Sasa
Sasa
Sasa Aakil is an interdisciplinary artist and poet from Silver Spring, MD and received a Bachelors of Fine Arts from Howard University in 2024. Sasa has been featured in Bethesda Magazine for her work as Youth Poet Laureate of Montgomery County in 2021. She has shown sculptural and two-dimensional work at the American Poetry Museumand Black Rock Art Center. Sasa is the founder of If All the Trees Were Pens open mic and author of the chapbook, the culmination of all my despair and the music that saves me (Words, Beats, & Life, 2024). She is also a contributor to the anthology I Am the Night Sky (Shout Mouse Press, 2019)and co-editor of Bright Before Us, Like A Flame (ShoutMouse Press, 2025). Sasa wants her readers to know that art is a tool for justice and that their voices matter. More information about Sasa’s visual and written work can be found on her website www.sasaaakil.com
"I wrote this series of poems and vignettes because I wanted to share my story. Not for proof or justification or validation, just because that’s what stories are for — sharing. I’ve never been rich in anything but stories, and if one of them happens to change someone’s ideas, open their heart, give them joy, or show them that they can do what I do and better, then Alhamdulillah. Maybe they’ll end up rich like I am."
-Sasa on her contribution to I Am The Night Sky
BOOKS BY SASA
by the teen artists and writers of Next Wave Muslim Initiative
With a foreword by award-winning author Hena Khan
“Captivating and uplifting.” — Starred review in Kirkus Reviews + named a Best Book of 2019
“Get it soon… It would be difficult to ignore or forget these voices.” — Rich in Color Reviews
Included on the “2020 Rise: A Feminist Book Project List for Ages 0-18”
During an era characterized by both hijabi fashion models and enduring post-9/11 stereotypes, ten Muslim American teenagers came together to explore what it means to be young and Muslim in America today. These teens represent the tremendous diversity within the American Muslim community, and their book, like them, contains multitudes. Bilal writes about being a Muslim rocker. Noor reflects about speaking in multiple tongues. Samaa creates her own cartoon Kabob Squad. Ayah responds to online hate. Through poems, essays, artwork, and stories, these young people aim to show their true selves, to build connection, and to create more inclusive and welcoming communities for all.
ISBN: 978-1945434938
Age: 12+
Lexile: 830L
Page Count: 192
Published: 2019
Foreword by Elizabeth Acevedo. Edited by Sasa Aakil and Kathy Crutcher.
by the Young Writers of Shout Mouse Press
For ten years, Shout Mouse Press has championed the voices of young writers, publishing their authentic and necessary stories. Now, this landmark anthology of youth writing celebrates a decade of storytelling—and invites readers to pick up their pens and write the path ahead.
Spanning memoir, poetry, fiction, comics, and children’s literature, Bright Before Us, Like a Flame is more than a retrospective—it’s a creative writing resource and a call to action. Taking its title from Langston Hughes’ poem “Youth,” this collection ignites both hope for the future and the power to shape it. Through stories of immigration, identity, social justice, and resilience, young authors confront today’s most urgent topics with insight and empathy. Their words challenge, inspire, and invite readers to add their own voices to the conversation.
What’s Inside:
✅ A diverse collection of youth-authored memoirs, poetry, fiction, comics, and children’s literature, featuring underrepresented voices.
✅ Creative writing prompts and behind-the-scenes insights to inspire students and emerging writers to tell their own stories.
✅ Intergenerational conversations with award-winning guest authors, exploring the role of storytelling in social change.
✅ Discussion questions for middle and high school classrooms, book clubs, and creative writing workshops.
At a time of uncertainty and urgent global challenges, these young authors remind us: Words have power. Stories create change. And the future is yours to write.
Perfect for:
📖 Aspiring young writers looking for inspiration, mentorship, and creative guidance.
🎓 Educators and librarians seeking an engaging, diverse, and inclusive classroom writing resource for middle and high school students.
🎁 Readers who believe in the power of storytelling to spark dialogue and transform communities.
ISBN: 978-1-950807-82-6
Age: 12+
Page Count: 304
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
Writing this book was a special exercise in stretching and strength. I’ve been uncomfortable, uncertain, nervous, tired. I had to grow during our two week writing intensive. My mind was out of words and ideas, but my soul wasn’t out of stories. I had to stretch to get out all the tales I felt obligated to tell. I drew on my fellow authors for inspiration, drive, and energy. Music, memory, stereotypes, hyphens, we talked about everything.