SRC Conference 2010

Melbourne Beach Crown Plaza,
May 7 - 8, 2010

Mention SRC to Receive a CONFERENCE DISCOUNT
when registering for a room!
http://www.cpmelbourne.com/

Roland Smith is a zookeeper turned children's author who has carved a niche for himself both in nonfiction and fiction with such award-winning titles as Sea Otter Rescue, Journey of the Red Wolf, Thunder Cave, Jaguar, and Sasquatch. Blending action and adventure with accurate scientific detail, Smith's fiction has been praised by critics and applauded by young-adult readers, while his nonfiction works are marked by readability and feature detailed insider information told in an accessible manner. "When you read his books," a Storyworks writer noted of Smith's work, "you almost feel like you're inside the story, seeing through the eyes of his characters."

Born in Portland, Oregon, Smith formed a love of reading and writing early in his life.  After graduating from high school, Smith attended Portland State University, studying English and biology. A work-study program led to part-time work at the Portland's children's zoo, which he thought might provide some interesting material to write about. Instead, the program led to a more-than-twenty-year career in zoo keeping, first at Portland's main zoo, and then at the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, Washington, where Smith became general curator and assistant director, as well as senior research biologist. While working as a zookeeper and research biologist, Smith never lost his love of writing, and he spent time early each morning teaching himself the basics of the writing craft.  As Smith notes on his Web site, "My writing led me to animals and my work with animals led me back to writing.”

To learn more about Roland Smith and check out all his books go to http://www.rolandsmith.com

Mari Mancusi used to wish she could become a vampire back in high school. But she ended up in another blood sucking profession --journalism -- instead. Today she works as a television producer for a women's lifestyle show in Manhattan and has won two Emmys. As if writing and TV producing weren't enough to keep her busy, Mari also enjoys snowboarding, clubbing, shopping, 80s music, and her favorite guilty pleasure--video games. She lives in New York City with her very sweet dog, Molly

To see more of Mari, you must see Teen Books with a Bite!.

High School in Centerville, Tennessee. He holds a

B.A. in Fine Arts and an M.A. in Comparative Literature,

both from the University of California, Irvine.

He has published many articles and short

works of fiction. Mark writes, plays guitar and violin, and

swing dances. He also enjoys playing in chess

tournaments and declares that he really is a

better player than his rating would indicate.

He lives with his cats (Hamlet, Ophelia, and

ReLeah Cossett Lent was a teacher for more than twenty years before becoming a founding member of a statewide literacy project at the University of Central Florida. She is now a consultant, writing and speaking about adolescent literacy issues. Her three most recent books include Literacy for Real: Reading, Thinking and Learning in the Content Areas (Teachers College Press), Engaging Adolescent Learners: A Guide for Content-Area Teachers (Heinemann) and Literacy Learning Communities: A Guide for Creating Sustainable Change in Secondary Schools (Heinemann).  ReLeah’s first two books, co-authored with Gloria Pipkin and published by Heinemann, At the Schoolhouse Gate: Lessons in Intellectual Freedom and Silent No More: Stories of Courage in American Schools, won  the American Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Award and the NCTE/Slate Intellectual Freedom Award.  ReLeah was also the recipient of the PEN/Newman’s Own First Amendment Award in 1999. Her latest project with Jimmy Santiago Baca is a new teaching resource for reaching at-risk adolescents, which includes a book and DVD titled Adolescents on the Edge, Stories and Lessons to Transform Learning.