I recently contributed an essay entitled English 213, "Diaries and Diarists," to this forthcoming volume of essays on Teaching Life Writing Texts, which is part of the Modern Language Association's Options for Teaching Series. Information about this volume of essays is outlined below by the editors, Professors Craig Howes and Miriam Fuchs, of the University of Hawaii.

July 31, 2003

Suzanne L. Bunkers
Dept. of English
Minnesota State University
Mankato, MN 56001

Dear Suzanne:

The MLA has approved the most recent version of our proposal, and suggested
a publishing schedule for the Teaching Life Writing Texts volume in its
Options for Teaching Series. We are now asking you officially to contribute
the brief essay you proposed on ³Diaries and Diarists.²

We hope that a January 1, 2004 deadline will give you enough time to
complete the essay. We will make editorial suggestions early in the new
year; the entire volume will go to the MLA for final peer review in the
early Spring. 

The required length for your essay will be 2500 words. Here are some general
guidelines for you to consider while writing:

I. Given the interdisciplinary nature of life writing, and the disciplines
represented in the Modern Language Association, we urge you, when
appropriate, to include texts or to address themes in ways that support the
volume¹s commitment to historical range, and to texts not originally written
in English. 

II. Make sure that readers know something about the students you are
teaching‹-their educational level, economic or social background, their
institutional environment. You should also indicate whether your essay is
describing a semester or a quarter course, a life-writing unit within an
interdisciplinary course, or a general approach that can be adapted to
specific texts or locations.

III. Especially since these essays are quite brief, we do not want to impose
a uniform structure. You should however address pedagogical objectives and
methodology. Since the field of life writing provides the organizing
principle for the volume, you should also discuss the theoretical texts and
assumptions that inform your teaching, and in particular, how they enter the
classroom. 

IV. To help us when responding to your essay, and with shaping the volume¹s
bibliography, we would appreciate receiving a syllabus if you are describing
a course, or copies of any supporting materials you supply students if you
are describing an approach to a single text or theme.

V. We are sending a copy of this letter by e-mail, so that you have the
deadline information immediately. A hard copy will be mailed to the address
listed above. The letter will contain an ³Author Questionnaire,² and the MLA
directions for manuscript preparation (including margins, spacing, and
underlinings), documentation, and electronic disks. Content notes should be
avoided. Remember to return the ³Author Questionnaire² with your essay.

VI. In accordance with MLA policy on book publications, the editors reserve
the right to reject or to request revision of manuscripts that do not
conform to the guidelines or that fall below the quality expected from
contributors.

If you have any questions about this stage, or any other parts of this
process, please get in touch. We look forward to receiving your essay, and
eventually, to seeing this volume in print.
   
Yours sincerely,
Craig Howes      Miriam Fuchs
Co-Editor        Co-editor