{photo credit: JD Scoop Photography}
Hi there, thanks so much for stopping by! My name is Dallas and I’m a writer and editor working on all sorts of neat projects. I’m also a passionate teacher and writing coach, and the founder of Write On! Books. Here’s a little more about me and my background.
- I received a B.A. in Creative Writing with a minor in Entrepreneurship from the University of Southern California and an M.F.A. in Fiction from Purdue University, where I also learned a ton as Fiction Editor of Sycamore Review. From 2013-14, I was lucky to be a John Steinbeck Fellow in Creative Writing at San Jose State University.
- My debut young adult novel, The Best Week That Never Happened, is slated for publication in 2020 from Month9Books! You can sign up here to receive updates on its path to publication & be the first to know when it is available for pre-order.
- I’m the author of 3 a.m., an award-winning collection of short stories that was featured on the national PBS book talk show “Between the Lines.” My children’s book There’s a Huge Pimple on My Nose was lauded in Girls’ Life magazine and The Los Angeles Times Book Review raved, “If you simply want to enjoy some remarkable writing, it would be hard to find a book more satisfying.” You can learn more about my books here.
- Poems from There’s a Huge Pimple On My Nose were recently turned into songs by composer Alex Marthaler at Carnegie Mellon University! Below you can listen to the song “Peanut Butter Surprise”:
- Through Write On! Books publishing company, I edit and publish the series Dancing With The Pen: a collection of today’s best youth writing and the online literary journal Word Smorgasboard. {Psssst… I’d love to read your work!}
- In addition to being a writing teacher and coach, I’m also a professional writer myself! My short stories have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and the Dzanc Books “Best of the Web” anthology and have appeared in a variety of literary journals including Monkeybicycle, The Nashville Review, Louisiana Literature and Fourth River. I’ve also published essays in Family Circle, Writer’s Digest, The Writer, Justine, and more than two dozen books in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series.
- I also love writing plays! It is so exciting to see your words brought to life onstage. Play scripts that I’ve written have been produced by theaters in Los Angeles, New York City, Lake Tahoe, and Maryland.
- If you’d like, you can read some of my published short stories for free here.
- And, for parents, here is a short article I wrote about how to help your child become a better writer.
With the one and only Judy Blume at the Key West Literary Seminar in 2013. Can you spot me in the back?
Writing Awards:
- Steinbeck Fellow in Creative Writing, San Jose State University. (2013-14)
- Scholarship to attend the Key West Literary Seminar and Writing Workshops. (2013)
- Finalist for the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction. (2012)
- Finalist for Samuel French Short Play Festival in NYC, “A Frog in Boiling Water.” (2012)
- Asian Studies Award for Fiction, “Three Sundays at The Grove.” (2012)
- Ninth Glass Woman Prize recipient, “Woman, Running Late, in a Dress.” (2011)
- Brian Mexicott Playwriting Award, “The Stars in Indiana.” (2011)
Community Service Awards:
- Next Generation Leadership Award Honoree from the Ventura County Community Foundation. (2011)
- National “Best of You” award winner from Glamour Magazine and Sally Hansen for leadership and service endeavors. (2010)
- Entrepreneurial Values Award and Top Ten Business Plan Award from the University of Southern California Greif School of Entrepreneurship. (2009)
- University of Southern California Associates Trustee Scholar. (2009)
- National Finalist for the Marshall Fellowship and the Mitchell Fellowship. (2008)
- National Liberty Mutual Responsible Scholar for community service and academic excellence. (2008)
- National Jim Murray Memorial Foundation Scholar for academic and journalistic excellence. (2007)
- “Young Woman of the Year” for 2006 from the American Red Cross of Ventura County for literacy and humanitarian work. (2006)
