The Risk and Reward of Sharing Our Writing

"Nerdy" welcomes diverse voices, inviting teachers, librarians, authors, illustrators, parents, and readers to reflect on their reading and writing lives, respond to what they read, recommend books, and offer suggestions for fostering children's independent reading. NCTE's Position on the Teaching of English: Assumptions and Practice states that in the English/language arts curriculum, students should have guidance and frequent opportunities to work with teachers and other students as a community of learners, observing their teachers as readers and writers. Donalyn Miller, Colby Sharp, Cindy Minnich, and Katherine Sokołowski are the facilitators of the Nerdy Book Club blog (www.nerdybookdub.com), a community-based blog that invites teachers, librarians, authors, illustrators, booksellers, and families to celebrate the artists who write and illustrate for young people and share ideas for engaging children with reading through their caring adults. Since the blog began in 2011, more than 1000 people have contributed their voices to daily posts. Donalyn Miller is a former upper elementary and middle school teacher in Northeast Texas, and author of several books on engaging children with reading, including The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child (Jossey-Bass, 2009).