By Chase, Kevin, Khalil, and Josiah of Beacon House

Over the course of a historic year characterized by the COVID-19 pandemic, Black Lives Matter protests, and widespread social reckoning, four Black middle school boys from Beacon House in Washington, DC came together virtually, to dream. Pushing up against the hardship of current events, these new authors decided to create a collection of imaginative stories that share messages they believe the world needs to hear today about resilience, self-expression, and staying true to your dreams.

In this collection, you will meet Kobe, a teenage basketball player grappling with the death of his role model; Zim, a sword-wielding orphan on a quest to save his grandmother’s life; Ava, a cyborg girl who just wants to be normal; and Brandon, a boy struggling to choose between his passion and his family. This motley crew of heroes all learn to decipher their changing worlds, carrying with them necessary guidance for readers on how they can process their own. Artfully illustrated, and written in both poetry and prose, this book has something for every type of reader.

• ISBN: 978-1-950807-37-6

• Age: 9+

• Lexile: 590L

• Page Count: 120

• Published: Fall 2021

Voices on Youth Incarceration

• A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

• Foreword Indies Finalist

• Independent Press Award Winner

• “A powerful, devastating, essential read” - Starred review in Kirkus Reviews

When You Hear Me (You Hear Us) is an anthology of poetry and personal stories centering the voices of those directly impacted by the incarceration of young people in the United States. Compiled by Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop, this rich collection includes firsthand accounts from both the young people charged and incarcerated in the adult criminal legal system and from the community at large: the mothers, the loved ones, the correctional staff, public defenders, prosecutors, and others harmed and left with unhealed trauma. These critical voices, uniquely combined, illustrate the ecosystem that surrounds youth who are incarcerated--and expose the ripple effects that touch us all. This book challenges us to hear these voices calling out for accountability, transformative justice, and healing. Together, they demonstrate the collective impact of the prison system, and our collective responsibility to create a society where every one of us can thrive.

• ISBN: 978-1-950807-34-5

• Age: 12+

• Page Count: 288

• Published: Fall 2021

#1 on the Top Ten Books for 2022 In The Margins Book Award

They Called Me 299-359 is an anthology of poetry and essays written, edited, and compiled by incarcerated youth who are Free Minds Book Club members, held both at the DC Jail and in adult federal facilities across the country. Through moving personal testimony, these young writers explore the challenges and pain of incarceration as well as family, forgiveness, redemption, and dreams. Their book is used as a tool for violence prevention and healing in Free Minds’s youth violence prevention initiative “On the Same Page,” and is also taught as part of college curricula at several universities. This 10th anniversary edition includes updated forewords from Free Minds poet ambassadors as well as from award-winning formerly incarcerated poet Reginald Dwayne Betts.

• ISBN: 978-1-950807-15-4

• Age: 12+

• Lexile: NP

• Page Count: 120

• Published: Fall 2020

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

by the Latino Youth Leadership Council of LAYC

With a foreword by Newbery Medal-winning author Meg Medina

• Winner of the 2019 'In the Margins' Top Nonfiction award and 2020 International Latino Book Awards

• “Spotlighting underrepresented voices, this work is highly recommended for all communities in their efforts to promote empathetic, inclusive discussions around immigration.” — Starred review in School Library Journal!

• "Enlightening and inspiring #ownvoices accounts by young activists." – Kirkus Review.

During a time of heated immigration debate and unrest, this book is an opportunity to hear directly from youth who are often in the headlines but whose stories don’t get told in full. Sixteen young people from the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) in Washington, D.C. came together to tell their own stories of immigration and transformation in comics form. The result is this side-by-side bilingual collection of graphic memoirs that not only builds connections across language, but also breaks down barriers and expands hope.

***

En tiempos de inquietud y acalorados debates sobre la inmigración, este libro representa una oportunidad para escuchar directamente a los jóvenes quienes suelen ocupar los titulares en la prensa, pero cuyas historias no se alcanzan a narrar por completo. Dieciséis jóvenes del Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) en Washington, D.C. se unieron para contar sus propias historias de inmigración y de transformación en formato de cómic. El resultado es esta colección de memorias gráficas bilingüe, que no sólo construye conexiones entre los idiomas, sino que también elimina barreras y abre un espacio a la esperanza.

• ISBN: 978-1945434921

• Age: 12+

• Lexile: 720L

• Page Count: 320

• Published: 2018

This set includes:

Bright Before Us, Like a Flame
A landmark anthology spanning ten years of Shout Mouse Press with memoir, poetry, fiction, comics, and children’s literature from underrepresented youth authors, offering both a retrospective and a call to action for a new generation of writers as well as teachers.

