Ralph Fletcher

July 2026

Ralph Fletcher — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 13:00:23 +0000

Books for Writing Teachers

All year long teachers give, give, give… But that’s not sustainable. Everybody needs time to replenish their batteries. Summer is a time to give back to yourself and refresh the spirit. In that spirit, check out my new book Tapping the Writer Within: Practical Ways to Help All Students Claim Their Wri-dentity for practical, research-based strategies to foster authentic writing, inspire reluctant writers, and help every student embrace their identity as an author (published by Corwin).

After reading this book, Laurey Brevig (a teacher from Garden City, New York) said this:

“Empowering students to see themselves as writers is at the heart of Ralph Fletcher’s new book ‘Tapping the Writer Within.’ Inspiring and highly relevant, it is filled with practical ideas for nurturing community, honoring student choice, cultivating joy, and fostering meaningful talk and reflection. This is the perfect summer read for teachers!”

Books for Young Readers

I’m thrilled to share the cover of my new book coming in 2027:
My Brother the Shadow (published by Hachette).

My Brother the Shadow is a novel-in-verse about two brothers. Marco (6^th grade) watches as his big brother Chase goes off to college only to get involved in serious drug use. Marco takes a photography class; his images illustrate the book. Reading level is age 12 and up. The back jacket copy describes it as an “unflinching look at brotherhood in the face of addiction.”

Kate Messner, author of The Trouble with Heroes, read the novel in manuscript and has this to say: “If you know middle school boys who think they don’t like reading, Ralph Fletcher’s My Brother the Shadow is the novel to put in their hands. Written in beautifully crafted and accessible verse complemented by evocative photographs, this book is a gem.”

My Brother the Shadow will be published winter of 2027. The publisher will release it as an audio book around the same time. I’ll let you know when it’s available for pre—order.

The Writer's Notebook

Remember those summer days back when you were a kid…and played with your friends from dawn to dusk? Play is the work of childhood, isn’t that what they say? Well, grownups, too, need time to play—and we don’t get much of it. A writer’s notebook is the perfect place let your writing go without deadline, pressure, or constraint. In your notebook you might:

experiment with a picture book idea.
draft lyrics for a song.
make a list of the humorous sayings spoken by a grandchild.
recall and record advice your wise grandmother gave you.
take a stab at a screenplay, or a Netflix series.

Don Murray, an important mentor of mine, encouraged people to “do the writing only you want to do.” Do you have an idea that has been tugging at your sleeve, but you never quite got around to writing? A notebook gives you the idea place to make a start—especially during summer months when you have (hopefully) stretches of open time. In my book A Writer’s Notebook: Unlocking the Writer Within You, you’ll find lots of invitations for how a blank notebook can help you find your stride as a writer.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Embrace the Element of Surprise

In June, I went on a nature photo trip to British Columbia, Canada, to photograph loons and owls. So much fun! I’m reminded that strong photos often contain something surprising or unexpected: the reflection of the water stream, or the way the shadow of the chick falls on the parent.

(Click to enlarge photos.)

Surprise is important in writing too. A 3^rd grader describes her house while baking cookies with her grandma: “The whole house smelled happy.” A surprising description, an unexpected sentence, a word used in a new way, can lift humdrum writing into something special and memorable.

I’m looking forward to joining Georgia Heard and 28 writers for the Quoddy Writing Retreat in Downeast Maine. It’s a week full of writing, play, companionship, inspiration, laughter—and lobster! This retreat fills up quickly. Hit me up if you’re interested in joining us the summer of 2027.

That’s it for now! Keep the writing flame lit!

Ralph Fletcher

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May 2026

Ralph Fletcher — Thu, 14 May 2026 18:53:51 +0000

May 2026

Books for Writing Teachers

Tapping the Writer Within explores “wri-dentity,” how we can help students come to see themselves as writers. My book includes ten chapters, each with a practical doorway into wri-dentity. One of the most powerful strategies involves reflection, inviting kids to reflect on themselves as writers. Ask them to respond to two things:

I am a writer. (True) (False)

I feel most like a writer when ___________________.

Some teachers ask students to draw a picture of themselves in a writing classroom. These drawings are revealing. Is the student smiling, or not? Is the teacher smiling? How far or close is the student to the teacher? Invite students to write a sentence or two beneath the drawing.

Reflection serves two purposes: it encourages students to claim their identity. But students’ reflections are helpful to us, as well. They let us know what is, and isn’t, working in the writing classroom.

Book Give-away!

Follow my Ralph Fletcher, Author page on Facebook for a chance to win a free copy of Tapping the Writer Within. Every follower is automatically entered into the giveaway. Deadline is May 25 — only one winner, so join today and don’t miss out!

Books for Young Readers

I’ll soon be sharing exciting news about a novel-in-verse that will be published next winter. It’s an intense book! Meanwhile I want to mention my book Marshfield Dreams: When I Was a Kid. The book features short chapters about everyday incidents. It’s the kind of book that will encourage kids to write about events from their own life.

