This poetry collection was a quick read that I think will appeal to people from several different backgrounds.

This is a powerful collection of poems and short stories curated by representing 20 years of poetry from students and alumni of Chicago's Oak Park River Forest High School Spoken Word Club.

The poems are raw and emotional ranging from experiences with siblings, relationships, sorrow, grief, and life. If you are new to poetry or love poetry anthologies, def pick this one up.

I love the different poems and reading how each artist things. I personally am a big poetry fan so getting to read this was actually really amazing

Powerful and amazing. I was honored to have read the words of these poets. It is hard to review the content of one's life story, but the craft was amazing!

I thought this was absolutely fantastic. This all happens not far from me, so it’s so neat to be reading about places that I’m familiar with. And some of these were so incredibly profound and resonated so deeply with me. “The butcher taught me how to high school” slammed me against a wall and took me right back to high school. It was incredible. And I loved Iman Shumpert being in there!

I really enjoyed this poetry collection, there’s so many lines in it that are memorable and so so important.

What an exciting collection this is!

So great to see all these different voices be given such a platform to showcase the power of language as seen through the eyes of students and alumni of this school's spoken word club.

Still working my way through this collection, but it's so great to pick up, read a few poems, and then come back to when I have a free minute.

Absolutely love the concept and the celebratory nature of this entire anthology.

This poetry anthology celebrates 20 years of the spoken word club at Oak Park River Forest High School. It is made up of poems by alumni and current students in the club. It reminded me of my creative writing classes. Each section contains intros from the editors and the sections include Notes From Here, Coming of Age, Monsters At Home, Welcomes, Farewells, and Odes, and Survival Tactics. I did find the book slightly hard to read in the e-book Kindle version, as some of the formatting was off.

Thank you to Penguin Teen & Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I remember when I took a high school field trip to OPRF to talk to the current members of Louder than a Bomb. It was an inspiring and enlightening experience and while I never joined spoken word, it's an art form I love and that always makes me feel deeply. Respect the Mic was no different. I had chills through most of this collection. These authors know how to evoke emotional imagery in the best ways. You can't read this and not feeling something.

I enjoyed all of the poems in this collection. The way they are sorted into three categories with a the small intro before each section worked so well for me. I loved the reflections from past LTAB members and how spoken word changed their lives. I'm so glad I requested this one, it 100% went over and above my expectations.

CWs (Moderate): Body shaming, bullying, child abuse, death of parent, domestic abuse, fatphobia, grief, mental illness, police brutality, pregnancy, racism, self harm, suicidal thoughts, transphobia/transmisia, violence.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ebook of RESPECT THE MIC: CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF POETRY FROM A CHICAGOLAND HIGH SCHOOL edited by Franny Choi, Peter Kahn, Hanif Abdurraqib, and Dan “Sully” Sullivan 🎤 This book is coming out on February 1.

This poetry anthology is particularly special because it captures the legacy and the magic of Chicago’s Oak Park and River Forest High School’s Spoken Word Club. Featuring poetry from current students, recent graduates, and alumni already well beyond their high school years, this anthology captures a wide range of experiences and voices. These poems cope with grief, lighten loss, process trauma, celebrate joy, and bridge worlds—and show us how they take these feelings with them, to Tokyo and Venice and to the checkout counter at the corner street just past midnight.

The pride in their connection to the Spoken Word Club is wholly apparent—here, poetry gives voice and meaning. I particularly loved the essays introducing each section and reading some of the context on how poetry changed some of these students’ lives.

This has great promise of young kids doing what they do best: Telling the world how it is. The format was a little weird on mobile but this would be a great physical read

This poetry anthology represents the past 20 years of poetry from one Chicago high school in the Oak Park area.

“For Chicago's Oak Park and River Forest High School's Spoken Word Club, there is one phrase that reigns supreme: Respect the Mic. It's been the club's call to arms since its inception in 1999. As its founder Peter Kahn says, "It's a call of pride and history and tradition and hope." “

This collection of poetry and prose uplifts voices from the community from students and alumni of years past.

I thought this collection was great! I loved all the different poetry styles and rhythms that each poet had to offer. I think the stories told within these short pages were enlightening and entertaining as much as they were heartbreaking and wholesome.


Thanks to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!