Respect the Mic Anthology — Oak Park and River Forest High School

Respect the Mic: Celebrating 20 Years of Poetry from a Chicagoland High School (Penguin Workshop)

Advance Praise:

What a book! This magnificent trove of powerful voices makes us sit up straight again, feel proud to be alive…. I honor the Spoken Word Club for the power of twenty years of existence, the imaginative invitations (pass them on!) that encouraged young writers to construct these dazzling works, the thrill of connection - then till now - what and who these wondrous young people have grown up to be. Look no further, dear teachers, if you are needing support for inclusion of poetry in your classrooms - the reasons are here, and they are many. If anyone needs to be convinced that poetry matters - makes us bigger and wider and calmer and more confident - look here. Everyone matters….This is the crucial befriending….
-Naomi Shihab Nye, Young People's Poet Laureate, Poetry Foundation

This anthology holds twenty years of evidence of the power of poetry. I saw proof with my own eyes when I visited the tremendous young poets of Oak Park. I have continued encountering the poets in these pages on television, on basketball courts and on poetry stages across the nation. I salute all the teachers and students responsible for this vibrant anthology. Every one of the poets here carries poetry in them. This is a primer for the next twenty years of great poems and poets.
-Terrance Hayes, National Book Award Winner

This anthology feels like a living, breathing thing. The scope and depth of Oak Park's program--and of poetry's ability to transform writers and readers alike--are palpable in these pages.
-Tavi Gevinson, writer, actor, and founder of Rookie.

…These poems and personal stories offer evidence of the power of the word to engage young people in learning about the one thing they never find boring — themselves. Sometimes engagement begins on the page.
-Carol Jago, long-time English teacher and past president of the National Council of Teachers of English

Poets I know sometimes joke that the poetry club at Oak Park River Forest High School is the best MFA program in the Chicagoland area. Like all great jokes, this one is dead serious. It's a thrill to have an anthology collecting generations of work from this spirited and brilliant community. It's sure to serve as example and inspiration for countless young poets to come.
-Dr. Eve Ewing, a sociologist of education and a writer from Chicago, including for Marvel’s Ironheart series.

Electric and expansive.
-Kirkus Review, read the full review here