Author Archives: rreagler

Happy National Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month, and there are lots of ways to celebrate. You can: Write a poem every day with NaPoWriMo. Daily prompts and encouragement are provided! Read a poem every day on Poets.org. Watch young people perform slam poetry from Brave New Voices Festival on YouTube. Explore the organizations that love poetry: CantoContinue reading “Happy National Poetry Month”

The Education Game

I am the guest expert on The Education Game podcast this week and got to talk with Matt Barnes and Scott Van Beck about writing, student-centered education, Writers in the Schools (WITS), and parenting. It was great fun! We talked about texting, journaling, how to get kids to love reading, and even my new bookContinue reading “The Education Game”

The Poet’s Role in Social Justice

In Houston, poet laureates were in the news two weeks in a row. First, Mayor Sylvester Turner announced the opening of the application process to become the 5th Houston Poet Laureate. I cheered, but some complained. Then 22-year-old Amanda Gorman, the first National Youth Poet Laureate, stole the show at the Presidential Inauguration, perhaps evenContinue reading “The Poet’s Role in Social Justice”

School, Joy & Revolution: Takeaways from my Time at WITS

I retired from my leadership position at Writers in the Schools (WITS) in September, and the editors of Teachers & Writers Magazine invited me to write an essay about what I learned. When I became the Executive Director in the late 90s, the most talked-about book in our library was Wishes, Lies, and Dreams byContinue reading “School, Joy & Revolution: Takeaways from my Time at WITS”