| Ralph Fletcher | |
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| Born | Ralph Fletcher March 17, 1953 Marshfield, Massachusetts |
| Occupation | young adult novelist, poet, children's book author, educational consultant |
| Spouse(s) | JoAnn Portalupi |
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ralphfletcher.com |
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Ralph Fletcher (born March 17, 1953) is a writer of children's picture books, young-adult fiction and poetry as well as an educational consultant who has also written books for both children and professional educators on the craft of writing.
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Ralph Fletcher grew up in Marshfield, Massachusetts. He is the oldest of nine children.[1] Each of his parents was one of eight children.[2] He received his B.A. degree from Dartmouth College in 1975 and his M.F.A degree in writing from Columbia University in 1983.[3] In college he participated in foreign study programs in Tonga in the South Pacific and Sierra Leone, South Africa. After receiving his masters degree, Ralph worked in New York City classrooms as part of the Teacher College writing project.[2] Fletcher currently lives in Lee, New Hampshire.[3] He is married to JoAnn Portalupi with whom he has collaborated on several professional educator books.[4] Together they have four sons.[1]
His young adult novel Uncle Daddy won a Christopher Medal in the Books for Young People, ages 10–12 category in 2002.[5] Fig Pudding, a young adult chapter book by Fletcher, was recommended as one of the ten best books of 1995 by the American Library Association.[6] Fletcher's poetry book I Am Wings was chosen by School Library Journal as one of their best books of 1994.[7]
In 1996, Ralph Fletcher wrote the book "Breathing In, Breathing Out; Keeping A Writer's Notebook". Although this book is geared towards an adult audience, it contributes a better understanding for educators of how to keep a writer's notebook and instill the values within Writer's Workshop for children. Fletcher writes that "keeping a notebook may be the single best way to survive as a writer." This book provides examples of situations in which Fletcher personally used his writer’s notebook for himself to cope, jot down story starters, write poems, let out rage or frustrations, or simply a place to unleash all that was on his mind. The purpose of this book is to allow people to see the value of having a writer’s notebook and allowing it to be “a quiet place to catch your breath and begin writing.”[8] Fletcher provides samples from his own writer's notebook throughout the book to provide a better example of what a writer's notebook truly is.