motivation. She strives to create an authentic environment for her students, and hopefully all students around the world, by motivating her students to read and write for real purposes! She co-authored a chapter with Dr. Kristen Hawley Turner, for the publication of her practice in “Inquiry Ignites! Pushing Back Against Traditional Literacy Instruction.” She hopes to help change curriculum world wide.

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Mayra Cuevas is the author of the teen novels Does My Body Offend You? and Salty, Bitter, Sweet. Her short story Resilient was published as part of the anthology FORESHADOW. Mayra is an award-winning producer for CNN and co-founder of the Latinx Kidlit Book Festival. She keeps her sanity by practicing Buddhist meditation. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, her two stepsons, their fluffy cat and a very loud Chihuahua.Marie Marquardt is author of YA novels Does My Body Offend You? (with Mayra Cuevas), Dream Things True, The Radius of Us, and Flight Season. Her books have earned many awards and commendations, including BEA Buzz Books, Books all Young Georgians Should Read, and the CLASP Américas Commendation, and they have been shortlisted for several state book awards, including the South Carolina Young Adult Book Award and the Missouri Gateway Readers Award. Marie also has published articles and co-authored two non-fiction books about Latin American immigration to the U.S. South, and has been interviewed about her research, writing, and advocacy on National Public Radio, Public Radio International, and BBC America, among many other media outlets. She lives in a busy household in Decatur, Georgia with her spouse, four kids, several chickens, a dog, and a bearded dragon.Bryn Orum is the co-director of the Greater Madison Writing Project at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In her current role she coordinates programs for youth and educators including Rise Up & Write, Youth Press Corps, and the National Writing Project's College, Career, and Community Writers Program (C3WP). Previously, Bryn co-founded and taught high school English at Clark Street Community School, a public charter dedicated to deep engagement through personalized, democratic, and place-based education, in Middleton, WI. Bryn studied Literacy and English at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she earned her BA and MS. Much of her work in education has focused on equitable and innovative environments.

Gordon Korman introduces himself as a regular guy who just happened to write 100 books for kids and adolescent readers. Born in Montreal in October of 1963, his writing career began in the seventh grade when he took English with his track coach. Then, he was challenged to write every day for more than four months and he finished his first novel, This Can't Be Happening at Macdonald Hall! With his mother as his typist, he sent it to Scholastic and just like that, Korman was published as a freshman in high school. That was just the beginning. He has sold well over 30 million copies of his books, many translated in over 30 languages.Currently, Gordon lives in Long Island outside of NYC where he continues to love visiting school, teachers, and driving his own children to wherever they need to be. His new book, The Fort, about a group of kids who stumble on an abandoned Cold-War-era bomb shelter, was released in summer 2022.Allison Fallon is a eighth-grade teacher and Department Head at Central Middle School in Greenwich, CT. She has been teaching for 14 years, is an NWP teacher-consultant, and CWP graduate and teacher. In 2021 Allison was awarded the Distinguished Teacher Award for Greenwich Public Schools. When she's not teaching or crafting curriculum, she is busy with her two daughters, husband, and guinea pigs exploring the outdoors, eating ice cream, and seeking new reading and writing adventures.

Rachel Ignotofsky is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator, based in Santa Barbara. She grew up in New Jersey on a healthy diet of cartoons and pudding and graduated from Tyler School of Art in 2011. Her work is inspired by history and science. She believes that illustration is a powerful tool that can make learning exciting. She has a passion for taking dense information and making it fun and accessible. Rachel hopes to use her work to spread her message about scientific literacy and feminism.Bryan Ripley Crandall has an interesting story with technology, as he remembers vividly the envy he felt when his best friend, Peter Boy, got the first home computer of the neighborhood and, later, when his college classmates came to campus with clunky, but helpful, keyboard machines. He taught for over a decade in Louisville, Kentucky, and became part of the 21st cohort of the Louisville Writing Project. It was then he began thinking about the ways technology was shifting his own classroom instruction. In fact, he was first published in Teaching the New Writing: Technology, Change, and Assessment in the 21st Century Classroom, edited by Anne Herington, Kevin Hodgson, and Charles Moran. Ah, but he confesses that he knew little about the history of the computer until reading Rachel Ignatofsky's book.

