edited by Diane Luby Lane

The Get Lit-Words Ignite organization, a California-based literacy program that engages at-risk teens with poetry, has published this collection of poems by teens. Nineteen young poets, all veterans of the Get Lit program, have chosen classic poems that resonate with them and written their own poems in response. The resulting poems are socially conscious and empowering, confronting issues such as poverty, mental illness, race, and gender. Featured alongside the classic and original poems is each poet’s story, as well as writing prompts, discussion questions, and other opportunities to engage teens with poetry.