From the creators of the New York Times bestseller Poetry Speaks to Children, comes this inspirational anthology book of poems for middle grade readers.

Poetry Speaks Who I Am is filled with more than 100 remarkable poems for teen boys and girls, making it the perfect addition to any classroom. With poems about who teens are and who they are becoming, they'll find poems that make them laugh, that make them angry, or poems that speak directly to them.

Poetry can be life altering. It can be gritty and difficult. It can be hilarious or heart-breaking. And it's meant to be experienced, so we've included a CD on which you'll hear 44 poems, 39 of which are original recordings--you'll only find them here. You'll hear poets both classic and contemporary, well-known and refreshingly new, including:

• Dana Gioia expresses the hunger of a "Vampire's Serenade"
• Elizabeth Alexander waits for that second kiss in "Zodiac"
• Langston Hughes flings his arms wide in "Dream Variations"
• Marilyn Nelson reads to her class in "How I Discovered Poetry"
• Paul Muldoon's poem "Sideman," brought loudly to life by the band Rackett
• And 39 more!

Poetry Speaks Who I Am is dynamic, accessible, challenging, classic, edgy, and ultimately...not quite perfect. Just like you.

Raccah, Dominique

Series Editor Dominique Raccah is founder, president, and publisher of Sourcebooks, a leading independent publisher outside of Chicago. Today Sourcebooks is the world's leading publisher of poetry in book-and-audio form, and also publishes nonfiction and fiction. Raccah was the initial visionary of the books Poetry Speaks, Poetry Speaks to Children and Hip Hop Speaks to Children, seeing them as interactive, engaging ways to experience spoken and written poetry.

Paschen, Elise

Elise Paschen is the editor of Poetry Speaks to Children and co-editor of Poetry Speaks, both New York Times bestsellers. She is the author of several acclaimed poetry collections of her own, including Bestiary and Infidelities, winner of the Nicholas Roerich Poetry Prize. Former Executive Director of the Poetry Society of America, she is the co-founder of Poetry in Motion, a nationwide program that places poetry in subways and buses, and co-editor of Poetry in Motion and Poetry in Motion from Coast to Coast.