Describes how different types of software can be used to extend students' reading of different books by three authors: Mercer Mayer, Judy Viorst, and Betsy Byars. (RS)

A historian reviews the process of writing his first historical novel, "Underground Man." Explores parts of the book based on the life of Calvin Fairbank, an abolitionist in Ohio and Kentucky. Delineates historical sources for each chapter, separating fact from fiction. Explains many of the decisions that determined plot and character…

Conducted content analysis of "Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development," reviewing 90 full-length articles published in the journal from January 1985 through October 1989. Findings suggest trends toward more balanced representation among institutional contributors, racial and ethnic groups studied, empirical versus…

Ways in which the speech writer for an executive can write a successful speech are outlined, including meeting regularly with the executive, getting to know his or her personal and professional preferences, asking questions, doing adequate and appropriate research, finding the right tone, and coaching the speaker. (MSE)

Presents an interview about writing and a writer's rituals with Richard Selzer, for many years a professor of surgery at Yale, who now devotes his time to writing and has published several books. (SR)

Lists the 1993 winners of the following book awards for children's literature: the Newbery Award, the Caldecott Award, and the Coretta Scott King Awards for author and illustrator. No presentation for the Mildred L. Batchelder Award was given in 1993. (LRW)

Provides the transcript of an extemporaneous speech by the poet Kenneth Koch at the "Educating the Imagination II" conference sponsored by the Teachers and Writers Collaborative. Comments on issues of creative writing, the imagination, and poetry. Provides autobiographical material about Koch's development as a poet. (HB)

Interviews author Larry Heinemann, discussing how he became a writer, his books, and in particular his writing about the Vietnam War. (SR)

Discusses why people write and read historical fiction, in particular historical fiction involving war. Uses the author's book "Thunder at Gettysburg" to illustrate how such fiction can illuminate the epiphanies people experience, brought on by the exigencies of battle and of survival. (SR)

Describes the encounters with children experienced by a writer of children's books when she makes school visits. Reflects on how authors' visits to schools positively affect children's interest in reading and writing. (SR)

Studies the life and work of author Maureen Daly. Describes her reading and writing habits, her family background, and her most famous novel, "Seventeenth Summer." (HB)

Presents an interview with author Margaret Atwood about teaching writing, her experience of writing, and Canadian literature. (SR)

Presents an interview with Amy Tan. Reveals how she became a writer and discusses her views on teachers of writing, about the book "The Joy Luck Club," about autobiography and fiction, and about writing and rewriting or the creative process itself. (NH)

Presents an interview with author and illustrator David Wisniewski, winner of the 1997 Caldecott Award. Discusses his illustration technique, how and why he chooses stories with a moral center, and his thoughts about winning this prestigious award. (SR)

Adapted from the 1998 Anne Carroll Moore Lecture, relates the background of Newbery Medal winner, Paul Fleischman, and his travel adventures, mostly by bicycle, that lead to him becoming a writer and influenced the content of his work. (LRW)