Other Writing

Fifty-seven years ago, as a foolish seventeen-year-old looking for adventure, I had my most memorable date on an evening when the last hurricane that directly visited St. Pete Beach’s Pass-a-Grille Beach roared along the Tampa Bay Area coast. Back then, television weather forecasts featured a weatherman drawing storm predictions on a white board with a felt-tipped marker over a silhouette of the state. Warnings were not taken as seriously then as they should have been.

Beyond I Am

By: Michael Taylor

Publication: The Voice, Vol. 9, No. 2

Date: 2004

Summary: Taylor shares how a summer institute community-building activity turned into a before-and-after example of how participants become better writers in the institute.

It's commonly accepted in the National Writing Project that teachers who participate in a summer institute surface at the end of the experience as more knowledgeable and competent writers than they were when they entered. Over the years we've heard...

National Board Certified Teachers invite us into their classrooms to witness 70 inspiring stories, reminding us that we are not only teachers, but also parents, mentors, friends, and leaders.

"One Gunshot's Long Echo," originally published by the St. Petersburg Times in 2000, captures a tragic moment.

Student Essay Makes Real-World Connections for Florida Classroom

By: Art Peterson

Publication: The Voice, Vol. 7, No. 4

Date: September-October 2002

Summary: Middle school teacher Michael Taylor asked his class to write about the events of September 11 and to then send their papers to the local newspaper, an assignment that landed one of his students on the Oprah show.

Peter Hargitai brought together a diverse group of poets to create an anthology, Gateway: Gulfport Poets. Gulfport has evolved over the past 40 years from a hard working redneck mullet fisherman’s hamlet into a diverse bayside village that is a gateway to the Gulf of Mexico. The poetic creations offered in this book speak vividly to that transformation.