Mary Lou Brandvik was graduated summa cum laude from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, with a B.A. in English and art. She also earned a Masters degree from the University of Illinois. Ms. Brandvik has taught in public schools in Illinois and Minnesota, as well as at Bemidji State University in Minnesota. She was named the 1988 Teacher of the Year of the Bemidji Pubic Schools and in 1991 received the Lila B. Wallace Teacher-Scholar Award from the National Endowment for the Humanities. She is also the author of Writing Process Activities Kit published by The Center for Applied Research in Education.