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Creative Research Methods: A Practical Guide Second Edition

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• ISBN-10 1447356748
• ISBN-13 978-1447356745
• Edition Second
• Publication date October 14, 2020
• Language English
• Dimensions 6.77 x 0.73 x 9.45 inches
• Print length 320 pages
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About the author, product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Policy Press; Second edition (October 14, 2020)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1447356748
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1447356745
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.25 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.77 x 0.73 x 9.45 inches
• #463 in Social Sciences Methodology
• #777 in Education Research (Books)
• #904 in Social Sciences Research

About the author

Helen Kara is a leading independent researcher, author, teacher and speaker specialising in creative research methods, radical research ethics, and creative academic writing. With over 25 years’ experience as an independent researcher Helen teaches doctoral students and staff at higher education institutions worldwide. She is a prolific academic author with over 25 titles; notably Creative Research Methods: A Practical Guide (2nd edn) and Research and Evaluation for Busy Students and Practitioners (3rd edn). Besides her regular blogs and videos, she also writes comics and fiction. Helen is a Visiting Fellow at the National University of Australia and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. In 2021, at the age of 56, she was diagnosed autistic. Her neurodiversity explains her lifelong fascination with, and ability to focus on, words, language and writing.

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• Creative Research Methods in the Social Sciences: A Practical Guide

In this Book

• Kara, Helen
• Published by: Bristol University Press

Table of Contents

• Title Page, Copyright
• List of figures and tables
• Debts of gratitude
• pp. vii-viii
• How this book can help
• 1. Introducing creative research
• 2. Creative research methods in practice
• 3. Creative research methods and ethics
• 4. Creative thinking
• 5. Gathering data
• 6. Analysing data
• 7. Writing for research
• pp. 121-136
• 8. Presentation
• pp. 137-160
• 9. Dissemination, implementation and knowledge exchange
• pp. 161-178
• 10. Conclusion
• pp. 179-182
• pp. 183-212
• pp. 213-221

Additional Information

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The Art of Creative Research

A field guide for writers.

Philip Gerard

240 pages | 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 | © 2017

Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing

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“Many authors writing a book about research would end it once all of the tips and tricks have been covered. Gerard is to be commended for an approach that, from the very first pages, is sensitive to the fact that the point of all of this research is to produce a piece of writing. He closes the book with craft-focused advice on how to breathe life into the research one has done and translating it onto the page. Writers will find time-honored advice about including sensory details, developing narrative voice, and how to write a scene that one has not witnessed firsthand.”

Hippocampus Magazine

“Gerard fills in a missing part of our thinking about ‘creative writing’: how we inform ourselves. In nonfiction in particular, the writer can only write what she knows, and Gerard offers a map for how to get to a place of knowing. The research for artful writing must itself be artful, he says, and extend beyond Google into other kinds of archive. I love and recommend this book.”

Ted Conover, author of Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing and Immersion: A Writer’s Guide to Going Deep

“Is it wrong to use the word ‘thrilling’ for a book about research? Maybe, but as a longtime writing teacher, I am thrilled by the ideas in this book, ideas that push writers away from their small and self-conscious matter and outward into the greater world. Gerard shows us that research and creativity, far from being two opposite poles, are forever intertwined. This book is an inspiring map that leads us into the world of research, a world large enough to hold both romance and hard fact.”

David Gessner, author of All the Wild That Remains: Edward Abbey, Wallace Stegner, and the American West

“What book on research starts with a love song to its subject? This one. Gerard’s voice here is warm and closely engaged—for him, the creative part of research is captivating. He loves it absolutely. The Art of Creative Research includes poetry and fiction as well as narrative nonfiction. It’s a handbook and field guide for all genres and all tech levels, from Moleskine notebooks to smartpens and Evernote.”

Diana Hume George, author of The Lonely Other: A Woman Watching America and Oedipus Anne: The Poetry of Anne Sexton

“Gerard just flat-out gets it. The Art of Creative Research reveals the true heart of a writer’s quest for knowledge. Gerard understands that research is art and craft. He knows that a great book on research has to cover the philosophical and the practical. He covers technology and humanity, the latest software and the old-school tools. He understands that research is at its core about the human need to know. Every writer, teacher, and student out there ought to read this book. Gerard has done the rarest of things: He’s written an indispensable book.”

