In this episode, we talk with directors and teacher-consultants from the San Jose Area Writing Project about their recently released book, Teaching Writing Grades 7-12 in an Era of Assessment: Passion and Practice. The authors discuss the book and their answers to two questions posed in the opening chapter: "Why might my students wish to engage in the performative activity of writing?" and "Why might they wish to engage in this practice with not just dogged persistence, but with genuine passion?"