Throughout these poems, authors look deep into themselves and the world around them. Grounding the largest of concepts into personal stories, their words evoke great feeling and understanding. Be moved by optimism, confidence, summer air, motherhood, and legacy.

— Simon Traub-Epstein, International Library of Young Authors

From the Publisher: “This anthology emerges from the 2025-2026 San Francisco Youth Poet Laureate cohort, a powerful group of young writers whose voices reach across neighborhoods, generations, and the seas their families once crossed. Their stories rise from Muni rides, kitchen-table memories, ancestral echoes, and the bold promise of tomorrow. Supported by 826 VALENCIA, an organization dedicated to amplifying student voices through writing; YOUTH SPEAKS, a national leader in spoken word and youth empowerment; and URBAN WORD, the organization that anchors the national Youth Poet Laureate movement, these poets stand rooted in a tradition of storytelling that stretches far beyond San Francisco. With additional support from the SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY, a civic home for free expression, and the MAYOR'S OFFICE OF SAN FRANCISCO, whose partnership makes this citywide recognition possible, these young writers embody the depth of one of the most diverse and progressive cities in the world.”