Welcome to the Saturday Spotlight a weekly feature shining the light on Indie and Debut authors. This week I have the pleasure introducing readers to:
DALLAS WOODBURN
~Author of Dancing with The Pen~
Write On!
by Dallas Woodburn
In 2010, I founded the youth publishing company Write On! Books with the belief that young people need and deserve a vehicle to share their unique voices with each other, and with society as a whole. Our debut anthology, Dancing With The Pen, features stories, poems, and essays by more than sixty young writers in middle school and high school from across the United States and even abroad: Singapore, Canada, and New Zealand.
Write On! Books has a twofold goal: give young writers an outlet for expression, while also publishing exciting, creative work that gets kids excited about reading. Dancing with the Pen is a book for young writers, young readers, and the young at heart. I like to tell young people, “Even if you are not normally a big reader, this book is still for you. Maybe you'll recognize yourself in these pages.” I hope people who read this book are inspired to pick up a pen, step out on the dance floor, and go for a whirl themselves.
The idea to start Write On! Books was sparked within me more than a decade ago, when I released my first book, There’s a Huge Pimple On My Nose: a collection of stories and poems. I was in fifth grade, and the book – and my writing dreams – snowballed in magical ways I had not thought possible. Pimple was reviewed in national media outlets including CosmoGIRL!, Girls’ Life, and The Los Angeles Times. I was interviewed by newspapers and radio shows. I spoke at various writers conferences and book fairs, and the Santa Barbara Book Festival had a “Dallas Woodburn Day.” Perhaps most important of all was the thrill of seeing my own words in print. I felt proud and energized – the excitement of Christmas morning paled in comparison. My self-confidence blossomed. My love of writing intensified. I wanted to be a writer. I saw myself as a writer!
In the thirteen years since Pimple debuted, I have published a second collection of stories; contributed pieces to dozens of magazines, newspapers, websites, and Chicken Soup for the Soul books; written plays that were produced in Ventura and Los Angeles, California; and am currently pursuing my Master’s degree in fiction writing at Purdue University. When I visit schools to speak about my own personal writing journey, I always ask the students if any of them are interested in writing. Usually a few tentative hands raise. In contrast, at the end of my talks when I ask the same question, nearly all the students excitedly thrust up their hands as if trying to touch the ceiling. Many young people tell me they didn’t know kids could be writers. Not only can kids be writers, they can be brilliant writers! They can write imaginative, touching, thought-provoking pieces, as Dancing With The Pen attests. And writing, especially for young people, can create many amazing opportunities.
The mission of Write On! For Literacy, which I founded in 2001, is to encourage kids to discover joy, confidence, a means of self-expression and connection to others through writing and reading. Activities and projects include writing contests, fun creative writing workshops, and an annual Holiday Book Drive that has collected and distributed nearly 12,000 new books to disadvantaged kids. For every copy purchased of Dancing With The Pen, a new book will be donated to Write On’s Holiday Book Drive to benefit disadvantaged youth.
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Wow- what an amazing journey! And a inspiring story to teens and young writers out there. Thanks for sharing those today Dallas and best of luck with Write On!
Today, Dallas is giving away one copy of her book Dancing with The Pen: A Collection of today's best Youth Writing. To enter please just leave a comment. Winner will be drawn Jan 21, 2012.
Dancing with The Pen: A Collection of Today's Best Youth Writing
by Dallas Woodburn and Various Authors
Entirely written by kids and teenagers --features stories and poems written by more than sixty young writers from around the world.
Find Dallas on the Web~Twitter~Facebook
*stands and applauds*
ReplyDeleteI am very impressed and commend both your spirit and your drive, Dallas.
I saw my debut published after 20 years of only dreaming about it.
Since I know that dreams still come true, I love telling that to young people. Keep up the good work!
Thanks, Tina. I appreciate hearing about this exciting new voice!
-Jimmy
Thank you so much, Jimmy! And congrats on your book! If you're interested I'd love to interview you about it for my blog, http://dallaswoodburn.blogspot.com/
ReplyDelete