About the Contributors

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Tina Angelo, MEd, is the Education Director for Writers in the Schools, a Houston-based literacy nonprofit. Throughout her 41 years in education, Tina has dedicated herself to two passions – her belief in the power of literacy and her support of classroom teachers. After receiving her BA from The University of Texas, Austin, and her MEd from the University of Houston, Tina spent 24 years as a classroom teacher in high schools in Pearland, Clear Creek, and Houston, and 9 years as a central office administrator. In her role as Manager of Adolescent Literacy for the Houston Independent School District, Tina supported the work of campus-based literacy coaches at 44 middle schools and 36 high schools. She built upon these years of experience to develop the job-embedded professional development model, WITS Collaborative, which has supported classroom teachers K–12 in both public and private schools. In her role as Education Director for Writers in the Schools, Tina focused on providing both job-embedded and customized campus writing workshops for teachers. Her guiding principle is that teachers who see themselves as writers will be more effective as teachers of writing.

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Lobat Asadi is a PhD, Curriculum & Instruction, Department of Teaching and Learning at Texas A&M University, College Station is an Associate Instructor at Harvard University Derek Bok Center for Teaching & Learning, Higher Education. Co-editor of Truth and Knowledge in Curriculum Making, with her Chair and mentor, Dr Cheryl J. Craig. Lobat is a researcher and storyteller focused on race, gender, cultural, and linguistic relevance and sustainability in education. She is versed in arts-based pedagogies and educational research, with a focus on socially just educational approaches that value multicultural and multilingual learners. She looks to by gender studies, decoloniality, diasporic perspectives, and indigenous methodologies. She lectures in teacher education, multicultural education, intercultural communications, and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, TESOL, courses. She is also a DEI and educational consultant, content and curriculum developer. In her spare time, she is a musician, writer, and non-profit Director at the Asiatic Cheetah Conservation Project, as well as wildlife educator.

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Daphne Carr, EdD, is an Instructional Coach for Secondary English Language Arts in Humble Independent School District near Houston, Texas. Daphne has served in Texas public schools for over 20 years as a dual credit and Advanced Placement English instructor, a grade-level team leader, an instructional coach, and a content specialist. Her research interests and professional practice focus on job-embedded professional development for high school English language arts instructors, particularly in writing instruction.

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Michael Curl is a proud Campus Principal in southeast Texas. He is a Doctoral Candidate in the Leadership and Innovation Department at St. Thomas University. Michael brings over 18 years of experience in education from classroom teacher to building principal to his writing and consulting work with campuses and districts across the country. He has presented on topics such as increasing equity, building a positive campus culture, and working with underserved youth in public schools. He has been recognized as teacher of the year and principal of the year along with other recognitions for his work in education. Michael's campuses have been recognized by the Texas Education Agency for excellence in closing achievement gaps, academic performance, and postsecondary readiness.

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Gayle A. Curtis, EdD, is a Program Manager with the Asian American Studies Center at University of Houston and a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Texas A&M University. After a career as a bilingual teacher and school administrator/principal in urban public schools serving students from richly diverse backgrounds, Dr Curtis turned her efforts to teacher education and research. In 2019, Dr Curtis received the American Education Research Association (AERA) Narrative SIG Outstanding Publication Award for the coauthored article “The Embodied Nature of Narrative Knowledge: A Cross-Study Analysis of Embodied Knowledge in Teaching, Learning, and Life” published in Teaching and Teacher Education. She received the 2014 AERA Narrative Research SIG Outstanding Dissertation Award for her dissertation entitled Harmonic Convergence: Parallel Stories of a Novice Teacher and a Novice Researcher. Her fields of research include narrative inquiry, self-study, and critical cultural ethnography. Recent publications include an invited chapter in the 2020 International Handbook on Self-Study Research.

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Tenesha Gale, PhD, is a Middle School Science Educator and Field Researcher. With over 15 years in education, Tenesha's professional roles have included social worker, classroom teacher, teacher coach, and educational researcher. Her research specialization is rooted in sustaining teachers in urban communities, as well as suburban communities in the midst of demographic shifts due to factors such as gentrification. Tenesha is a Gates Millennium Scholar and serves as an advocate for virtual learning platform development.

