Annotated Bibliography
Alvarez, Al. The Writer's Voice. London: W.W. Norton, 2005. General analysis of writer's voice from reader's perspective.
Alvarez, Julia. Something to Declare. Chapel Hill: Algonquin Books, 1998.
Autobiography of finding her voice in her Latin American roots.
Elbow, Peter. Writing with Power. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. Defines and elaborates on the teaching of voice.
—. "Voice in Writing Again: Embracing Controversy." In College English 70.2 Nov 2007 168-188 on http://works.bepress.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1022&context=peter_elbow (accessed July 11, 2008). Essay reopening the debate about teaching voice and not teaching voice.
Frost, Robert. Collected Poems, Prose and Plays. New York: Library of America. 1995. Comprehensive and easy to read collection of Robert Frost's work and personal correspondence.
Gibson, Walker. "The "Speaking Voice" and the Teaching of Composition." In Landmark Essays on Voice and Writing, edited by Peter Elbow, 11-17. Mahwah, NJ: Hermagoras Press, 1994. Brief essay examining teaching voice.
Hook, Bell. "'When I was a Young Soldier for the Revolution': Coming to Voice." In Landmark Essays on Voice and Writing, edited by Peter Elbow, 51-58. Mahwah, NJ: Hermagoras Press, 1994. Brief essay examining voice in poetry.
Peha, Steve. "Looking for Quality in Student Writing: Learning to See the Things Kids Can Do SoWe Can Teach Them to Do the Things They Can't" In Teaching that Makes Sense website at www.ttms.org [accessed 6/22/08]. Web-based article explaining what makes good writing and how to evaluate it.
—. "Organizers" in Teaching that Makes Sense at www.ttms.org [accessed 7/10/08]. Web-based compilation of reading and writing strategies and organizers.
—. "Read like a Reader; Read like a Writer." in Teaching that Makes Sense at www.ttms.org [accessed 7/10/08]. Web-based article explaining how to examine a piece of literature as a reader and a writer.
Student Resources
Alvarez, Julia. "Names/Nombres." In The Language of Literature, edited by Applebee, Bermudez, Blau, Caplan, Elbow, Hynds, Langer & Marshall, 38-42. Boston, MA: McDougal Littell, 2001. A short story in which a ten year old girl struggles with her identity as a Latina immigrant to the United States. Technique creating voice is ellipses and long descriptions.
Aviles, Quique. "I Will Take My Voice Back." This I Believe, July 31, 2006, http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5587766 (accessed July 8, 2008). Poet recognizes the saving grace of writing and the destructive nature of drugs. Technique creating voice is the images and sentence patterns of poetry.
Bruel, Nick. Who is Melvin Bubble? New Milford, CT: Roaring Brook Press, 2006. Humorous picture book describing Melvin Bubble from a number of perspectives using a number of voices.
Cisneros, Sandra. "Bums in the Attic." In The Language of Literature, edited by Applebee, Bermudez, Blau, Caplan, Elbow, Hynds, Langer & Marshall, 105. Boston, MA: McDougal Littell, 2001. Short story in which a young girl wishes that she would grow to be rich and compassionate.
—. "Good Hot Dogs." In The Language of Literature, edited by Applebee, Bermudez, Blau, Caplan, Elbow, Hynds, Langer & Marshall, 234. Boston, MA: McDougal Littell, 2001. Poem depicting the intimacy of a common event.
Coperfield, David. "The Gift of Kindness." This I Believe, Aug 21, 2006, http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5658759 (accessed July 8, 2008). Father's kindness taught that being kind is the key to life. Technique creating voice is short staccato sentences.
Dillard, Annie. "An American Childhood." In The Language of Literature, edited by Applebee, Bermudez, Blau, Caplan, Elbow, Hynds, Langer & Marshall, 382-386. Boston, MA: McDougal Littell, 2001. Excerpt from an autobiography detailing the joys of being free of gender constraints and the joyful exhilaration of being in danger.
Earley, Brighton. "Finding the Flexibility to Survive." This I Believe, June 2, 2008, http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91065890 (accessed July 8, 2008). Shopping at Chevron Mart teaches flexibility. Technique creating voice is sentence fluency: longer, descriptive sentences setting up the story; short, avoiding sentences expressing the embarrassment and desire to hide.
Hughes, Langston. "Thank You, M'am." In The Language of Literature, edited by Applebee, Bermudez, Blau, Caplan, Elbow, Hynds, Langer & Marshall, 30-33. Boston, MA: McDougal Littell, 2001. Full text available at http://www.amlit.com/Hughes/SS/ThankYouMam.html A short story, slightly biographical. In an attempt to steal Mrs. Jones's purse, Roger gets caught and learns that he wants to be seen as someone who can be trusted.
McBride, Christian. "Be Cool." This I Believe, Jan 22, 2007, http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6946089 (accessed July 8, 2008). Stay away from the rush and pleasing people attitude. Technique creating voice is dialect.
Malcolm X & Haley, Alex. "The Autobiography of Malcolm X." In The Language of Literature, edited by Applebee, Bermudez, Blau, Caplan, Elbow, Hynds, Langer & Marshall, 632-635. Boston, MA: McDougal Littell, 2001. Excerpt from an autobiography in which an incarceration turns into a free experience through education and reading.
Spinelli, Jerry. "Knots in my Yo-Yo String." In The Language of Literature, edited by Applebee, Bermudez, Blau, Caplan, Elbow, Hynds, Langer & Marshall, 573-578. Boston, MA: McDougal Littell, 2001. Excerpt from an autobiography in which a perfectionist child is taught the by a yo-yo and a skipped detention that chaos is a gift that brings creativity and imagination.
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