The Light Looks Like Me: Words on Love from Queer Youth
A stunning, affirming collection of poems, stories, art, and comics by queer youth authors that celebrates love, identity, and self-expression in all its forms.

Passing the Mic: Building a Poet-Athlete City
A powerful portrait of Washington, D.C., this collection showcases three decades of DC SCORES poet-athletes who use soccer, poetry, and service to imagine and build a better future.

Stock your classroom with 20 copies of this powerhouse anthology and teaching tool. Or give it as a gift to a teacher or class! Even better — pair it with the Bright Before Us Inspiration Set!

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.

• ISBN: 978-1-950807-82-6

• Age: 12+

• Page Count: 304

Get the complete set of books featured in Bright Before Us, Like a Flame. A perfect classroom companion or a gift for a teacher. Pair it with the Bright Before Us Classroom Set.

Curated by your favorite authors and SMP Megaphone Board members, Jason Reynolds, Clint Smith, Elizabeth Acevedo, Hena Khan, Meg Medina, and Wendy Shang, this set contains books for young people ages 12+

Get the full set of books by Beacon House teen writers. These books contain middle grade and young adult fiction centering the stories of Black youth.

This set includes:

Black Boys Dreaming, a collection of illustrated stories written in poetry and prose by four middle middle school Black boys. Over the course of a historic year characterized by the COVID-19 pandemic, Black Lives Matter protests, and widespread social reckoning, these authors from Beacon House came together virtually, to dream.

The Day Tajon Got Shot, an extraordinarily brave multi-perspective novel about prejudice and police brutality by ten teen girls from Beacon House.

Trinitoga, a novel-in-stories by middle-school authors of Beacon House. These young writers created a fictionalized neghborhood and populated it with an endearing and heartbreaking cast of characters, not unlike people they have encountered in their own lives.

Curriculum is available for these titles!

Get the full set of books by Free Minds incarcerated writers. These books feature poetry, essays, and personal stories written by incarcerated young people.

This set includes:

The Untold Story of The Real Me is a collection of poems written by young people who were charged and incarcerated as adults at the age of 16 or 17.

They Called Me 299-359 is an anthology of poetry and essays written, edited, and compiled by incarcerated youth who are Free Minds Book Club members, held both at the DC Jail and in adult federal facilities across the country.

When You Hear Me (You Hear Us) is an anthology of poetry and personal stories centering the voices of those directly impacted by the incarceration of young people in the United States.

Curriculum is available for these titles!

This collection of books includes voices of young, Black authors talking about topics that are important to them, including those at the heart of the Black Lives Matter movement: elevating Black voices and stories, police brutality, and the U.S.’s broken justice system. While these books are designed for readers ages 12 and up, their messages are valuable for people of all ages. We encourage readers, leaders, and educators to use these teen-authored books to spark critical discussions about injustice. For inspiration, check out our curriculum page for discussion questions and writing activities to use alongside each of these titles.

While characters are becoming more diverse in literature, too often these characters are written by authors who don’t reflect the demographics of their characters. That’s why these stories are so important: we need more books written by people who are from the communities they’re writing about. At Shout Mouse Press, we trust that our authors are experts on their lived experience. This collection of books includes voices of young people sharing personal stories in service of building empathy and understanding. In Voces Sin Fronteras, young, Latinx immigrants write about their journeys to the United States. In They Called Me 299-359, incarcerated poets share work about their experience of being caught in the justice system. In The Ballou We Know, writers from Ballou High School in Southeast D.C. share their memoirs. I Am the Night Sky features the art and stories of young Muslim American writers.

Curriculum is available for these titles!

Get the complete collection of Shout Mouse Press teen books by the authors of Ballou High School.

This set contains four powerful memoir collections by at-risk t teens in Washington, DC. These books are ideal for:

• educators, social workers, and concerned citizens who want to understand the lives of teens growing up in marginalized or under-served communities

• teen readers, including reluctant readers and those with literacy challenges

• everyone who wants to be inspired by stories of determination and everyday courage

Get the complete collection of Shout Mouse Press teen books by the authors of LAYC, Ballou High School, Beacon House, Split This Rock, Queer Youth Voices, Next Wave Muslim Initiative, and Free Minds.

This set contains powerful memoir collections, poetry collections, novels, graphic memoir collections, mixed anthologies, all by teens in Greater Washington, DC. These books are ideal for:

• educators, social workers, and concerned citizens who want to understand the lives of teens growing up in marginalized or under-served communities

• teen readers, including reluctant readers and those with literacy challenges

• everyone who wants to be inspired by stories of determination and everyday courage

Books that are not yet released will not be included in this set. You can preorder them separately or check back once they are released!