Joe Mackall, author of Plain Secrets: An Outsider among the Amish and cofounder of River Teeth: A Journal of Nonfiction Narrative

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Review: The Art of Creative Research by Philip Gerard

September 1, 2017.

Reviewed by Vicki Mayk

Gerard begins by explaining what creative research is and how to use it. He quotes nonfiction writer and journalist Bronwen Dickey who warns that writers must maintain a sense of skepticism when researching. Dickey states, “As a writer, the most important tool in your toolbox is the question: ‘How do you know that?’ ” Gerard explains that research in its many forms — from primary historical documents to personal interviews — provides writers with an answer to that question. Even while he’s endorsing research as a tool, he’s quick to include a caveat: Writers should be wary of falling so in love with research that they never get around to writing.

From that lively introduction, the book provides an easy-to-read, step-by-step plan for conducting research. He begins with a chapter on preparing a research plan, a how-to approach that includes suggestions for ways that research can help a writer find the focus of his project. It also includes ideas for how to get started, stemming from the most basic question, “What do I need to find out?” Gerard also addresses the topic of access — an issue that is crucial to scoring important interviews with people key to a book’s topic or obtaining the right to review documents integral to the writer’s work. His approach is practical and based on years of success gaining access for his own projects. His personal experience is also evident in the chapter on tools of the trade, which reviews everything from digital recorders to how to organize materials such as interview transcripts. The reader benefits from an approach that is practical and grounded in real life. While he quotes many seasoned writers, such as Tracy Kidder, Susan Orlean, and Rita Dove, Gerard also shares his personal expertise.

A series of chapters examines in detail how to deal with specific kinds of research materials and sources: archives, the internet (with the now-familiar warnings about the unreliability of Wikipedia), and something that Gerard calls “the archives of memory, imagination and personal expertise.” Writers of memoir will find this last bit particularly helpful. Among the very useful advice shared is the suggestion that writers can cross-reference their personal story with newspaper accounts and other official records of the day. Gerard also urges writers not to “paper over discrepancies” between remembered events and researched accounts, but to use the contrasting accounts to their advantage in exploring what may have happened.

A chapter on “The Warm Art of the Interview” provides many useful tips about how to conduct an interview that is more conversation than interrogation. Gerard also explores how to gain information and insights by actually visiting locations and examining objects, from guns to vintage jewelry. He includes practical advice on troubleshooting and fact checking. It is noteworthy that he also spends time discussing how a writer can deal with stress that may result from dealing with emotionally charged material and sensitive interviews.

Many authors writing a book about research would end it once all of the tips and tricks have been covered. Gerard is to be commended for an approach that, from the very first pages, is sensitive to the fact that the point of all of this research is to produce a piece of writing. He closes the book with craft-focused advice on how to breathe life into the research one has done and translating it onto the page. Writers will find time-honored advice about including sensory details, developing narrative voice, and how to write a scene that one has not witnessed firsthand.

Every page of The Art of Creative Research is filled with examples of books, poems, and essays in which research was key to their success.  The fact that all genres are covered makes Gerard’s book an especially valuable craft book — and one that is well worth consulting.

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The Art of Creative Research

A field guide for writers.

• Philip Gerard
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• Language: English
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Copyright year: 2017
• Audience: Professional and scholarly;
• Main content: 240
• Keywords: research ; observation ; exploration ; writing ; fieldwork ; archives ; imagination ; creativity ; nonfiction ; guide ; manual ; academia ; graduate school ; grad students ; authors ; journalism ; reporting ; authenticity ; information gathering ; interviews ; notes ; records ; fact checking ; memory ; conversation ; anthropology ; sociology ; folklore ; methodology
• Published: February 23, 2017
• ISBN: 9780226179940

College & Research Libraries ( C&RL ) is the official, bi-monthly, online-only scholarly research journal of the Association of College & Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association.

