Bill VanPatten is Professor and Director of Applied Linguistics and Second Language Studies at Texas Tech University. His areas of research are input and input processing in second language acquisition and the effects of formal instruction on acquisitional processes. He has published widely in the fields of second language acquisition and language teaching and is a frequent conference speaker and presenter. His publications include Making Communicative Language Teaching Happen (with James F. Lee, 2003,McGraw-Hill), From Input to Output: A Teachers Guide to Second Language Acquisition (2003, McGraw-Hill), Processing Instruction: Theory, Research, and Practice (2004, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates) and most recently, Theories in Second Language Acquisition: An Introduction (with Jessica Williams, 2007, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates). He is the lead author of Vistazos, ï¿Sabï¿as que...?, Destinos and Sol y viento. Dr. VanPatten is the 2007 recipient of the Anthony Papalia Award for Excellence in Teacher Education, awarded jointly by ACTFL and NYSAFLT. When not engaged in academic activities, he writes fiction and performs stand-up comedy. He has recently published his first work of fiction, a collection of short stories titled Chicago Tales, published by Outskirts Press (2007).