Educator Innovator

Ralph Fletcher, a member of the NWP Writers Council, has been a long-time mentor to teachers and young writers and has helped generations of teachers understand the importance of letting go and trusting their writers. Ralph Fletcher has written over fifty books for writing teachers and young readers including Joy Write, Nonfiction Craft Lessons, What a Writer Needs, Focus Lessons: How Photography Enhances the Teaching of Writing, and The Writing Teacher’s Companion. His most recent books are The World’s Loneliest Elephant, a picture book illustrated by Naoko Stoop, and A Writer’s Notebook: Unlocking the Writer Within You. Ralph visits schools and speaks at educational conferences around the world, helping teachers find wiser ways of teaching writing. He also has a passion for nature photography. Tracey T. Flores is an assistant professor of Language and Literacy at the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Flores is a former English Language Development (ELD) and English Language Arts (ELA) teacher, working fo