Ralph Fletcher is a nationally known educational consultant and speaker. He is the author of What A Writer Needs, Walking Trees: Teaching Teachers inthe New York City Schools, and BreathingIn, Breathing Out: Keeping a Writer's Notebook, all from Heinemann. His short stories and articles have appeared in Redbook, People, Cosmopolitan, and the Wall Street Journal, and he has published his third book of poetry, I Am Wings (Bradbury Press, 1994). He has worked with teachers and children across the United States, in Europe, and in the Middle East. He spent three years as a senior member of the Teachers College Writing Project in New York City involved with staff development.Ralph's talks are… humorous, anecdotal, and practical. His work with teachers has its roots in his classroom experience as well as his own writing. He has the utmost respect for the difficult, important job teachers havein helping students find their voices for the writing that will shape their lives.