Writing advice both practical and inspirational.
A handbook for using poetry as a journey to self-expression and empowerment.
Poet and educator Heller presents a guide born out of her personal experience of turning to poetry to process multiple emotional and physical traumas in adolescence. In her introduction she describes a nomadic existence of “kicking around with a free-spirited gang of musicians, experimenting with drugs and sex, testing our edges, all of us desperately wanting to figure out who we are and what we believe in.” Poetry was a lifeline: “Working on poetry becomes a reason to live…a way to channel my overwhelming feelings and make…beauty from suffering.” She now leads poetry workshops for students of many ages and backgrounds in schools and institutions, including juvenile detention. The book contains writing prompts designed to bolster writers’ self-confidence and develop their skills. They range from the practical (how to make a blackout poem) to techniques for sparking imagination and creativity (such as using photos of your childhood self for inspiration). Heller’s encouraging and engaging style of writing and her original voice make this work effective for use by and with young people who are grappling with varied life issues. Student poems are included with each prompt. More than a simple how-to manual, this volume is invaluable for use within and beyond the classroom.
Writing advice both practical and inspirational. (Nonfiction. 12-adult)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-60868-748-0
Page Count: 256
Publisher: New World Library
Review Posted Online: April 7, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
Brief yet inspirational, this story will galvanize youth to use their voices for change.
Testa’s connection to and respect for nature compelled her to begin championing animal causes at the age of 10, and this desire to have an impact later propelled her to dedicate her life to fighting plastic pollution. Starting with the history of plastic and how it’s produced, Testa acknowledges the benefits of plastics for humanity but also the many ways it harms our planet. Instead of relying on recycling—which is both insufficient and ineffective—she urges readers to follow two additional R’s: “refuse” and “raise awareness.” Readers are encouraged to do their part, starting with small things like refusing to use plastic straws and water bottles and eventually working up to using their voices to influence business and policy change. In the process, she highlights other youth advocates working toward the same cause. Short chapters include personal examples, such as observations of plastic pollution in Mauritius, her maternal grandparents’ birthplace. Testa makes her case not only against plastic pollution, but also for the work she’s done, resulting in something of a college-admissions–essay tone. Nevertheless, the first-person accounts paired with science will have an impact on readers. Unfortunately, no sources are cited and the lack of backmatter is a missed opportunity.
Brief yet inspirational, this story will galvanize youth to use their voices for change. (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-22333-8
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020
Best enjoyed by preexisting fans of the author.
Deaf, trans artist Man meditates on his journey and identity in this brief memoir.
Growing up in conservative central Pennsylvania was tough for the 21-year-old Deaf, genderqueer, pansexual, and biracial (Chinese/White Jewish) author. He describes his gender and sexual identity, his experiences of racism and ableism, and his desire to use his visibility as a YouTube personality, model, and actor to help other young people like him. He is open and vulnerable throughout, even choosing to reveal his birth name. Man shares his experiences of becoming deaf as a small child and at times feeling ostracized from the Deaf community but not how he arrived at his current Deaf identity. His description of his gender-identity development occasionally slips into a well-worn pink-and-blue binary. The text is accompanied and transcended by the author’s own intriguing, expressionistic line drawings. However, Man ultimately falls short of truly insightful reflection or analysis, offering a mostly surface-level account of his life that will likely not be compelling to readers who are not already fans. While his visibility and success as someone whose life represents multiple marginalized identities are valuable in themselves, this heartfelt personal chronicle would have benefited from deeper introspection.
Best enjoyed by preexisting fans of the author. (Memoir. 12-18)Pub Date: June 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-22348-2
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: March 24, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021
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