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This paper offers 9 teaching questions to be used with Stephen Manes', "The Obnoxious Jerks," a humorous novel in which students challenge school rules in high school. The paper also provides a brief description of the novel, a biographical sketch of the author, and a selected bibliography of 21 related works. (PRA)

Suggestions are presented for being successful in publishing research results and for disseminating results once they are published. Writing style is the single most important ingredient for success in publishing, and revision is the usual prerequisite for style. Selecting target journals before writing can maximize the manuscript's chances of success. Writing query letters before submitting a manuscript is not very useful, unless the author is aiming for a theme issue that may be filled. Reading author guidelines is a more useful approach. Attending to details such as checking citations is an important step. In general, an author can believe an editor's comments and suggestions, except in the area of lag time or manuscript review. The author should not overpersonalize editorial contacts, and should focus on the revision requests of the editor. In submitting a revision, it is usually helpful to enumerate the corrections made. Changes should be made before galley proofs arrive. Once a work is in print, the author should promote it, sending out reprint copies, for example. (SLD)

This paper discusses why school librarians are well qualified to write for students and describes the following aspects of becoming a successful writer: (1) manuscript development, including choosing the type of material to write, gathering materials, deciding on the level of intended readers, and getting a manuscript illustrated; (2) publishing issues, including how to investigate publishers, contact publisher's representatives, or decide on self-publishing; (3) marketing concerns, including the services of publishing houses and opportunities for self-marketing; and (4) business responsibilities. (KRN)

Noting that the first adult fiction detective novel by an African-American was published in 1932, this bibliography lists and discusses 72 novels either written by African-Americans or featuring African-American detectives. The bibliography is divided into four sections: the first section discusses detective fiction written by African-American men; the second section contains information concerning detective novels published in the early 1990s by three African-American women (the first such published) and a crime novel by an African-American woman; the third section contains novels by three prominent white writers of detective fiction who introduced African-American detectives in some of their work; and the fourth section contains novels by two white writers who added African-American detectives in some of their series that originated with only white male detectives. The bibliography includes biographical information about the novelists. End notes (listing sources of information for each of the 19 novelists) are attached. (RS)

Before the insights of feminist criticism altered the way many writers are examined, Jane Austen and George Eliot were usually considered to be upholders of the status quo. The explosion in criticism in the last two decades, however, has reshaped and reinterpreted the canon, and has changed the way one academic teaches these two novelists. Using Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" and "Persuasion" and Eliot's "Adam Bede" and "The Mill on the Floss," she points out how British society is subtly criticized through the authorial voice. Both authors create female protagonists in precarious situations and with limited possibilities. Austen and Eliot, far from accepting the status quo, create fictional worlds which criticize the way these characters must conform in order to survive. Today's students see that the protagonists of these novels pay a very high price for preservation of integrity. The curriculum of the 1990s will probably reflect this kind of shift in perception of novelists, especially those of the 19th century. (NKA)

A college educator (trained in composition) encountered some problems when he began teaching an introductory literature course. In the first year of the course, he used a fiction anthology as his textbook. The class examined one story at a time, and attempts to compare readings seemed forced. The teacher realized that anthologies are narrow in scope, including few women writers, African-American writers, experimental writers, etc., and usually only contain one or two pieces by each author. Eventually, the instructor began to use single author collections. While students could then explore fewer cultures and historical periods, they could examine each author more deeply and with more context. Using stories that were less familiar than those commonly found in anthologies allowed the teacher to imagine student questions more easily and to have more meaningful dialogue with students. The reading of single-author collections enabled students to make connections between works of the same author. Students also become more able to describe relationships between authors. If educators want students to continue reading, more interesting, challenging, and vital issues of literary study must be introduced. Teachers must reconsider the kinds of texts that are typically used in introductory literature courses. (SG)

