Poetry Speaks Who I Am: Poems of Discovery, Inspiration, Independence, and Everything Else [With CD (Audio)]

Poetry collections directed to teens are not very common; you're much more likely to find collections of poetry for children or adults. This lack of poems for teens to appreciate is exactly what editor Elise Paschen addresses in a new collection that is part of the Poetry Speaks series, Poetry Speaks Who I Am: Stories of Discovery, Inspiration, Independence and Everything Else. The more than 100 poets whose work is represented include classic poets like Emily Dickinson, Edgar Allen Poe and Robert Frost as well as contemporary poets such as Sherman Alexie, Maya Angelou and Portland's Kim Stafford. Some of the poems are whimsical, such as Death of a Snowman by Vernon Scannell, while others are more contemplative, such as One Art by Elizabeth Bishop, which is about the art of losing things. Girls may cringe when reading Bra Shopping by Parneshia Jones. And of course, there are poems with rich imagery. Here are just a few lines from one of those, Blackberry Picking by Seamus Heaney: Late August, given heavy rain and sun For a full week, the blackberries would ripen. At first just one, a glossy, purple clot Among others, red, green, hard as a knot. You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet Like thickened wine: summer's blood was in it I recognized poems I memorized in high school, like Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley, marveling that memorizing was much easier for me then than it seems to be now. An added bonus to Poetry Speaks Who I Am is that is comes with a CD of 47 poems being read by their authors or others. There's something hypnotic about listening to poems being read, especially by the author, who knows where she intended emphasis and can add tone. Blank pages in the back of the book encourage readers to write their own poetry, which could be a great activity for a mother-daughter book club. April is National Poetry Month--reading Poetry Speaks Who I Am would be a great way to celebrate.

Poetry Speaks Who I Am is a collection of classic and contemporary poetry aimed at addressing middle schoolers in their transition from child to young adult. There is a wide range in the collection: classic poetry like Edgar Allan Poe, Langston Hughes, and Emily Dickinson and newer and present poets, some of whom read their work on the accompanying CD. Poetry Speaks Who I Am has many poems that will apply to every feeling and thought, put words to what we can't find words for, and prove that yes, there are other people out there who feel like you do now, you're not the only one. You're not alone. These poets talk about everything from the awkwardness of changing and showering in the fifth grade locker room to embarrassing bra shopping with mom, to a first kiss. There's poems about segregation and ethnicity, homework and math class, sports, clothes, and even the emotions brought forth from reading poetry itself. Not only does it have the poetry, there are pages in the back of artistic inspiring blank pieces of paper for the reader's own poetry. The CD contains many of the poems read by the poets the way they were intended to be read. Poetry Speaks Who I Am is a fantastic collection that every young lit-lover should have on their shelves. Recommendation: Boys and Girls ages 8+

Poetry Speaks comes with a CD that includes poets reading their own works. The table of contents lets you know which poems are on the CD, since only about half of them are included. The ARC also included a little 1/2 sheet with the selections listed on it. That was really helpful since I didn't have to turn back to the beginning to check on a poem, I could just consult the sheet I was using as bookmark. The poems looked like I might have typed them out on recycled paper and then added a design. Spare but creative and encouraging. Not a normal standoffish type of poetry book at all. There are even lines in the back to write your own poems. I am not a huge poetry fan but this book spoke to me. I loved the mix of contemporary and classic poets, the mix of ethnicities, the well-known with the not-so well known. We had works from Langston Hughes, Edgar Allen Poe, Maya Angelou, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Sherman Alexie and Billy Collins. Some of my favorites were SEDNA by kimiko hahn, WHAT YOUR MOTHER TELLS YOU NOW by mitsuye yamada, and MEDIATION kim stafford At the dinner table, before the thrown plate, but after the bitter claim, in the one beat of silence before the parents declare war their child, who had been temporarily invisible, but who had from school a catechism, speaks: "Would you like me to help solve the conflict?" Silence. They can't look at each other. A glance would sear the soul. A wall of fire seethes, Maginot line through the butter plate, split salt from pepper, him from her. Silence. So the child speaks: "Three rules, then: One--you have to let each other finish. Two--you have to tell the truth. Three-- you have to want to solve the conflict. If you say yes, we will solve it. I love you. What do you say?" Another one I enjoyed POETRY SLALOM mary jo salter Much less the slam than the slalom gives me a thrill: that solemn, no-fuss Olympian skill in skirting flag after flag of the bloody obvious; the fractional lag, while speeding downhill, at the key moment, in a sort of whole- body trill: the note repeated, but elaborated, more touching and more elevated for seeming the thing to be evaded. You can read these for fun as well as teach them. So many terms you can define: metaphor, simile, enjambment, litote, rhythm, rhyme scheme, free verse, etc. I think both teachers and students will love this. I already bought some for our school library! I give this 5 stars because it's not one to be read in a normal lit circle but to put in your pocket and carry around with you. My only issue is they printed it in hardcover. This needs to be paperback for portability and usability.

