KINGSPORT — Some Northeast Tennessee teachers have just learned how to roll the dice to improve student poetry writing as well as writing in general. International poet, teacher and performer Taylor Mali brought his first full-blown Metaphor Dice presentation to town Thursday during his second visit to the Model City. At the Eastman Lodge, he taught about 60 teachers, mostly from Kingsport City Schools but also some from Sullivan County and Greeneville, how to ignite interest in and passion for poetry and writing in middle and high school students. He is known for his “What Teachers Make” slam poem he wrote in 1999, the year before he left teaching, but Thursday he also performed some of his other poems. The Metaphor Dice program literally uses a set of 12 six-faced dice — actually four sets of three blues, whites and reds.