As a writer, a poet, and a founding member of the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, Georgia Heard continues to bring a poet's ear and a teacher's know-how to every aspect of writing instruction. Her latest books, The Revision Toolbox, Second Edition and Finding the Heart of Nonfiction, take their place alongside essential resources such as the Heinemann titles Writing Toward Home; and Awakening the Heart - which Instructor Magazine called one of its 12 Books Every Teacher Should Read. Georgia is also a member of Heinemann Professional Development Services. At the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project Georgia worked for seven years as Senior Staff Developer in New York… City schools. Today she travels the U.S. and the world as a consultant, visiting author, and keynote speaker in school districts and conferences. In addition to her Heinemann professional books, Georgia is the coauthor of Climb Inside a Poem, classroom materials from Heinenann-Firsthand. She is also the author of the professional titles Poetry Lessons to Meet the Common Core Standards and A Place for Wonder as well as children's literature such as Falling Down the Page: A Book of List Poems.
Lester L. Laminack is Professor Emeritus in the department of Birth-Kindergarten, Elementary and Middle Grades Education at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina where he received two awards for excellence in teaching [the Botner Superior Teaching Award and the Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching Award]. Lester is now a full-time writer and consultant working with schools throughout the United States. He is an active member of the National Council of Teachers of English and served three years as co-editor of the NCTE journal Primary Voices and as editor of the Children's Book Review Department of the NCTE journal Language Arts (2003-2006). He also served as a teaching… editor for the magazine Teaching K-8 and wrote the "Parent Connection" column (2000-2002). He is a former member of the Whole Language Umbrella Governing Board, a former member of the Governing Board and Secretary of the North Carolina Association for the Education of Young Children, and a former member of the Board of Directors for the Center for the Expansion of Language and Thinking. He served as the Basic Reading Consultant to Literacy Volunteers of America from 1987 through 2001. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Our Children's Place. His academic publications include several books including Learning with Zachary (Scholastic), Spelling in Use (NCTE), Volunteers Working with Young Readers (NCTE), and his contributions to The Writing Workshop: Working Through the Hard Parts (NCTE), Learning Under the Influence of Language and Literature (Heinemann), Reading Aloud Across the Curriculum (Heinemann), Bullying Hurts (Heinemann), and two books from Scholastic Cracking Open the Author's Craft (2007) and Unwrapping the Read Aloud (2009) from Scholastic. In addition he has several articles published in journals such as The Reading Teacher, Science and Children, Language Arts, Primary Voices, and Young Children. Lester is also the author of six children's books: The Sunsets of Miss Olivia Wiggins, Trevor's Wiggly-Wobbly Tooth, Saturdays and Tea Cakes, Jake's 100th Day of School, Snow Day! and, Three Hens and a Peacock (2012 Children's Choice K-2 Book of the Year Award) all from Peachtree Publishers.