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Maryann Gremillion is a Writer and Educator working with elementary schools, teachers, and nonprofits to build transformative communities. She taught elementary school for 15 years in Houston where she discovered a passion for creative writing and integrating fine arts in content areas. Maryann also worked for 12 years as a writer-in-residence and then program director for Writers in the Schools (WITS) in Houston. Her work has been published in The Ekphrastic Review, Glass Mountain, Teachers and Writers magazine, and several local anthologies. She is excited to complete a book chapter about working with teachers and writers in the WITS Collaborative.

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KaLeah Hicks is a Middle School Librarian. She received a BA in English Composition from the University of North Texas and an MS in Educational Technology Leadership from Texas A&M University–Commerce. Prior to becoming a librarian, she taught high school English/Language Arts (ELA), Graphic Design, Journalism and Commercial Photography, and developed curriculum supplements for Socio-Emotional Learning and Secondary ELA. Through her passion for increasing diversity in collection development, KaLeah supports Active Readers Advisory to build more inclusive campus and family libraries.

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Sarah Jerasa is a Literacy Scholar, Researcher, and PhD Student at the University of Houston in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Her research interests focus on teacher identity as writers, equitable literacy access, and the reading and writing connection in classrooms. Sarah is a former classroom teacher, a National Writing Project fellow, and professional development writing coach for Writers in the Schools. Her most recent research revolves around Research Practice Partnerships to establish mobile library program outreach to increase book access and literacy achievement for students living in book deserts. She is the founder of the Many Truths of Teaching: Teacher Story Project, an online archive of educator interviews to reveal the realities of education through teachers' voices and stories.

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P. Tim Martindell, EdD, is a Middle School English Teacher and Debate Coach at The Village School, as well as an Adjunct Instructor in Literacy Development at the University of Houston–Downtown. In addition to his 25-year teaching career, Tim served as the Houston A+ Challenge program coordinator for literacy and critical friendship, and the past president of both the Texas Council of Teachers of English Language Arts and the West Houston Council of Teachers of English. Tim is a diamond level–writing project trainer with the Abydos writing project and a national-level facilitator of critical friendship practices with the School Reform Initiative. He holds an EdD and MEd in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Houston and a BS Ed in Communications Education from Miami University.

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Abdulkader Mokhtari is a High School English and Dual Credit Government Teacher at Robert E. Lee High School, as well as an Adjunct Instructor at Lee College. Mr Mokhtari has taught for nine years and served as English department head for a time. In addition to teaching English and Government, Mr Mokhtari also served as Assistant Theater Arts Director, helping to produce many award-winning plays. Mr Mokhtari was introduced to the WITS Writing Collaborative in 2017 and has been a vocal proponent of its tenants ever since. Mr Mokhtari holds an MA in Political Science with an emphasis in Political Theory and a BA in Political Science, with a minor in English from The University of Texas at San Antonio.

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Terri Osborne is a Dynamic Instructional Leader with experience facilitating learning of Diverse Student Populations. Prior to becoming a campus principal, Terri served as a secondary math teacher, department lead, dean of students, assistant principal, and early college director. Her professional passions include creating advanced academics opportunities for at-risk students and cultivating school environments that embody excellence and collective leadership. Terri holds a bachelor's degree in Architecture from Texas Tech University. Her postgraduate milestones include a Master of Science in Higher Education and a Master of Education in Educational Administration from Texas A&M University–Commerce. Terri is also a Candidate for a Doctorate in Education and Doctoral Scholarship Recipient. She is currently completing dissertation research on the leadership practices that foster academic resilience in students. When Terri is not diligently working or studying, she enjoys reading, biking, and adult intramural sports.

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Robin Reagler, PhD, led Writers in the Schools (WITS) from 1998 to 2020, transforming a small grassroots organization into a national literary movement with 38 member groups. She is a Poet and the Author of Dear Red Airplane (Seven Kitchens, 2011, 2018), Teeth & Teeth (Headmistress, 2018), Into The The (Backlash, forthcoming 2021), and Night Is This Anyway (Lily Poetry Press, forthcoming 2022). Her poetry books have won prizes including the Best Book Award, the Charlotte Mew Prize, and the Rebound Award. Her blog, The Other Mother: Letters from the Outposts of Lesbian Parenting, was named best parenting blog by Nickelodeon in 2009. She earned an MFA at the Iowa Writers' Workshop and a PhD at the University of Houston Creative Writing Program.