Lessons from a Writer's Life: Readings and Resources for Teachers and Students

There is much in this book to inspire any writer to seek more in his or her own writing: to pay attention to sounds, smells, people, and dialogue. Because Judith's voice is strong, offering such a real and rich invitation, my students will listen.
-Penny Kittle, author ofWrite Beside Them

Young-adult novelist Judith Ortiz Cofer will inspire your high school writers with stories and poems drawn from her childhood in Puerto Rico and her self-invention as an American writer and teacher. And, in a practical Resource section a the back of the book, Judith speaks to the craft of writing and shares the tools she has forged to generate ideas and help her writing speak the truth more strongly and clearly-tools you and your students will use again and again.

BONUS: Teaching Tips by Harvey "Smokey" Daniels, Carol Jago, and Penny Kittle

Judith Ortiz Cofer was a critically acclaimed and widely published poet, novelist, and essayist who knew that "words have the power to transform you and give you the power to shape your life. The minute you open your mouth, you have introduced yourself." She wrote extensively about the experience of being Puerto Rican and her identity as a woman and writer in the U.S. She was the lauded Regents and Franklin Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Georgia where she taught literature and creative writing. Learn more about her life and works at http: //judithortizcofer.english.uga.edu.