Gilly Segal grew up in Florida, and graduated from Hebrew University, and finally decided to call Decatur, Georgia home. By day, she's the chief legal officer of an advertising agency. By night, she is a caped crusader! No, just kidding (she wishes). Her real not-so-secret identity is author. She's been writing in one form or another since she wrote her first young adult novel–a Sunfire YA romance fanfic–typed out on an electric typewriter. Although she will confess it was titled CLAUDIA, she will neither confirm nor deny that any copies still exist. Whatever you do, don't ask her mom if it's in those boxes stored in the closet of her childhood room.Kimberly Jones is an American author and filmmaker, known for the New York Times bestselling young adult novel, I'm Not Dying With You Tonight and for the viral video "How Can We Win" published during the George Floyd protest. The book, co-authored with Gilly Segal, was a finalist for an NAACP Image Award in 2020. That same year, a seven-minute video featuring Kim using a Monopoly analogy to explain the history of racism and its impact on Black Americans went viral, being shared by Trevor Noah, LeBron James, Madonna, and more.Charline Barger has taught middle and high school English for ten years and transitioned from a brick and mortar to a virtual setting two years ago. This year, she has had the pleasure of teaching creative writing for the first time. Charline has been a National Writing Project teacher-consultant for four years. She has been writing poetry, short stories, and picture books for as long as she can remember and aspires to write YA literature. She lives in Pace, FL with her boyfriend, three children, and a host of animals. When she is not teaching, Charline spends her time watching movies with her kids, reading the latest young adult novels, and chipping away at piles of manuscript drafts.

Sarah J. Donovan, PhD, is a former junior English language arts teacher of fifteen years and an Assistant Professor of Secondary English Education at Oklahoma State University. She wrote Genocide Literature in Middle and Secondary Classrooms (2016) and the young adult novel, Alone Together (2018). Dr. Donovan was the Books in Review columnist for The ALAN Review (2019) and served as a state representative and board member for The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of NCTE (ALAN). She hosts a weekly blog, Ethical ELA, and has contributed chapters to The Best Lesson Series (Talks with Teachers, 2018), Queer Adolescent Literature as a Complement to the English Language Arts Curriculum (Rowman & Littlefield, 2018), Moving Beyond Personal Loss to Societal Grieving (Rowman & Littlefield, 2018), and Contending with Gun Violence in the English Language Classroom (Routledge, 2019).Kristin Bartley Lenz is a writer and social worker who has lived in Michigan, Georgia, and California. Her debut young adult novel, The Art of Holding On and Letting Go, was a Helen Sheehan YA Book Prize winner, a Junior Library Guild Selection, and an honor book for the Great Lakes Great Books Award statewide literature program. Her writing has been published in a YA poetry anthology (Rhyme & Rhythm: Poems for Student Athletes), The New York Times, Writer's Digest, Hunger Mountain, Literary Mama, Women On Writing, and more. She also writes freelance for Detroit area nonprofits and teaches creative writing for teens and adults.Stacey Lorinn Joy, born and raised in Los Angeles, is a National Board Certified Teacher, Los Angeles County Teacher of the Year, and self-published poet. She has been teaching in elementary education for 37 years. In addition to her self-published book, Naked Reflections: Shamelessly Sensual Poetry, she has poems published in Savant Poetry Anthologies, Teacher Poets Writing to Bridge the Distance, and Rhythm and Rhyme: Poems for Student Athletes.Jayné Penn is an English teacher and cross country coach at Fairfield College Preparatory School in Fairfield, Connecticut. As a Division I Track athlete at Georgetown University, she grew interested in sports stories and community activism. She was also a recipient of the 2018 Dean's Award for Student Excellence at Fairfield University, with a thesis focus on sports literature in the classroom. Currently, Penn has looked to the potential of Young Adult Literature, with a focus on sports in many texts, as a vehicle to explore empathy with her students.

Natasha Bowen is a writer, a teacher, and a mother of three children. She is of Nigerian and Welsh descent and lives in Cambridge, England, where she grew up. Natasha studied English and creative writing at Bath Spa University before moving to East London, where she taught for nearly ten years. Her debut book Skin of the Sea was inspired by her passion for mermaids and African history. She is obsessed with Japanese and German stationery and spends stupid amounts on notebooks, which she then features on her secret Instagram. When she's not writing, she's reading, watched over carefully by Milk and Honey, her cat and dog.Stephanie Renee Toliver is an assistant professor of Literacy and Secondary Humanities at the University of Colorado, Boulder whose scholarship centers the freedom dreams of Black youth and honors the historical legacy that Black imaginations have had and will have on activism and social change. She is the author of Recovering Black Storytelling in Qualitative Research: Endarkened Storywork.