Author Description

"These students' poems and art are so beautiful and refreshing- they ring of truth in a time of lies. We need them." -Naomi Shihab Nye, Young People's Poet Laureate for 2019-2022 "These poems from The Poetry Studio are cracks in the construction, cures for the hurt, color for the bleakness, and challenges to the system. These poems of love and rage are counterforces to unfeeling and silence. They are maps to be consulted when navigating the world. They are 'like love armies/that hold off the dark.'" (Samuel Garbarino, written at age seven) -Bruce Smith, professor, Syracuse University MFA program and author of Devotions "Reading the wondrous, heart-opening poems of Another World, I feel my whole body humming with hope for the future again. The imaginative and metaphorical leaps of these pieces (What if every flower bloomed a word? What if each stalk was a sentence?) invite readers to dwell for a while in the world beneath this often-distressing world of ours. This book reminds us, with each lovingly presented poem and piece of art, that we were born creative and curious, and these young voices implore us to stay that way for as long as we can. -James Crews, editor of How to Love the World: Poems of Gratitude and Hope "For years, Ann Gengarelly has been working wonders at The Poetry Studio, creating a nurturing space for writers both young and old. Her husband, Tony, joins the studio for summer programs that combine poetry, art and bookmaking. This book captures that magic and more: it illustrates what is possible when we create gardens for creativity, offering warm earth, space, light, and water-such extraordinary flowers grow!" -Robin MacArthur, author of Half Wild: Stories and Heart Spring Mountain.