What do 8th graders from Kentucky have to say on anxiety, identity, music, challenge, and pain? Through poetry, these authors explore facing discrimination, getting lost in music, curly hair, and the night sky.

— Simon Traub-Epstein, International Library of Young Authors

From the publisher: “This loud and luminous anthology shares poems of passion, protest, and power. The topics of these poems sprawl—food and family, identity and culture, women in sports, beauty standards, mental health—but in each poem, there is a strong sense of self and the writer’s voice. “This book is us. We have each put a little bit of ourselves in here to share with you. You will see some happy writing, maybe some sad writing—but with hope, you will find writing to relate to. All of us have had hard lives. Life is tough—but with luck, you will find that all of us took time to share with you—things we feel passionate about, things we want to protest, and things we love. We found that writing is one of the most wonderful ways to express ourselves. And you never know, maybe we will inspire you, maybe we inspire you so much that you will write a book.”