Coming April 2023:
Ab(solutely) Normal:
​Short Stories That Smash Mental Health Stereotypes

About the Book

​​A teen activist wrestles with protest-related anxiety and PTSD. A socially anxious vampire learns he has to save his town by (gulp) working with people. As part of her teshuvah, a girl writes letters to the ex-boyfriend she still loves, revealing that her struggle with angry outbursts is related to PMDD. A boy sheds uncontrollable tears but finds that in doing so he’s helping to enable another’s healing. In this inspiring, unflinching, and hope-filled mixed-genre collection, sixteen diverse and notable authors draw on their own lived experiences with mental health conditions to create stunning works of fiction that will uplift and empower you, break your heart and stitch it back together stronger than before. Through powerful prose, verse, and graphics, the characters in this anthology defy stereotypes as they remind readers that living with a mental health condition doesn’t mean that you’re defined by it. Each story is followed by a note from its author to the reader, and comprehensive back matter includes bios for the contributors as well as a collection of relevant resources.

Professionally-produced Readers' Guide, Parents' Guide, Writing Prompts for Teens, and Mental Health Professionals' guide will be available online upon publication (and emailed to all pre-orders).   
Contributors include Nikki Grimes, Francisco X. Stork, Mercedes Acosta, Sonia Patel, James Bird, Marcella Pixley, Ebony Stewart, Jonathan Lenore Kastin, Alechia Dow, Karen Bao, Val Howlett, Isabel Quintero, Anna Drury, and Patrick Downes, Rocky Callen, and Nora Shalaway Carpenter.