The No Margins Podcast: Recent Episodes
Elaine J. Roberts
Each episode is a conversation about writing. The process and purpose of writing is different for every guest, so we'll explore what is, what's changing, and what we might learn about ourselves as writers.
For my last episode of the year, it is a delight to present Sandhya (pronounced "Shonda") Rani Jha. She is intend a writer, activist, thinker, speaker, and anti-oppression consultant, and she has a delightful sense of humor.
You can find more about her on her website (https://sandhyajha.com/) and you might choose to follow her on Instagram (@sandhyainoakland) and/or Twitter (@pastorsandhya).
Enjoy!
E.B. White once said, "Use the smallest word that does the job." Maybe that makes sense for some of our students. Maybe the size of one's vocabulary is not a sound indicator of whether or not someone is "smart."
Janna and Aimee are former students of mine. We caught up recently at Homecoming so it was great to see them then and catch up. I knew Janna was homeschooling her girls, so talking with Aimee and her experiences with her children made me think about how fun it would be to chat with them about their experiences as readers and writers, and now teaching their children to read and write and, we hope, enjoy both. Come join us for their insights!
Drs. McTague and Pincham are both emerita from Roosevelt University. Together they are a formidable team of educators for educators. Becky's expertise is in elementary school, especially early childhood; Linda's efforts are in secondary school with a particular love for middle school. Together they have written a book and that is what we discuss in this episode. The book is Aligning Social-Emotional and 21st Century Learning in the Classroom: Emerging Research and Opportunities (Advances in Early Childhood and K-12 Education),
I talk about the writing process, still and again--it's a thing with me, helping students understand the value of it and how to use it, but also ponder why we teach writing. I think we teach writing to help students learn how to think critically and organize their thoughts, which then contributes to problem solving. Learning how to express their thinking cogently and coherently often becomes a bonus outcome.
Dr. Onsrud has been an educator for over 35 years and is definitely a systems thinker. Certainly her work in curriculum necessitates that, but so does her work as principal of Rock University High School, a middle college partnering with Blackhawk Technical College. We didn't get to talk about her work as a grant writer, which is fine because she made some powerful and insightful points about critical thinking and fundamentals of literacy that flow from and connect to both reading and writing.
Michael has been involved in education for the entirety of his career. He has worked diligently to support educators and those who provide tools and resources for educators through a wide range of marketing and marketing strategies. His thinking about and approaches to writing are very different from many of us, so give a listen to what he has to say.
I had such a wonderful time reconnecting with Lisa and talking about writing! As we discuss in the podcast, Lisa is the Founder and CEO of edWeb.net, a global learning community. If you are an educator and not yet familiar with edWeb, after the podcast, go to edweb.net to explore and learn and connect with educators around the world!
What IS that intersection between clarifying specificity and appropriate fluidity in rules of grammar and mechanics? Especially when trying to teach high school and college students the fundamentals because it seems important that they know the rules before they break them so they know how and why they break them. So maybe versions of drafts will help? But it all takes so much time. As usual, I have more questions than answers and only a few oblique answers. You can, however, look forward to hearing from Lisa Schmucki, Founder and CEO of edWeb this Thursday, September 30.
Dr. Jose Francisco Morales Torres, Assistant Professor of Latinx Studies and Religion at Chicago Theological Seminary, talks with me about his writing, his writing process, and how he sees himself as a writer. Jose reminds us that good writing takes time (I'm sure I taught him that, maybe) and that we need to listen to our bodies, which was a great reminder for me. Dr. Torres, who is also a preacher and DJ, has some wonderful insights. Enjoy.
I reflect a bit on my last reflect, what I continue to learn from students about writing and how they prompt me to think differently about writing, what I learn from other writers, and how I would like to try to prepare them for the kind of writing they might do.
Liz Parry is a partner at STEM Education Insights, and a respected leader in engineering and STEM/STEAM education. She worked for IBM, has taught at North Carolina State University College of Engineering, has worked with the American Society for Engineering Education, and, in 2015, earned the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Engineering and Mathematics mentoring from President Barack Obama. I'm honored to call her friend and colleague.
School has started and I find myself trying to figure out ways to help students see themselves as writers. Not just build confidence as writers, but truly believe they have something to say and that their ideas and words have meaning and value.
In this episode, Ben talks more specifically about Open World Cause, how it became a project (thank you, English teachers!), how students became involved and how their writing stories mattered. For more information and how you can get involved, go to Open World Case (https://www.openworldcause.org/).
Ben Honeycutt talks about his experiences being bullied and how that became his book Bleak. Ben shares his processes, his writing experience, his thinking, and how his parents, his teachers, and his mentors have had an impact on his writing life as well as the work he does as a classroom teacher and through Open World Cause (openworldcause.org), the non-profit he helped found.
In Part 2, Ben will talk more about Open World Cause and the projects in which students have gotten involved. He'll talk about current projects and ways teacher and students can get involved.
Dissertation chair, dissertation reader, professor for Master's and doctoral students, published professional, and former hospital chaplain as well as a licensed marriage and family therapist. As an academic and a clinician, Dr. Vaughn coaches and thinks about writing situationally.
Carol Traver is the Senior Developmental Editor for Tyndale House Publishers. She's a former classroom teacher and communications director with a curious obsession with the Twilight series. More applicable, she's been with Tyndale for a bit over 18 years and has several NYT bestsellers as part of her portfolio.
Though her area of expertise may be memoir, she has worked across a wide range of genres. Some of her titles include the NYT bestsellers Coming Back Stronger by Drew Brees, Growing Up Amish by Ira Wagler, The Winners Manual by Jim Tressel, and Game Plan for Life by Joe Gibbs, among many others.
The launch episode introducing me and the podcast for which episodes will be published every two weeks, or that's the plan. Come join us, and write on!