Most Popular Books by Emily Graves

Poetry. Emily Graves'' BALLAD OF THE BREATHLESS consists of themes divided into five parts entitled Learning the Art of Motion, Wings of the Engine, A Rare Moment In Which We Are Entirely Permeable, Thirsting for the Big Scrub, and This Wall Has Several Exits. She actively collaborates with artist Jessica Dickinson whose art appears in the collection. In Graves'' work, "there is a muscularity of language, a density of image that takes the reader inside experience"-Julia Landsman. Emily Graves'' travels to Central America, Europe, Thailand, the U.K., and South America have informed much of her later work. She received a BA from the Honors Program at the University of Minnesota and an MA from New York University.

Soon after receiving her Bachelor''s Degree, Emily Graves was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and given a prognosis that she would be confined to a wheelchair within ten years. Shortly thereafter, pregnant with her first and only child, Emily''s kidneys shut down. Thus, began a new chapter in Emily''s life: balancing chronic illness, motherhood, and the professional ambitions that had caused her to excel as an academic and meet her husband. Today she is still fighting chronic illness, but she has found some answers as to how to manage that fight while being a good mother and spouse and continuing to pursue her professional ambitions. In this book, Emily chronicles the challenges and successes and shares her experience-and tips-with other mothers suffering from chronic illness. A formula for surviving and thriving, this book is meant as a source of inspiration and support for any mother who has to do the impossible every single day.

Linguistic diversity provides even greater challenges for our educational system. English Language Learners (ELLs) are a diverse population of students who are learning English in school. They come from numerous cultural and economic backgrounds, and live throughout the country. The task of the classroom teacher is to find a way to reach these children. Language minority students and limited English proficient students are one of the fastest growing groups of students in the United States. About 50% of all public school teachers will teach an ESL student sometime in their career (Samway & McKeon, 1999). Allowing students to use their native language facilitates cognitive and academic growth. Research has shown that children who learn using their native language and also English did not delay their acquisition of English language skills (Samway & McKeon, 1999). Sign language provides a bridge between their native language and English as their spoken language.