Finding a Place to Call Home
The young artists of The PATHfinder and POPS Clubs whose poetry, stories, and art are represented in Home and Away let readers in on their vulnerability and longing, their tenderness and understanding. They write of dreams of bright futures and of challenging pasts. With each piece, we are invited to dive more deeply into their truths.
And in this powerful collection we learn that when youth feel safe, seen, nourished, and respected, they can fully express themselves. These creators’ lives have been impacted by carceral systems, and because their clubs offer spaces where they are seen, heard, and respected, they have breathed extraordinary life and light into their creations.
“Home and Away is a beautiful collection of stories, poetry, and art created by extraordinary youth. Offering important lessons on belonging and marginalization, it will simultaneously expand, touch, break, and mend your heart.”
—Naomi Ackerman, founder and Executive Director, Advot
“These creators remind us how vital it is to celebrate young people who speak honestly and out loud, as well as how critical it is to listen and to be there. Please read this volume, look and listen, and pay attention.”
—Karen Friedman, retired family nurse practitioner and adolescent health specialist
"An anthology of poems, essays, and illustrations by young people (and some adults) explores themes of growing up, family, and dreaming of brighter futures.
"Divided into 12 thematic chapters, the work’s varied contents—from photographs to acrostic poems—showcase the nearly 100 different creators’ emotional and intimate deep dives into their motivations, hopes, and goals. A common theme running through their work is the experience of being affected by the U.S. carceral system; all the contributors participated in clubs run by a nonprofit dedicated to supporting teens whose lives have been touched by “incarceration, detention, and deportation.” . . . It’s gratifying to see multiple pieces by the same creators appear, highlighting their introspection and providing a roundness to their contributions that would not be present if readers had only one opportunity to interact with their works. The poetry of Genalyn Guerrero, from Venice High School in Los Angeles, is particularly strong and threads throughout the text in a way that allows readers to feel they are following the writer's journey."
—Kirkus Reviews