The literature selections serving as the basis for writing assignments in the articles in this journal issue range from time-honored English classics ("Beowulf,""Sir Gawain and the Green Knight") and American standards ("A Farewell to Arms,""The Scarlet Letter") to contemporary fiction. The articles deal with works by women writers (Shirley Jackson, Caroline Gordon, Willa Cather, Kate Chopin, and Toni Bambara) and works especially suited for both high school (Harper's "To Kill a Mockingbird") and college study (Coover's "The Babysitter"). The assignments in the articles call not only for critical analysis but also for responding in journals, imaginative rewriting, imitating style, and using writing as a reading strategy. Some assignments in the articles ask for student response and imaginative projection, whereas others demand a rigorous examination of the text, with writing leading to a better understanding of the work as literature. (Author/HOD)