Oliver
Oliver
Oliver (he/they) is an 18-year-old queer Taiwanese-Chinese American writer from Bethesda, MD. Oliver’s poems in Stubborn Roots are his second time publishing work, following his two pieces in Shout Mouse Press’ The Light Looks Like Me (2025). Oliver is a student at the University of California, Davis during the daytime; a pianist, cellist, music arranger, and rock climber in their free time; and a quirky goofy nerd all the time. They hope that their poems help readers reflect on the untold stories within them.
BOOKS BY OLIVER
By the young writers of Shout Mouse Press
“…a balm for loneliness and validation amid an increasingly hostile political climate for LGBTQ+ Americans…” —Booklife
“The Light Looks Like Me is meaningful, moving, and often surprising as it explores different experiences of queer love.”—IndieReader
“Powerful, affirming, and important reading for young people and the adults in their lives.”—Kirkus Reviews
Amidst a fraught regime where assaults on queer and trans rights are leveraged for political clout, the voices of queer youth are more important than ever. In this anthology, 28 DC-area writers aged 13-24 share their thoughts, feelings and vulnerability through poems, stories, comics, and art exploring love in all its forms. Running the gamut from self-love, to romance, and the love they show to their family, friends, and community, their work will resonate with readers of all ages. With authors representing varied sexualities and gender identities, as well as diverse ethnic, racial, and religious backgrounds, this tender anthology offers hope and validation to queer young people and cultivates greater understanding in supportive allies. Foreword by award-winning YA author Malinda Lo.
This project was created in partnership with The DC Center for the LGBT Community, Sasha Bruce Youthwork, SMYAL, and Split This Rock.
Educational Curriculum Available:
Discussion Guide created by nelle mills
Zine Workbook created by nelle mills
ISBN: 9781950807833
Age: 12+
Page Count: 192
Published: 2025
Available for preorder — product will ship Oct 27 2026
By the young writers of Shout Mouse Press
"The poems and essays in Stubborn Roots have changed me in ways I was unprepared for. The profundity of their observations of the world, and of themselves, left me in awe. This is a special book filled with special writers." —Clint Smith, author of How the Word is Passed
This powerful anthology illuminates today’s activist experience through the poetry and essays of our most vital and essential youth.
Through compelling poetry, 18 young writers of color plant their resistance in the soil of our uncertain future. They tackle disparities across lines of gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity, ableism and fatphobia, immigration and the environment, and more. Their poems are accompanied by portraits of each poet (by cover artist Sobia Ahmad) along with first-person essays on what liberation means to them.
Diverse voices and styles shine throughout Stubborn Roots, providing personal and cultural context to ongoing conversations about change in the United States. Tender and green, vulnerable and wondrous, this singular book of poems serves as an urgent call to the transformative power of art and is a must-have for young readers looking to develop their connection to social justice.
Foreword by Camonghne Felix, author of Let the Poets Govern.
ISBN: 9781950807901
Age: 12+
Page Count: 220
Coming Fall 2026
