Dallas Woodburn

Dallas Woodburn is an eighteen-year-old graduate in the Ventura (California) High School, Class of 2005. In fifth grade, Dallas self-published a collection of short stories and poems titled There’s a Huge Pimple on My Nose, which has sold more than 900 copies and was praised in The Los Angeles Times: “If you simply want to enjoy some remarkable writing, it would be hard to find a book more satisfying than Dallas Woodburn’s.” Her second book, 3 a.m., was released in June 2006 and is already receiving rave reviews. A portion of the profits will go towards Write On’s Scholarship Fund, which Dallas created to send a gifted young writer to a writing camp each summer. “Write On” is a non-profit organization founded in 2000 by Dallas to encourage youth to read and write through book drives and essay contests. Her website features essay contests, writing prompts, book reviews, and more. She also hosts an annual Write On Holiday Book Drive and in the past four years has collected and distributed 6,390 new books to underprivileged kids for Christmas. Please visit www.zest.net/writeon for more information about Write On and how you can get involved. Dallas also publishes a monthly “Write On” e-newsletter with writing prompts, book reviews, and updates on Write On. To subscribe, send your name and e-mail address to the email address below. Dallas says, “I truly believe writers can change the world for the better with their words and ideas. This newsletter is my latest adventure in advocating literacy and a love of the written word. It is geared towards writers, would-be writers, readers, bookworms, language-lovers, and those who would enjoy staying up-to-date on my life as a writer.” Dallas is a regular “Teen Talk” columnist for Family Circle magazine, which led to a January ’05 guest appearance on The Early Show on CBS where she was interviewed by host Hannah Storm. Dallas has also been a featured author in the nationally-released books So, You Wanna Be a Writer?, Good Friends Come Along Once in a Lifetime, Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul IV, Chicken Soup for the Girl’s Soul, and Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Real Deal on School. In addition, she wrote a play her high school produced, and has been published in the national magazines such as Writer’s Digest, Justine, Writing, Listen, Encounter, and The Hudson Valley Literary Magazine. Her community work earned her the prestigious national 2004 Jackie Kennedy Onassis/Jefferson Award for “outstanding volunteerism,” as well as a 2005 Congressional Award Gold Medal. Also in 2005, she was honored as a USA Today National Academic Team Member, a Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Scholar, and won Second Place in the national “Guardian Girls Going Places” contest.    When she’s not writing, Dallas enjoys reading, sketching, hiking, white-water rafting, and watching chick flicks with friends. A four-year member of the Ventura High School cross-country team, she also enjoys running. Dallas will be a “Trustee Scholar” at USC as a freshman in the Class of ’09 and plans to major in Creative Writing (surprise) with a minor in Business. WwoodburnW@aol.com

Dallas Woodburn is the author of these published works:   There’s a Huge Pimple on My Nose 3 a.m.

Visit Dallas at: www.zest.net/writeon