Love & Profanity: A Collection of True, Tortured, Wild, Hilarious, Concise, and Intense Tales of Teenage Life

Here are forty short, brilliant, and unforgettable true stories from writers famous and on-the-rise. Here is the intensity of daily life. Here are transformative moments arising from the mundane. Here are strange and surprising tales that tap into universal truths. Here are teenagers in full splendor and horror. Here they are, bursting with love and profanity.

Rachael Hanel has written several nonfiction books for children, in addition to essays and news and magazine articles. Many of her books have focused on history and social studies. She has a bachelor's degree in journalism and history and a master's degree in history from Minnesota State University, Mankato. She works as a writer, college instructor, and university administrator from her home base of Madison Lake, Minnesota.

Clint Edwards holds an MFA in creative writing and has published nonfiction through Boston College, Emerson College, The University of North Dakota, and The University of South Carolina. He currently lives in Albany, Oregon, but was raised on a farm in Provo, Utah. His family consists of a farmer, teacher assistant, construction worker, electric utility worker, nurse, schoolteacher, and plumber.

When Trisha Speed Shaskan was a girl, she wanted to become a superhero. Her mother gave her a Wonder Woman costume. Her dad crafted her a tiara and bracelets out of metal to match. Trisha imagined she could fight evil, fly an invisible airplane, and get anyone to tell the truth. While she didn t grow up to be Wonder Woman, she still uses her imagination to write stories and to teach creative writing. Trisha has taught creative writing to children and adults for thirteen years. She has published 26 books for children, and more are forthcoming. She has an MFA in creative writing from Minnesota State University, Mankato. Trisha currently lives in Minneapolis with her husband, Stephen, and their cat, Eartha, named after Eartha Kitt, famous for her role as Catwoman.

Nick Healy is an author and editor in Mankato, Minnesota. He has written and edited several books for young readers, and in 2012 he published a collection of short stories for a general audience. The collection won the Many Voices Project prize in prose from New Rivers Press and received a Friends of American Writers literary prize.

Lindsy O'Brien is owner and Executive Editor at Red Step Press in Duluth, Minnesota. She has a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Minnesota State University, Mankato. She has published nonfiction, short fiction, and poetry both locally and nationally.

While growing up in southwestern Minnesota, Nate LeBoutillier read any sports books he could get his hands. He now lives with his family in North Mankato, Minnesota. He began writing children's books in 2001 and has published many non-fiction titles. He also writes adult short fiction, novels, and screenplays. When not writing, Nate can be found playing with his kids, listening to music, or training for triathlons.