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• Research is an Activity and a Subject of Study: A Proposed Metaconcept and Its Practical Application (73649 views)
• Information Code-Switching: A Study of Language Preferences in Academic Libraries (39067 views)
• Three Perspectives on Information Literacy in Academia: Talking to Librarians, Faculty, and Students (27513 views)

Unframing the Visual: Visual Literacy Pedagogy in Academic Libraries and Information Spaces, Maggie Murphy, Stephanie Beene, Katie Greer, Sara Schumacher, and Dana Statton Thompson (eds.), ACRL, 2024. 452p. Softcover, $108.00. 9780838939918

Visual information is everywhere. Not only that, but visuals are multidisciplinary, making it imperative to be able to analyze, examine, modify, read, and question them both as a part of everyday life, as well as in higher education. While for years librarians have been steeped in the concept of teaching information literacy, Unframing the Visual encourages us to consider the importance of visual literacy education to students, faculty, and the overall campus community.

This extensive anthology was inspired by the 2022 Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework for Visual Literacy in Higher Education: Companion Document to the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, also known as “the VL Framework.” That title is a mouthful, and the size of this book is likewise expansive; it includes an abundant collection of research and experience related to visual literacy pedagogy.

The book’s five editors were members of the task force that authored the VL Framework. Chapter authors are just as diverse as the visual literacy tools they describe, coming from a variety of library types, locations, and backgrounds. Many different areas of librarianship are represented, including instruction, museums, special collections, DEIA, and more, making it an ideal addition to any academic library’s shelf.

The book is divided into four sections that echo the VL Framework’s themes: “Participating in a Changing Visual Information Landscape,” “Perceiving Visuals as Communicating Information,” “Practicing Visual Discernment and Criticality,” and “Pursuing Social Justice through Visual Practice.” Each section includes an introduction written by an editor and VL Framework author, plus six peer-reviewed chapters that relate to the theme. Multiple chapters make the connection between visual literacy and information literacy, noting that one does not exclude the other. As stated in Chapter 4, “to be information literate is to be visually literate” (p. 54).

Chapter topics include case studies to enhance understanding of the what, how, and why of using visual literacy in the academic library profession. While the book is lengthy at over 450 pages, it includes valuable takeaways and, of course, appealing visual examples throughout the text. All chapters include copious references and bibliographies for further reading, allowing serious researchers to delve deeper. Some chapters also include supplementary materials—such as lesson plans, worksheets, classroom discussion questions, and survey instruments—that will prove helpful to those wanting to recreate these authors’ successes.

As an outreach librarian who coordinates my academic library’s social media accounts, I found the first three chapters, which focus on “remix media” and online trends, especially relevant to my mission to reach and engage my users online. In Chapter 3, the writers take this concept a step further by encouraging libraries to use social media to not only reach their audiences, but also to educate them. Visual copyright, plagiarism, appropriation, and attribution are also mentioned throughout the book, which are topics most all library marketing professionals struggled with.

Part 2 of the book focuses on literary instruction and inclusivity, and includes topics such as data visualization and visual rhetoric. Authors assert that visual literacy can be used to teach students about academic honesty and integrity, skills that will help them throughout their college career and into the professional environment. Subject librarians will be happy to know that a wide variety of disciplines are used as examples throughout the book’s numerous case studies, including the humanities, social sciences, health sciences, and interdisciplinary studies.

The book wisely extends the definition of “visuals” to include more than just images; discussions on a variety graphic formats—including infographics, comics, memes, diagrams, videos, and more—augment the book. One of the more eye-opening chapters was Chapter 11, “Collaborative Approaches to Teaching and Building Visual Literacies,” written by librarians from UCLA who used visual modalities to “frame library instruction and create instructional objects” to better engage learners. This chapter will be especially helpful for librarians who may not have the skills, nor time, to create new visual resources, and who may instead wish to “reframe” existing resources through collaboration.

The importance of evaluating visuals is a prominent theme, especially in Part 3, which is dedicated to the VL Framework theme “learners practice visual discernment and criticality” (p. 151). Just as librarians used to champion the CRAAP test to evaluate text resources, several chapters in this section promote the need for incorporating critical visual literacy into library instruction. Visuals are not without their issues, however, and several chapters focus on accessibility concerns. In Chapter 19, “What We Aren’t Seeing: Exclusionary Practices in Visual Media,” authors Smith and Malinowski point to the need for visual media inclusivity via critical design, as well as the role of information professionals in addressing exclusionary practices. “Learning and unlearning are necessary,” they state, “and we as a profession should continue to position ourselves to evolve accordingly” (p. 339).

