So often we feel weighed down by problems at home, hassles at work, or the issues facing society. Imagine instead feeling empowered, optimistic, and purposeful about intentionally taking tiny steps to make the world a kinder place. 1001 Ways to Be Kind is a fun, dive-in-anywhere book with 1001 acts of kindness broken down into 25 different categories, from everyday kindness to kind acts for children to do and kind acts to do on your lunch break. Graphically designed in full color, each section provides ideas, motivation, and hope. Immensely giftable AND actionable, this is the book our world is yearning for right now--a little book that could spark a big movement--touching people's hearts, building bridges across differences, and making our world kinder, week by week and reader by reader.

Debut short story collection by Dallas Woodburn, winner of the 2018 Cypress & Pine Fiction Series. Dallas Woodburn, a recent Steinbeck Fellow in Creative Writing at San Jose State University, received her MFA in Fiction from Purdue University and her BA in Creative Writing from the University of Southern California. Her writing has appeared in a number of journals, magazines, newspapers, and anthologies. A three-time Pushcart Prize nominee, she won first place in the international Glass Woman Prize and second place in the American Fiction Prize. She is the founder of Write On! Books, an organization that empowers young people through reading and writing endeavors: www.writeonbooks.org.

A lawyer for the Big Bad Wolf earnestly pleads his client's innocence in court. Mother Earth and Father Sky give birth to a rebellious child whose fiery temper threatens to destroy the world. A teenage boy discovers the complexities of fame after his band's first album skyrockets to the top of the charts. Tornado warnings turn a young girl's routine babysitting job into a fight for survival. These are just a few of the imaginative, daring, and thought-provoking stories found in these pages. Also included are dozens of poems and personal essays exploring everything from travel to friendship, love to loss, fear to hope. What makes this book truly unique is it was written entirely by kids and teenagers. Dancing with the Pen features the work of more than sixty young writers in elementary school, middle school and high school. These authors come from all across the United States, from California to New York, from Kentucky to Michigan, as well as from abroad: Singapore, Canada, New Zealand. However, the themes and situations they explore transcend hometowns, backgrounds and cultures - they are familiar to us all. Dancing with the Pen is a book for young writers and young readers - and the young at heart. Even if you are not normally a voracious reader, this book is still for you. Every piece within these covers is written by someone who understands what it is like to be a young person today. Maybe you will recognize yourself in these pages. Perhaps you will even be inspired to pick up a pen, step out on the dance floor, and go for a whirl yourself.

Following her first book, "There's a Huge Pimple on My Nose"--which the Los Angeles Times praised: "If you simply want to enjoy some remarkable writing, it's hard to find a book more satisfying than Dallas Woodburn's"--this teen phenomenon's second collection of short stories, "3 a.m.," is already receiving high praise:

"Woodburn is a very gifted writer whose work celebrates the beauty and humor of everyday life. She is able to merge different cultures and generations in a thought-provoking and lovely way." --Laurie Stolarz, award-winning author of "Blue is for Nightmares" series

"The writing is so wonderful you'll want to stay up reading until "3 a.m." " --Julia McGuire, The Hudson Valley Literary Magazine

"An emotionally resonant collection, dealing with the universal themes of identity, grief and love--with a little bit of humor thrown in as well. Dallas helps you recognize and appreciate the finer things in life." --Catherine Clark, best-selling author of "Truth or Dairy"

"Woodburn's writing shines with both humor and poignancy. Her skillfully developed stories have amazing versatility. With characters that are human and tangible and extremely likeable--and details that make them come alive in a vivid and precise and utterly appropriate way--I couldn't get enough of "3 a.m."" --Randy Powell, acclaimed author of "My Underrated Year"