Quality children's literature can model a wide range of effective writing and illustrating techniques. When exposed to good models of writing, children can be encouraged to reflect on how authors and illustrators have shaped a story, and literary elements, story structure, and design can be identified. As children progress in their understanding of story elements and structure, they should be exposed to varied styles of authorship. Their awareness can be heightened by engaging them in creative responses to good books. As they internalize these models, they begin to take risks with them in their own writing. The valuing of authorship can be promoted through the creation of a writer's studio which includes: some things/ways to highlight the techniques and story craft employed by an adult author or illustrator of renown; some things/ways to highlight classroom student authors and illustrators; and varieties of tools for writing and illustrating. (Periodicals that publish children's original work, publishers' addresses, books on children's authors and illustrators, multi-media production companies, and instruction charts in literary elements of story and design are included. Twenty-four references, including children's books, are attached.) (MG)

The suggestions for writing for publication given in this paper include writing with honesty, thinking clearly, considering the potential audience, sharing the article with friends, revising the article, and sending the article to the appropriate journal. Empathy for the difficulty of writing is given and illustrated with examples from Eric Hoffer, Ernest Hemingway, Art Buchwald, Chaim Potok, and others. (MKM)

Composition teachers can build a resource unit featuring writers from the surrounding community at little or no expense. Teachers may be acquainted with colleagues who have published, and newspapers, libraries, and even the telephone book may provide resources from which a writers directory can be compiled. Once a writer has been contacted, the instructor should discuss the scheduling details, stipend if any, and the possibility of videotaping the author. Prior to the classroom appearance, the author may want to submit a brief autobiographical sketch. Samples of the writer's work may be read during the appearance, and the author can describe his or her writing habits, attitudes, and changes in writing style over the years. Having the class write advance questions to ask can stimulate thought, as well as ensure attention during the appearance. Question-answer time should also be allowed at the end of the session. Because such a unit may be used by teachers in other content areas, the authors directory should contain appropriate information, and the directory should be made available at a central location. The videotapes will also make the author's appearance available to other teachers. The author's visit should be publicized through media releases, displays, and word of mouth; each successful appearance will set the stage for future appearances. (HTH)

This paper proposes basic guidelines for the publishing and preparation of manuscripts, with the focus on the publication of empirical research in scientific journals. It is assumed that research is complete only when the results are shared. The guidelines serve as standards, and cover all stages of publishing from the first review of literature to the control of grammar and style. The addendum addresses the psychological aspects of rejection and the options available at that point. Time management, productivity, creativity, self-motivation techniques, and the rewards involved in publishing are also discussed. A three-page bibliography is appended. (Author/MAC)

This document describes and illustrates an approach to expressive writing which employs student-authored books--"I Am The Author Books" (ITABs)--for use in individual and group counseling with children. It begins with a brief review of pertinent literature on expressive writing as a counseling intervention, and then describes experiences with ITABs. A case example describing the writing of a book on death and loss by a fourth-grade girl whose young sister died in a home accident is used to illustrate the technique. Following this example, other possible uses for ITABs are discussed and examples of other types of problems children can write about are given. The need to alter the format and process depending on the client's age, counseling needs, learning style, and perception of self is acknowledged. The tendency for young children to be highly receptive to this counseling technique is described and it is suggested that authoring a book helps these children to feel important, provides a medium with which they are familiar and comfortable, gives them the feeling that they are helping others, allows them to nurture "native imagery" through creative energy, and leads to self-discovery through self-expression. The resistance to ITABs by older children and young adolescents is discussed and strategies counselors can use to assauge this resistance are listed. The use of ITABs in group sessions or with an entire class is discussed. (NB)

Communication instructors rely on textbook writers to present the latest course content in ways that will motivate students to learn and prepare them for class discussion and activities. Targeting the works they create to reflect student needs and shaping their materials to stimulate and involve their readers, these textbook writers-as-artists develop a work for a course in much the same way a playwright shapes a work for the stage. For those intent on joining the ranks of textbook writers-as-artists, it is wise to follow these ensueing procedures: (1) survey the textbook market in the chosen subject area, (2) identify the type of book to write, (3) identify potential publishers, (4) develop a prospectus, (5) submit the prospectus for review, (6) respond to the review and revise as needed, (7) negotiate the contract, (8) develop a work schedule, (9) write the textbook, (10) rewrite it, (11) obtain necessary permissions, (12) work with the project editor, and (13) work with marketing and sales personnel. (HTH)