Unframing the Visual contains a vast amount of information and numerous case studies on the importance of libraries teaching, using, learning, and evaluating visual literacy. While a casual reader may balk at the book’s sheer size, any librarian—particularly those who work in user engagement or instruction—will be sure to find a chapter that resonates with them. If nothing else, librarians will have their eyes opened to the sheer number of visuals that surround us daily, and, hopefully, will reconsider how academic libraries can better utilize visual to inform and connect with learners. — Maria Atilano, Student Engagement Librarian, University of North Florida

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NEWS & EVENTS

Merrimack’s annual research & creative conference showcases cutting-edge warrior scholarship.

• May 3, 2024
• By: Michael Cronin

More than 200 students showcased research projects and creative works from over the past year during Merrimack College’s annual Research and Creative Achievement Conference (RCAC) on May 2.

The event opened with the Department of Visual & Performing Arts’ Student Exhibition in the Rogers Center. The McCoy Gallery showcased sculpture, sheet music and audio recordings of original music, short animation and live-action films, graphic designs and children’s books.

Kristina McCarthy ’24, a music and communications double-major, tracked how Merrimack College’s theater and performing arts program fared financially in the post-pandemic world. Declan Hurley ’24, a U.S. history major with a minor in graphic design, sought to blend his two passions by drafting four potential alternatives of the Massachusetts state flag.

“Early on, I had four designs that I thought were it but I realized I had to research further into American Indian culture,” he said. “I had to start from scratch, and I learned a lot about the people who used to inhabit this land.”

The RCAC poster session, held in the Sakowich Center’s Multipurpose Room, sees undergraduate and graduate students presenting and outlining original research work conducted during the academic year.

Benjamin Berube M’24, currently enrolled in Merrimack’s athletic training graduate program, discussed his use of low-level laser therapy during clinical rotations at Harvard and Holy Cross. Across the room, Caroline Applin ’24, a marketing major, outlined the ins and outs of Starbucks’ ubiquitous brand identity along with her classmates James Comeau ’24, Mike McLaughlin ’24 and Tyler Mitchell ’24.

“We’ve seen no (TV) commercials at all for Starbucks unless it’s in the UK,” she said of the inspiration behind the research. “They only market on social media, and I was confused why they were still the top coffee brand and have such a great brand identity.”

In the School of Arts and Sciences corner, Liz Johnson ’24, a social justice major with a minor in political science, studied the effects of harmful diet cultures on social media users. Also, Alania DiBlasi’s M’24 master’s of social work capstone focused on the self-efficiency and confidence levels of fellow recent social work graduates.

“It was inspired by my internship at Blueskies Behavioral Health Services,” she explained. “I was talking to my supervisor and we found that there were common trends with interns not feeling super confident in the field, especially with talking to clients about complex trauma situations. We were speaking about things she could implement to help these interns.”

Finally, in the late afternoon, students in the School of Engineering & Computational Sciences presented their work at Merrimack’s East Campus buildings.

Over at 510 Turnpike St., Rachel Kunz ’24, Matthew Gilliand ’24 and Caroline Collins ’24 – all data science majors – discussed their project looking for correlations between physical activity, cigarette smoking and depression in adults living with HIV. Next door, at 530 Turnpike St., Arden Dioslaki ’24, a civil engineering major, showed off her catalog of sediment thickness in various states across the U.S.

“We can use this information in studying earthquake ground motions and developing models on how sedimentary basins affect (them),” she stated.

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Six book marketing strategies proven by real authors.

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So, how can authors best bridge their ideas and their audience? I'm a No. 1 bestselling author and the founder of a company that provides tailored high-impact authority positioning and coaching. Here's a little gem from my experiences: Hosting interactive virtual book readings works well. I've tailored these sessions to my non-fiction work, diving deep into key themes, sparking discussions and engaging directly with readers. This wasn't just about promoting a book—it was a chance to connect, share insights and build a community. The result? A stronger reader bond and boosted sales.

