Not many people become published writers in middle school, yet this has become the norm in Susanna Lang's language arts classes. In 1999, Ms. Lang applied for a grant from the Teachers & Writers Collaborative to fund the publication of an anthology of stories and poems written by her students. The grant was awarded, and Ms. Lang and her eighth graders got to work. Their labor resulted in a book they named Our Hearts in Writing.

Ms. Lang approaches her work with a conviction that all students have stories worth telling, and she gives them opportunities to do so every day. Through journal writing and class discussions, they delve into topics ranging from young love to urban violence. Ms. Lang also makes time for students to listen to other voices. When introducing a new genre of writing-the short story for example-Ms. Lang will immerse her classes in readings from that genre. Her goal is to have students pay close attention to the structure, conventions, and special language of the genre, and to model their own writing after texts they enjoyed reading. Students also share their drafts with her and one another, answering questions and listening to suggestions for giving their stories clarity and force.

When it came time to select the pieces that would be included in the anthology, Ms. Lang left the choice entirely up to the students. She admits that letting go of control as a teacher was difficult, particularly when it was clear to her that students had written better pieces than what they were choosing to include in the book. In situations like this, she had to remind herself that "this project is all about empowering the kids." After weeks of selecting, revising, and editing, Ms. Lang sent a total of 47 pieces to the publisher, Chapbooks for Learning. All but one of her Language Arts students contributed to the book.

Leafing through the table of contents, the reader finds that many pieces deal with love and friendship, while others wrestle with fear and death. A number of students have experienced the loss of someone close to them, often through gang- or drug-related violence. One student wrote a poignant account about witnessing the murder of her half-sister. "Blood, blood was all I saw," she cries, and in her grief she demands to know, "What has society come to these days?"

When the paperback books arrived from the publisher, the students clamored to take home their own copies. Holding the blue books that nearly fit into the palms of their hands, they had a tangible reminder that their voices were recognized, acknowledged, and respected at Marshall. In the preface to the anthology, Ms. Lang wrote, "[My students] have learned that they have a story to tell."

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