Poetry Speaks Who I Am is a unique take on helping to introduce readers to modern as well as classical poetry. The novel include works from some of my all-time favorite poets, so it was really nice to be able to sit down with one novel and have them all together. Poetry Speaks Who I Am is a very nice sized book. Not too much, but not too little either. Of course, I am comparing this to my college English anthologies which range in the thousands of pages. The authors of this novel definitely had teens in mind when putting this collection together. The pages all have a grungy look to them, and is filled with cute little doodles which looks like something I would have done to my writing notebook. In addition, the themes of the poems are full range. You have poems that deal with love... social issues... you name it and it is probably in there. This collection stands out for me because... 1.) It comes with a CD which has many of the living poets reading their own works. And 2.) There is a nice area in the back of the book where readers and (inspiring) poets can jot down their own thoughts or poems. This makes the novel really reader friendly on many levels. While I must admit that I am not a poet, inspiring or otherwise, this novel almost made me wish I was. It is a wonderful collection which that will either ease you nicely into poetry or help introduce you to some poets that you may not have seen before.

In spite of having a poet for a mother (or perhaps because of it) I have never come to terms with poetry. Which is not to say that I didn't try. As a kid I would pluck up a collection of the stuff and try to read through it. I was handed poems in elementary, middle, and high school with regularity, but I didn't quite understand why snowy woods were any more important in stanzas than in paragraphs. Poetry seemed like something I should like, but I never found the right way to get a taste ...more In spite of having a poet for a mother (or perhaps because of it) I have never come to terms with poetry. Which is not to say that I didn't try. As a kid I would pluck up a collection of the stuff and try to read through it. I was handed poems in elementary, middle, and high school with regularity, but I didn't quite understand why snowy woods were any more important in stanzas than in paragraphs. Poetry seemed like something I should like, but I never found the right way to get a taste for it. Kids today may have it easier. There are verse novels and books like Love That Dog and Locomotion to help them get a better grip on poetry. There are collections like A Kick in the Head or A Poke in the I to teach them various forms. But why should they care? What does poetry really say firsthand to them? Poetry Speaks Who I Am aims to make them care. It's a collection of 108 poems by poets alive, dead, and otherwise has been carefully selected and crafted collection to mirror the hopes and fears of kids and teens today. It says that it is for tween and young teens, and yea verily I agree. If I had read this book as a young 'un, maybe I would have a great love of poetry now. Of course after reading this I have to think that maybe it's never too late to learn. 108 poems. A range of different poets. In this book big themes are tackled headlong aside smaller concerns. "I Am Black" by Gwendolyn Books on one page. "The Germ" by Ogden Nash on another. These poems discuss love, parents, death, animals, and more. They try to make sense of our world. You will find Shakespeare on one page and Billy Collins on the other. Poets of every race and ethnicity have their say until by the end you've the feeling that every person reading this book could find at least one poem in here that speaks to them. One poem in here that will help them figure out who they are, and what they can be. Includes a CD of many poets reading their own works. The editing job on this book is pretty fabulous. Selecting the right poems in the first place couldn't have been a picnic. Let's say you want to include one work of Shakespeare. How do you decide which poem is the most accessible? I happen to agree with the editors that Sonnet 130 was the right way to go, but I'm sure there are folks out there who'd disagree. Still, each poem in this book feels especially chosen. This is borne out by the particular thematic pairings you run across as you read. Wendy Cope's "Valentine" alongside Myra Cohn Livingston