These Louisville juniors spent their summers looking inward and outward and writing about themselves and the city they call home. Through descriptive prose on their neighborhoods, essays on something of great personal importance, and interviews, this collection is one of the best ways of understanding greater Louisville and its residents. Meet kids who danced their way through childhood, fathers trying their hardest, survivors, fighters, and kids who went camping to stay out of trouble.

— Simon Traub-Epstein, International Library of Young Authors

From the publisher: “In their book Our Shawnee, eight young authors from The Academy @ Shawnee describe their lives in the Louisville neighborhoods of Shawnee, Portland, Iroquois and Algonquin. They tackle diverse topics such as experiences in the juvenile justice system, learning to fly an airplane, the stresses of unstable housing, the lasting impacts of small acts of kindness and support, the challenges of life after severe head trauma, and the untimely deaths of loved ones. Alongside their accounts are stories of friends and family members whom they have interviewed. The vibrancy of their voices and the substance of their stories are testaments to their resilience, courage, and writing talent—and to the richness of lives in often-overlooked parts of Louisville.”