Who Gets to Write Fiction? ― Rethinking Creative Writing in 21st Century English Language Arts

Get ready to rethink creative writing in the 21^st century

At a time when there's a dangerous (and, misinformed) collective idea that fiction is some kind of "fluff" that doesn't prepare kids for college—and that non-fiction is the only thing that’s valuable when it comes to the written word and bettering our society—Sacks offers a powerful message: reading literature is vitally important for young people. Literary works are worth much more than their Lexile numbers, their relative weight in complexity, and even the opportunities they present for rigorous analysis.

In Who Gets to Write Fiction?, veteran teacher Ariel Sacks offers ideas, lesson plans, and strategies for successfully incorporating the teaching of fiction in your classroom. After all, as your students lose themselves in great stories, they’ll also explore their identities, relationships, struggles, and dreams through writing—which can lead to more motivated and engaged students.

• Offers a fresh look at why teaching fiction is so crucial to student development
• Addresses head-on the dismal truth that too often our students of color are denied the opportunity to write creatively in school
• Stresses how literature prepares students for their future
• Covers how reading and writing empowers students to find themselves

If you had the chance to introduce a student to something that would not only keep them engaged in schoolwork but impact them to be more self-reflective members of society, wouldn’t you try it? Of course! And this book shows you how!