To pursue doctoral degrees is a growing choice for many adult learners who come to doctoral study with a range of personal, professional and educational backgrounds. This qualitative study explored perceptions about writing collected through a phenomenological interview process. The study applied socio-historical perspectives of writing in…

In this interview, author Isaac Asimov discusses science fiction writing, as well as his projections for education and society in the 21st Century. A brief biography of Asimov is appended. (SJL)

Draws from a range of sources including individual telephone interviews to identify the many individual contributions to the field of children's literature by the Pinkneys. Presents interview notes and children's literature notes from Jerry Pinkney, Gloria Jean Pinkney, Brian Pinkney, Andrea Davis Pinkney, Myles C. Pinkney, and Sandra L. Pinkney.…

Describes the life and writings of children's author, Jean Craighead George. (RB)

Interview with Alice Childress (born 1920), an actress, playwright, novelist, editor, and lecturer. Her "Gold through the Forest" (1952) was the first play by a Black woman to be produced professionally on the American stage. Her latest play, "Moms," was produced in New York City in 1987. (BJV)

A native of Henning, Tennessee, Alex Haley taught himself to write during a twenty year career in the U.S. Coast Guard. After retiring from that service, in 1959, he became a magazine writer and interviewer, and has spent 12 years researching and writing "Roots" (Doubleday, 1976), the epic drama of his family from the abduction of his…

In this article, the author interviews writer Dr. Paul Holland. After receiving his B.A. in mathematics in 1962, he attended graduate school at Stanford, receiving his Ph.D. in Statistics in 1966. He served as President of the Psychometric Society in 1989; received the E. F. Lindquist Award in 2000 from AERA and ACT; was designated a National…

Taking off from the theme that makes Laurence Yep such a popular and beloved young adult author--the outsider seeking identity and connection in a strange, foreign world--this study of Yep's most important works shows how his experiences as a Chinese American in San Francisco fill his stories with firsthand knowledge of what it is like to be an…

Summarizes the plot of "The Summer of the Swans," the 1971 Newbery Medal winner; provides discussion questions; outlines activities in drama, art, and language arts; and provides an annotated bibliography of picture books, fiction, and nonfiction dealing with physical, mental, and emotional disabilities. Includes an interview with Betsy…

Presents two separate interviews on one topic. William Styron and James West discuss West's biography of Styron from the vantage points of subject and biographer. Styron reveals some of the painful incidents in his life and West delineates how these have influenced Styron's work. Includes several photographs. (MJP)

This article summarizes the plot of "Bonjour, Lonnie," a picture book about an orphaned African American Jewish boy's search for his roots; provides discussion questions; and outlines research and language arts activities in biography, art, civil rights, and family heritage. Includes an interview with the author, and highlights the 1997…