Jim Hughes is a writer and teacher. From 2003 to 2007 he was a columnist for Essential Teacher, an international quarterly published by TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages). His book publications include contributions to Integrating the ESL Standards Into Classroom Practice: Grades 3–5 (TESOL, 2000) and Integrating EFL Standards Into Chinese Classroom Settings (McGraw-Hill, TESOL, and the Education Press of the People's Republic of China). He is a teacher consultant for the Bay Area Writing Project and has a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. He has a daughter and son and is currently writing fiction, teaching tai chi, and babysitting his two grandchildren. He lives in Berkeley, California, with his wife.