Reviews of YA books, Creative Writing, and Classroom Ideas

The purpose of this website is to share information about Young Adult literature and classroom activities related to those novels. It explores the precarious view that some of our teens today have about the world and our position in it, and it is an honest attempt to meet them where they are and to serve their needs as we strive to give them the critical skills that will help them survive and thrive in the twenty-first century. It also includes a blog about writing with links to the blogs of my Creative Writing students.
 
On the Apocalyptic Era page, I will include two kinds of blog posts:

You'll find my thoughts and ideas about meeting the needs of teens in the classroom today. I'll explore various aspects of the apocalypse in literature, and I will also explore issues such as diversity in young adult literature and addressing the sensitive subjects that these novels sometimes raise. 

I'm also on a Young Adult reading rampage, so you'll find reviews of various young adult novels and series. I've included a general review with a passage from the novel, comments about the kind of student who might enjoy the book or series, and ideas about topics and concepts that could be useful in classroom discussion. For the novels that I have taught with a class, I will include any relevant projects and activities that are particular to that book. Additionally, I'll  share ideas for Creative Writing teachers who want to incorporate some of the Young Adult writing trends in their writing classes. I'd love to incorporate some poetry ideas and activities as well, though the connection to teaching the apocalypse remains yet undiscovered :).

On the Shout into the Void page, you'll find a blog about writing. It's geared toward my students and fellow writers as we share in the joy and struggle of the writing process. I'll also link to our class's Creative Writing page (outofink.weebly.com). On that page, the blog roll includes all of my students' writing webpages. Please visit the link to blogs of my Creative Writing students and feel free to comment on their work. They love getting constructive feedback!

Finally, the contact page enables you to email me directly. I'd love to hear from you.

I hope that you will join me on this adventure! I plan to post at least once by Sunday evening of each week.