ABSTRACT
The stories of children, teachers, researchers, and families that fill the pages of this book are evidence that reclaiming writing has already begun. Indeed, the thirst and hunger of the human spirit to put thoughts to paper, screen, art, or other media begins at a very young age and cannot be erased by a law, policy, or mandate. We think the essence of our humanity is the stories that we carry with us: stories of hope, activism, reaction, love, surprise, desire, hatred, and more. Stories originate from our relationships and experiences, and we compose stories and stories compose us throughout our lifetimes. O'Brien (1990) writes about the reasons for stories:
Stories are for joining the past to the future. Stories are for those late hours in the night when you can't remember how you got from where you were to where you are. Stories are for eternity, when memory is erased, when there is nothing to remember except the story. (p. 36)