Both student and adult writers need to learn how to imagine clear and full contexts for their writing. These contexts include awareness of audience, knowledge of purpose, and creation of the proper voice befitting the purpose and audience. The critical necessity of these three elements in writing can be taught and learned most effectively through the study of literature, because literature by its very nature is an authentic voice speaking in a fully imagined context to fully imagined auditors or readers. Studying literature also increases students' abilities to use their imaginations and to maintain a critical awareness of what constitutes good writing. The aims of one technique for using literature to teach students about writing contexts are to present the author as a writer, to help the student reader think as a writer, and to create an identification between these writers that facilitates the transfer of writing technique from the professional to the student writer. This teaching technique involves both using the literary author's first and intermediate drafts as examples of how writing is revised for greatest effect by constantly imagining the desired context, and having student writers complete writing assignments similar to the assignment the author accomplished in the literary work. (RL)

The articles in this special journal issue focusing on children's literature were drawn from papers presented at the Conference on Children's Literature held in 1982 at The Ohio State University. The first section contains articles that address the question "What makes a good children's book?" The question is approached from a historical perspective by a librarian and scholar, from a critic's standpoint, and from an editor's point of view. The section concludes with four brief position papers on the subject prepared by an author of children's books, two editors, and a librarian. Articles in the second section of the journal deal with the question "What is the child's view of a good book?" Contributors to this section present a theoretical perspective on the relation between reader and text, an account of ethnographic studies of children's books in the classroom, and suggestions for a theory of children's literature that would include not only what is known about literature but what is known about children and learning to read. Articles in the third section discuss the relationship between literature and literacy and explore how an insight about children and literature can be used to form classroom instruction. The journal concludes with personal accounts by authors and illustrators. (FL)

A literature course entitled "The Victorian Illustrated Book: A Marriage of Image and Word," offered at Skidmore College in New York, was designed to help students make connections between art and literature. Based on the premise that illustrations in Victorian books can be "decoded" much like a written text, students were introduced to illustrations from Charles Dickens'"Oliver Twist" and Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland" and spent time examining the illustrations to determine their faithfulness to the text and how they elaborated upon the narrative. Students also read research that familiarized them with Victorian artistic concerns, such as the language of symbols in artwork, and the Victorian preoccupation with the pastoral, death, and the family. An assignment called for students to examine Dante Gabriel Rosetti's painting "Found" and decode its symbols. More successful students learned not only to decode individual symbols but make ideational connections by seeing the symbols as a whole, as a "text" to be read. During the second month of the course, students were able to see how an illustration highlights a text or provides essential information. As the course neared its end, students had progressed to a point where most easily made ideational connections between the arts, and occasionally made insightful connections between Victorian and modern concerns. The nature of this course seems to encourage students to make a full range of connections. (JC)

Voice is a useful critical concept for studying texts, and can be classified into three types: (1) audible voice--how much the reader "hears" the text; (2) dramatic voice--what kind of speaker or writer is implied in the text; and (3) one's own voice--the relationship of the text to the actual writer. Written language is more likely to be heard if it uses the syntax, rhythms, and word-choice characteristic of speech. Certain textual clues, such as short simple sentences or sentences which give the sense of mental activity, also call attention to the audibility of a text. The dramatic dimension of a text can derive from the audible voice, but even in the absence of an audible voice, the voice of the implied author is present. There are three aspects to one's own, or the actual writer's, voice: (1) a distinctive, recognizable voice; (2) "having a voice" or "having the authority to speak"; and (3) "authentic voice" or resonance, meaning the relationship of the text to the real author as opposed to the implied author. The writings of Gretel Ehrlich and Richard Selzer effectively illustrate all senses of voice. (Sixteen references are appended.) (MM)