Description of the Book :
 
Slam poetry is an art form which emphasizes rhythm and beat. Before they were ever published in print, these poems were scribbled in notebooks and recited from memory at open mics, talent shows, literary readings, and anywhere else the author could find an audience. Picture a teenage punk, skating to youth centers like Warehouse 21, spitting bars with uncharacteristic confidence. Such were the high school and college years of a novice writer.

However, some of these poems are newer. Some were penned during recent pandemic quarantines, as a creative, cathartic release from the social isolation. Some poems reclaim archaic poetry forms, like Tanka and Sestina. Some are as short as a sentence, others span several pages. But each is a genuine expression of sincere emotion. These verses explore sorrow, outrage, and, ultimately, hope.