LET ME BE HONEST

Young Canadian artists share the challenges and joys of teenage life in this multimedia compilation.

This anthology of prose, poetry, art, and photography has unusual roots in “harm-reduction discussions and workshops on the topics of safe partying, substance misuse, mental health and community” with youth across Toronto. Edited by Lynch and Allen of The Neighbourhood Group Community Services, this work foregrounds lived experiences as truth telling. The editors selected works by 28 young people from a pool of over 300 pieces created between 2019 and 2024, organizing them into five themed sections: “I Think Sadness Finds You Too,” “I Wish That You Could Hold Me,” “For Now This Is What I Do,” “Maybe the Recipe Needed To Change,” and “I’m Doing My Best and That’s Good Enough.” Kevin Asiedu’s poem describes depression and accompanying feelings of meaninglessness. In another poem, S.M. confronts racism: “…how can ‘ALL LIVES MATTER’ if I don’t matter?” Elle Rosen’s photo contrasts images of butterflies and a pastel rainbow of jagged, glasslike shards with a dark, messy pool of pills spilling from a bottle. Ashwah Aslam pairs a dreamy image of Kashmiri tea, gladioli, and a henna-decorated hand with a reflective passage on immigrant identity, Pakistani heritage, and matrilineal bonds. This book makes a strong case for creative expression as a public health intervention, with potential to build community and open paths to compassionate understanding of young people’s coping mechanisms.

Honest, raw, and powerful.