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1. Send A Copy To Top Executives

Sending a copy to top executives is a great way of sharing your message. Reading equals time, which equals money. I let them off the reading hook by encouraging them to "grab a pull quote when you need a snack of inspiration." This is how I've received endorsements as well as sales when leaders "grabbed" my book, Empathy: A Guide to Maximizing Human Potential , on the fly and then purchased it for their teams. - Sharon A. Kuhn , Sharon Kuhn Consulting

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Imessage s lock on america is this really the beginning of the end, a psychologist explains the difference between psychopaths and sociopaths, 2. incorporate your book's theme whenever possible.

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More than a quarter of readers of YA are over the age of 28 research shows

Report commissioned by HarperCollins shows that uptake in YA fiction in older readers is due to behavioural changes described as ‘emerging adulthood’ or delaying ‘adult’ life

Young adult fiction such as The Hunger Games, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and the Heartstopper graphic novels might be aimed at teenagers – but new research has shown that more than a quarter of readers of YA in the UK are over the age of 28.

Research commissioned by publisher HarperCollins, in collaboration with Nielsen Book, the UK book industry’s data provider, suggests that a growing number of adult readers have been reading YA fiction since 2019. According to the report, 74% of YA readers were adults, and 28% were over the age of 28. The research suggests this is due to behavioural changes described as “emerging adulthood”: young people growing up more slowly and delaying “adult” life. The feelings of instability and “in-betweenness” this can cause has led to young adults seeking solace in young adult fiction – and for some these books remain a source of comfort as they grow older.

YA is “just another genre to enjoy” for 34-year-old video games producer and author Amy Jones. “I know there’s an idea of YA as being ‘fluffy’ or not as worthy to read as adult fiction, but I disagree – while there are, like there are in any genre, examples of badly written or poorly plotted YA, there are also total masterpieces – Fangirl, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, The Hate U Give, A Wrinkle in Time, these are all books that tackle deeply important issues such as identity, growing up, racism, family and grief, and are beautifully written,” she said.

Katherine Webber Tsang, author of the bestselling Twin Crowns YA fantasy series, along with her co-writer (and sister-in-law) Catherine Doyle, said she has both adult and teenage fans. “I like to say that the Twin Crowns series is for everyone aged 13 and up,” she said. “At a recent signing, a mother and her teen daughter said they both love reading the Twin Crowns books and that the series had brought them closer, which was so lovely to hear!”

According to HarperCollins’ report, the association between reading for pleasure and wellbeing is reflected in the growing popularity of young adult books, “with readers of all ages increasingly turning to YA as a source of comfort, nostalgia and self-care”.

Literary travel blogger Julia Mitchell said reading has “frequently given [her] the strength to keep on going when life is difficult.

“Young adult literature helps with this in particular”, added the 29-year-old. “I find these stories easy to immerse myself in and there’s much to learn, even though the characters are younger than me.”

Jones thinks there are two reasons why YA could be classed as “self-care”. The first is that it is “often more accessible than a lot of adult fiction due to being written specifically for slightly younger readers, so reading for pleasure when you’re tired or stressed becomes less taxing.” The second is that “YA books are often heavily plot-driven, so as a form of escapism they’re perfect”.

The research also showed that 29% of 14- to 25-year-olds “strongly think of themselves as a reader”, with many of these young people choosing to build an identity around books online, on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. Of the young people surveyed who answered “very true” to the statement “I think of myself as a reader” 40% described themselves as “very happy”. In contrast, 21% of those who did not think of themselves as readers described themselves as “very happy”.

Alison David, consumer insight director at HarperCollins, said the research “suggests wellbeing comes from more than the act of reading (relaxation, escapism, the content itself). The psychology of being a reader is enormously powerful.”

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Webber Tsang said she has noticed that it has become more “cool” for young people to call themselves a reader. “I think the fact that readers have so many opportunities to connect with each other online, and to attend events where they can meet each other and also the authors, means that they are more likely to feel proud of being a reader,” she said.

Although most of the young people surveyed said they recognised and experienced the benefits of reading, the research showed that only 16% of 14-25s read daily or nearly every day for pleasure. Boys between the ages of 14 and 17 were more likely to be disengaged from reading, with 38% saying they rarely or never read for pleasure. Over half of both boys (55%) and girls (63%) said they had too much schoolwork to read books for fun. Cally Poplak, managing director of HarperCollins Children’s Books and Farshore, noted that while it is “really encouraging” to see that young people have a positive attitude towards books, “the vast majority of young people are not reading every day.

