About Us

Welcome to the Teaching with Heart, Fire and Poetry website!  This website was inspired by our experience writing, editing, and working with remarkable teachers and other leaders, to create Teaching with Heart, Leading from Within, and Teaching with Fire.

For each of these books, we asked teachers and leaders to write a short reflection on a poem that had meaning for them in their life and work. Each day we would find heartfelt stories and poignant poems in our email inboxes. It was a privilege to be entrusted with their stories and it was a delight to work with the teachers and leaders, shaping and arranging their reflections into books that celebrate and honor those doing good work in the world. The icing on the cake has been the response to the books. Many wrote glowing reviews and even more sent notes thanking us for creating a space where these teachers’ voices, which often echoed their own, could be heard.

We also heard from many who wanted to share poems or tell a story about their work – to continue the conversation begun in the books. In looking around, we didn’t see many websites that post reflections of “every day” teachers (i.e. not well-known or published) – the core of our poetry books.  So we created the Teaching with Heart, Fire & Poetry, so all teachers can share about their life and work .

We encourage you to check out all the ways you can be part of the conversation. We look forward to hearing from you and together creating a lively and meaningful community of inspiration and support for teachers everywhere.

— Sam and Megan

To learn more about Sam’s and Megan’s other books and work, please check out our individual pages.

Our Colleagues and Partners

We have been very fortunate to work with many individuals and organizations that are doing extraordinary work to support teachers and further the vocation of teaching.  Throughout it all, two in particular, the Center for Courage and Renewal and Parker J. Palmer, have been remarkable friends and partners.

The Center for Courage & Renewal: Poetry as a source of reflection and dialogue is one of the many practices you’ll discover via the Center for Courage & Renewal. The Center sponsored many of the books on this website, including:  Teaching with Heart, Leading from Within, and Teaching with Fire. A significant portion of the royalties from the poetry books go to support programs at the Center. The Center also offers professional development and personal renewal programs and a variety of inspiring resources for teachers and leaders.

Parker J. Palmer, founder and Senior Partner of the Center for Courage & Renewal, is a world-renowned writer, speaker and activist who focuses on issues in education, community, leadership, spirituality and social change. He has reached millions worldwide through his nine books, including  The Courage to Teach, Let Your Life Speak, A Hidden Wholeness, and Healing the Heart of Democracy.  We are grateful for his support, wisdom and friendship – and for the wonderful pieces he wrote for each of the poetry anthologies.

Funders and Supporting Institutions: We were fortunate to have the following support in creating the three poetry books: the generosity of The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for funding the writing and editing of Teaching with Fire; the Lily Endowment, Inc., and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation for funding Leading from Within; and the Center for Courage & Renewal for their support of Teaching with Heart, Leading from Within and Teaching with Fire.  We are grateful for their support.