My assignment was to write a letter to my teen self about bullying, but I’m no good at writing letters in general, much less to someone who doesn’t exist anymore, so I think I’ll just tell you a few stories instead. Storytelling is something I can do. When I was…
Dear Teen Me You’ve had it pretty easy so far. Your grades come easy, you have a great group of friends, you don’t have any trouble getting a date, and you usually get what you want. You’re sheltered. But wait—I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, because you’ve been lucky…
Dear Teen Me, I know you have no safe place—not at home being abused, and not at school being bullied. You are an easy target: shy, scared, jumping at touch, not looking people in the eyes—the marks of someone who’s been hurt. You’re afraid all the time. You hate yourself…
Dear Teen Jenny, You don’t see yourself as the type to get bullied. You think you’re pretty damn tough, and maybe you are, physically, anyway. You hit your growth spurt early (although you’re still waiting for a second round of puberty focused only on your boobs), and you’ll always be…
Dear Teen Tara, Writing you this letter is much harder than I imagined it would be. It’s hard because, I’m finally on the other side of it all, but I know that you’re still there. Being bullied, battered, and ignored. Thinking you’re not good enough to occupy your tiny space…
Dear Teen Tiffany, The true horror of discovering the old adage, “Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt you,” is a pile of crap designed by bullies who try to excuse their caveman-like behavior is pretty much the hardest of life’s many, many painful lessons.…
If you haven’t heard about our upcoming release of The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel you really do need to check it out. This book is perfect for those looking for something fresh in the world of dystopian stories. Take a look the book trailer and let us know…
Entangled Teen has a new Literary Starlit on their hands, and her name is Shannon Lee Alexander. Unbeknownst to Shannon, I was given the chance to pick her brain for a psyche test. Entangled submitted her profile to me for evaluation to make sure she was stable enough to handle…
Dear Teen Me: Remember your first kiss? It began with a crush on a boy named Chris at church camp. You didn’t want to go to church camp, but Mom thought it was a good idea, a way to make some friends because you’d not had the best of luck…
Dear Teen Victoria, You hate bullies. Despise them, in fact, and for good reason. You’ve had your fair share. You were picked on for your size throughout late elementary school and into middle school. Allow me to clarify what you were confused about—you are not fat. Not at all. You…