Dancing With The Pen

A lawyer for the Big Bad Wolf earnestly pleads his clients 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 bands first album skyrockets to the top of the charts. Tornado warnings turn a young girls 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.

You’re never too small to be a part of God’s big plan! Starlet is the smallest star in the sky, much too small to ever be seen by anyone on earth. Though she wants to twinkle and sparkle like the other stars around her, it doesn’t seem like it will ever be possible, even though the wise, old moon assures her it will be so. One night, Starlet begins to fall to earth . . . and there she finds that even the smallest stars can play a big role. This inspiring story alongside bright illustrations, will touch both parents and children alike. The Tiny Star teaches your child that even the most unassuming people, like a little baby born in a manger, can go on to play the biggest roles imaginable.

Discusses New Zealand's beliefs about literacy learning and teaching.

A Rolling Stone Top 10 Best Music Books of the Year “That’s what I’m talking about…Of all these memoirs, Dancing With Myself was the only one that stimulated my envy—made me want to be Billy Idol for five minutes….He’s a genuine romantic, writing in a kind of overheated journalese about his London punk rock roots…and then falling head over heels for America.” —James Parker, The New York Times Book Review In this highly original memoir—following Billy Idol from his childhood in England to his rise to fame at the height of the punk-pop revolution—the iconic superstar tells the real story behind the sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll that he is so fabulously famous for, in his own utterly indelible voice. An early architect of punk rock’s sound, style, and fury, whose lip-curling sneer and fist-pumping persona vaulted him into pop’s mainstream as one of MTV’s first megastars, Billy Idol remains, to this day, a true rock ‘n’ roll icon. Now, in his New York Times bestselling autobiography, Dancing with Myself, Idol delivers an electric, “refreshingly honest” (Daily News, New York) account of his journey to fame—from his early days as front man of the pioneering UK punk band Generation X to the decadent life atop the dance-rock kingdom he ruled—delivered with the same in-your-face attitude and fire his fans have embraced for decades. Beyond adding his uniquely qualified perspective to the story of the evolution of rock, Idol is a brash, lively chronicler of his own career. A survivor’s tale at its heart, this sometimes chilling and always riveting account of one man’s creative drive joining forces with unbridled human desire is unmistakably literary in its character and brave in its sheer willingness to tell. With it, Billy Idol is destined to emerge as one of the great writers among his musical peers. “I am hopelessly divided between the dark and the good, the rebel and the saint, the sex maniac and the monk, the poet and the priest, the demagogue and the populist. Pen to paper, I’ve put it all down, every bit from the heart. I’m going on out a limb here, so watch my back.” —Billy Idol

When Carolyn Weber set out to study Romantic literature at Oxford University, she didn't give much thought to God or spiritual matters—but over the course of her studies she encountered the Jesus of the Bible and her world turned upside down. Surprised by Oxford chronicles her conversion experience with wit, humor, and insight into how becoming a Christian changed her. Carolyn Weber arrives at Oxford a feminist from a loving but broken family, suspicious of men and intellectually hostile to all things religious. As she grapples with her God-shaped void alongside the friends, classmates, and professors she meets, she tackles big questions in search of truth, love, and a life that matters. From issues of fatherhood, feminism, doubt, doctrine, and love, Weber explores the intricacies of coming to faith with an aching honesty and insight echoing that of the poets and writers she studied. Surprised by Oxford is: The witty memoir of a skeptical agnostic who comes to a dynamic personal faith in God Rich with illustration and literary references Gritty, humorous, and spiritually perceptive An inside look at Oxford University Weber eloquently describes a journey many of us have embarked upon, grappling with tough questions and doubts about the meaning of faith—and ultimately finding it in the most unlikely of places.

"Home Going: Poetry for a Season" is the first print collection of poetry from award winning author Carolyn Weber. Weber weaves together an affinity for place, nature and journey, and takes her readers on a diverse path of both landscapes as well as several topical spiritual journeys in the daily life of Christian faith. This volume includes poems from Weber's previously published digital-only collections, "True North" and "Summering" along with 13 new poems. The poetry in this collection echoes the signature style of Weber's prose in her recent memoir "Surprised by Oxford" which has been distinguished with multiple international awards, including the Grace Irwin Literary Prize, designated for the 2014 Christian book of the year by a Canadian Author. Christian poetry.

A beaver with a stubby tail goes on a journey and discovers more than he ever imagined possible. A girl wakes up to find herself in a winter wonderland-or is it a nightmare? An aspiring artist moves to New York City to turn her dreams into a reality, but quickly learns that reality is tougher than she dreamed. An overheard conversation turns two students into school detectives, trying to uncover a mystery about their history teacher. 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 II 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. However, the themes and situations they explore transcend hometowns, backgrounds and cultures-they are familiar to us all. Dancing With The Pen II is a book for young writers, 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.

A compelling combination of advice and inspiration, Dancing on the Head of a Pen will challenge and encourage writers, artists, musicians, painters—anyone drawn to a life of artistic expression. Digging deeply into his own writing habits, failures, and successes, Robert Benson helps you choose the ideal audience for your work, commit to it, and overcome the hurdles that inevitably confront both aspiring artists and accomplished professionals. Extending beyond the craft of writing, this gentle book moves into a rich discussion on the relationship between spirituality and art. Including wisdom from revered writers past and present, Dancing on the Head of a Pen is a beautiful mosaic of inspiration, practical help, and a glimpse into the disciplines that shape one writer’s life. “Dancing on the Head of a Pen is a pure delight to read. Encouraging, honest, practical, and important. I needed this book.” —Melody Carlson, author of more 200 books including Finding Alice “With deceptive simplicity and an almost seductive easiness in his voice, Benson lays open before us the filigreed mystique of the writing life in all its beauty, its unmitigated angst, and its inescapable vocation.” —Phyllis Tickle, author of numerous books including The Divine Hours “Robert Benson’s Dancing on the Head of a Pen is a gem. It is wise, witty, and inspiring—a trifecta seldom achieved by a book on the writing life.” —James Scott Bell, bestselling author of Plot & Structure