“How do we tackle this contradiction that today’s young people, who are already being referred to as the ‘anxious generation’ know reading is good for them, but still aren’t picking up books?” she added.

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Congratulations to Theatre Arts Faculty Andrea Caban on receiving the 2024 Distinguished Faculty Scholarly and Creative Achievement Award!

Andrea Caban is an Associate Professor, Head of Voice & Speech, Co-Director, and designated Master Teacher of Knight-Thompson Speechwork™. An award-winning academic writer, playwright and solo performer, Caban is interested in the intersection of actor-training and arts-based research methods with patient-centered care. She holds a research appointment at the UCI School of Medicine for testing her method of voice and accent modification for people living with ALS.  

Caban is also known as a professional accent and dialect coach for film and theatre. Some of her notable coaching credits include several plays at the Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory Theatre like  Absurd Person Singular, Chinglish, Death of a Salesman, Madwomen in a Volvo  and  Peter and the Starcatcher.  She is the accent expert on HowCast.com, demonstrating over 30 accents. She is currently collaborating with Francis Ford Coppola on his career opus film, Megalopolis.  

Professor Caban is the sole co-author in common for the two most recent Knight-Thompson Speechwork texts on speech and accent training. The first,  Experiencing Speech: A Skills-based Panlingual Approach to Actor Training , was published in 2021 by Routledge Academic Publishing, and is being adopted by top drama schools internationally. Her second text,  Experiencing Accents: A Knight-Thompson Speechwork Guide for Acting in Accent , was published in November of 2023. 

One of her most notable, original works on campus is  The Dreamers: Aquí y Allá , a devised theatre piece in collaboration with the California-Mexico Studies Center. She traveled to Mexico with CSULB theatre arts students to interview a group of DACA students who were given permission through advance parole to return to their homeland for the first time since immigrating to the United States. The play was acclaimed “Best Play” by OC Weekly. 

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Picture Prompts

125 Picture Prompts for Creative and Narrative Writing

What story can these images tell?

By The Learning Network

For eight years, we at The Learning Network have been publishing short, accessible, image-driven prompts that invite students to do a variety of kinds of writing via our Picture Prompts column.

Each week, at least one of those prompts asks students: Use your imagination to write the opening of a short story or poem inspired by this image — or, tell us about a memory from your own life that it makes you think of.

Now we’re rounding up years of these storytelling prompts all in one place. Below you’ll find 125 photos, illustrations and GIFs from across The New York Times that you can use for both creative and personal writing. We have organized them by genre, but many overlap and intersect, so know that you can use them in any way you like.

Choose an image, write a story, and then follow the link in the caption to the original prompt to post your response or read what other students had to say. Many are still open for comment for teenagers 13 and up. And each links to a free Times article too.

We can’t wait to read the tales you spin! Don’t forget that you can respond to all of our Picture Prompts, as they publish, here .

Images by Category

Everyday life, mystery & suspense, relationships, science fiction, travel & adventure, unusual & unexpected, cat in a chair, happy puppy, resourceful raccoon, cows and cellos, people and penguins, opossum among shoes, on the subway, sunset by the water, endless conversation, falling into a hole, lounging around, sneaker collection, the concert, meadow in starlight.

Related Picture Prompt | Related Article

Public Selfies

Night circus, tarot cards, castle on a hill, security line, batman on a couch, reaching through the wall, beware of zombies, haunted house, familial frights, witches on the water, blindfolded, phone booth in the wilderness, shadow in the sky, a letter in the mail, hidden doorway.

Point of No Return

Darkened library, under the table, playing dominoes, looking back, a wave goodbye, out at dusk, conversation, walking away, alone and together, a new friend, heated conversation, up in a tree, hole in the ceiling, under the desk, at their computers, marching band, band practice, in the hallway, in the lunchroom, the red planet, tech gadgets, trapped inside, astronaut and spider, computer screen, special key, tethered in space, on the court, in the waves, city skateboarding.

Fishing in a Stream

Over the falls.

Under the Sea

Sledding in the mountains, cracked mirror, wilderness wayfaring, car and cactus, walking through town, tropical confinement, travel travails, roller coasters, atop the hill, climbing a ladder, under the ice, other selves.

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.

Find more Picture Prompts here.