Marshfield Dreams begins with a map of the neighborhood where I grew up:

If kids can’t think of what they might write about, invite them to make a map of their neighborhood. They can use words to mark a place where something happened. Many kids find that drawing is a useful way of prewriting, planning for what they will write.

The Writer's Notebook

The end of the school year is fast approaching and we’re sailing into summer. If you want to keep your kids writing over the summer (and who doesn’t!), A Writer’s Notebook: Unlocking the Writer Within You can help them do just that! It’s written with kid-friendly language and includes many invitations that encourage them to write.

Chapter 10 is titled “Writing That Scrapes the Heart.” Adults often forget that children have an intense inner life; they feel things deeply. A writer’s notebook gives them a safe space to share thoughts/feelings. This chapter includes many examples of kids writing from the heart in their notebooks.

Photography

Focus is important in writing, and just as important in photography. Although I wanted to include the entire wingspan in this photo, I finally decided that those orange talons were the real focus. So, I clipped the wings and zoomed in on the face, body, and talons.

My book Focus Lessons: How Photography Enhances the Teaching of Writing has many craft lessons that connect writing with photography

News

The third annual Quoddy Writing Retreat kicks off on July 25 in Lubec Maine. Georgia Heard and I are excited to work with 26 people who want to go deeper into their writing. The Quoddy Writing Retreat is a rich experience—lots of inspiration, writing, bonding with fellow writers, exploring the area, and time to play. Oh yes, and lobster! This retreat fills up quickly, so let me know if you might be interested. We start taking reservations just after the new year.

Garrison Keillor always ends The Writer’s Almanac with these words:

“Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.” Yes, and KEEP WRITING!

Ralph Fletcher

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April 2026

Ralph Fletcher — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 12:00:46 +0000

A newsletter—first issue! (Just think: this could be a collector’s item!) I’m planning to publish this newsletter once a month, or whenever I have news to share. The newsletter will be a way you can find out what I’m thinking, and what’s going on in my life. I think of the newsletter as a place for me to share practical tidbits and strategies that writing teachers might bring into the classroom.

Books for Writing Teachers

My new book—Tapping the Writer Within: Practical Ways to Help All Students Claim Their Wri-dentity—was published in February. I combined the words writing and identity to forge a brand-new word: WRI-DENTITY. My book takes a close look at how we move from “I do” to “I am.” I’ve come to realize that I have been circling this idea (students’ identity-as-a-writer) in many of my other books.

Tapping the Writer Within looks at identity in the practical sense of the word, such as when a student says: “I’m a soccer player.” “I’m a big brother.” “I’m a Christian.” We want all our students to say: “I’m a reader.” In the same way, we want them to say with confidence: “I’m a writer.”

In the new book I offer practical structures, routines, and strategies to build that identity in our students. I include a chapter on how to deal with the “Never-Writer”—that kid who says: “I hate writing!” I suggest ways we can give a student like that a fresh start.

Stay tuned for more news about Tapping the Writer Within. In next month or so I’ll be hosting a book give-away. And I’m eager to hear from teachers who have read this book.

* Use code SAVE20 on Corwin.com for a 20% discount. *

Books for Young Readers

Here are a few highlights on some of my books for young readers:

APRIL 28 IS FLYING SOLO DAY!!! The enitre Flying Solo book (well, 99.5% of it) takes place on April 28. Flying Solo Day will soon be a national holiday! Okay, well, maybe not, but it definitely SHOULD be, right?!

A teacher from Alabama contacted me with exciting news. Her fourth graders did a March Book Madness. Unbeknownst to me, my picture book (The World’s Loneliest Elephant: The True Story of Kavaan and his Rescue) was entered into the competition. My book faced My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother by Patricia Palocco in the finals. I felt honored—honestly, LOVE that book. In fact, when my son Robert was in 4^th grade, he actually dressed up as the rotten redheaded brother. So I was astonished, gobsmacked, flabbergasted to learn that The World’s Loneliest Elephant won! Go Kavaan!

The Writer's Notebook

My most important book is one that has never been published, and never will be. My writer’s notebook feeds my other, published books. I use my writer’s notebook to collect things anything that I find interesting, surprising, funny, weird or shocking. Exactly what things do I collect? Well, you name it: I collect quotes, sentences from books or articles, jokes, rock lyrics, facts, stats. I collect ideas for books or poems I might write. For instance, right now I’m playing around with an idea to write a picture book about bird nests. (Don’t tell anybody!) Here’s a page from my writer’s notebook:

Photography

In the past ten years I have become a serious photographer. My photos have appeared in the New Hampshire Wildlife Journal, the California Reading Journal, among others. I love taking pictures! And I’ve come to realize that capturing images gives me another way to tell stories. I specialize in nature photography—mostly birds. My passion for photography has taken me to many beautiful places all over the world.

Check out these two (click to enlarge.):

KEEP READING and WRITING!

Well, that’s it for now. Feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone you think who might be interested. You can contact me directly at figpudding@gmail.com

Ralph Fletcher

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