Meet Our Authors

For nearly thirty years, Jeff has inspired writers and teachers of grades 1-10 with the power and joy of the writing process. He has written five books for Stenhouse Publishers. He also writes middle-grade novels.

Jan Burkins, coauthor of Preventing Misguided Reading (IRA 2010), and Kim Yaris are the writers and thinkers behind Burkins and Yaris—Think Tank for 21st Century Literacy, where their blog and their instructional resources have drawn a national audience and made them thought leaders in the field of literacy instruction.

Shawna Coppola has taught in public schools for almost two decades. She currently works as a national literacy consultant and speaker and is a volunteer teacher of 11-17 year-olds at a self-directed learning community in Dover, NH. When she is not teaching, she can be found dabbling with watercolors, writing comics, or exploring the beauty of her natural surroundings alongside her family.

Joan Dabrowski is the Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Prior to this, she worked across the country as an education consultant and curriculum writer. In this role she supported teachers, principals, and district leaders to develop and refine their literacy and leadership practices. In 2015, she coauthored a report with The Education Trust entitled, "Checking In: Do Classroom Assignments Reflect Today’s Higher Standards?" that summarized an analysis of over 1,800 middle school literacy assignments in English language arts, history, and science. She has taught grades K-2 and 4-5, has been a district literacy coach, and was the Director of Literacy for the Boston Public Schools. She earned a master’s degree at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a Doctorate of Education in K-12 School Leadership at Vanderbilt University, Peabody College.

Debbie Diller, a national educational consultant and popular conference speaker, lives in Houston, Texas. Debbie uses her experience of over 40 years as a classroom teacher, Title I reading specialist, and literacy coach to teach others about sensible, realistic ways to meet the literacy needs of all students in the classroom.

Diane Esolen Dougherty lives with her husband in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. She is a graduate of West Chester University and received a master's degree from Villanova University. While working on her degree at Villanova, she was a research scholar working with professors of English.

Elizabeth Hale worked in the Boston Public Schools for nine years as a third- and fourth-grade teacher and as a literacy coach in K-8 schools. She currently consults with schools and districts on writing and reading instruction and is also pursuing her doctorate degree at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Mark is a native of Colorado, and received his education at the University of Northern Colorado, Colorado College, and University of Colorado at Denver. He has over thirty years of teaching experience, most of it in Cherry Creek Schools in Denver, Colorado.

Kate Roth has been a classroom teacher, Reading Recovery teacher, researcher, and literacy coach in the United States and China. Much of her work has focused on the interactive writing method and supporting teachers in their effort to implement it. Kate has also published twenty books for children on how to write as part of the Language Arts Explorer Junior series. She earned a master’s degree in Curriculum and Teaching at Columbia University, Teachers College and her Doctorate of Education in Language and Literacy at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Melissa Stewart is an award-winning author of more than 150 science-themed nonfiction books for children. She also maintains the blog Celebrate Science (celebratescience.blogspot.com) and offers school visits and teacher inservice programs that focus on nonfiction writing, using children’s books to address curriculum standards, and creative ways to integrate science and language arts instruction. Her website is www.melissa-stewart.com.