Following the unexpected death of her father, eighteen-year-old Layken is forced to be the rock for both her mother and her younger brother. Outwardly, she appears resilient and tenacious, but inwardly, she's losing hope. One young man brings change to all of this. After moving across the country, Layken meets her attractive twenty-one-year-old neighbor who has an intriguing passion for slams. Within days of their introduction, Will and Layken form...

A group of nine high school students grow in understanding of each other's challenges and forge unexpected connections as they prepare for a boys vs. girls poetry slam. Includes author's note about foster home care. To hone his writing skills and learn more about the power of words, Darrian enrolls in Mr. Ward's class, known for its open-mic poetry readings and boys vs. girls poetry slam. Everyone in class has something important to say, and in sharing...

Novel-in-verse by an award-winning slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo, about Afro-Latina Xiomara Batista who turns to journalling poetry. Xiomara Batista se siente ignorada e incapaz de ocultarse en Harlem. Desde que su cuerpo se volvió curvilíneo, aprendió a dejar que sus puños y su fiereza hablaran por ella. Pero X tiene mucho para decir, por eso descarga su frustración en las páginas de un cuaderno y recita las palabras para sí misma como...