Alex Vo
ENG 112B
Warner
5/02/07
Annotated
Bibliography: Self-Expression through Poetry
Despite being shorter than short stories or novels, poetry is just as capable for emotional complexity or revelation. As such, it�s the first written medium many young students and teenagers attach themselves to.
In some way, poems written to teenagers by adults are self-defeating. Teenagers are able to communicate to themselves, each others, and adults through poetry as well as adults. I chose to pick self-expression (or, poems written only by teenagers) because these collections become a mass reservoir of indirect communication, and a valuable mouthpiece for the adolescent psyche.
Aguado, Bill (editor). Paint Me Like I Am: Teen Poems From WritersCorps. New
York: HarpersTempest, 2002.
Some of the better poems written by teenagers during their
WritersCorps tenure are collected here.
Most are eloquent, thoughtful, and charge through a variety of subjects,
like politics and social service.
In a strange bit of meta posturing, some pages in this book have been
dolled up to look as though they were photocopied from another book.
Born Ruffians.
Born Ruffians. Warp
Records, 2006. Compact disc.
A Canadian indie rock album, filled with supremely fun songs about writing essays, wanting sandwiches to eat, and desiring girlfriends. Teenage musicians frequently approach their craft with self-satisfaction or a smug mind-set, but Born Ruffians deliver their lyrics with stunning conviction and energy. They make it easy to support that their trifling worries are the entire world to them.
Bush, Valerie Chow (editor). Believe Me, I Know: Poetry and Photography by
WritersCorps Youth. San Francisco: WritersCorps Books,
2002.
In addition to its poetry, Believe Me publishes amateur photography
taken around San Francisco.
WritersCorps is a collective that teaches teens how to develop their
skills beyond desperately angry poetry, so their books are better than most.
Bynoe, Sara (editor). Teen Angst: A Celebration of Really Bad Poetry. New York:
St. Martin�s Press, 2005.
Adults publish poems they wrote as teenagers, offering embarrassed
comments and mocking sarcasm. Though Teen Angst trivializes teenage
poetry, it also demonstrates how its themes and emotions are timeless. Teen Angst contextualizes
teenage poetry within adult lives, and presents a glance into history with
constructive humor.
Franco, Betsy (editor). You Hear Me? Poems and Writing by Teenage Boys.
Massachusetts: Candewick Press,
2000.
A collection of teenage poetry written by boys from all over the
nation, from all situations of life.
Thoughtfully, Franco doesn�t list the location or biography of the
poets, allowing their voices to for themselves. This all-knowing book is a needlepoint of adolescent fear,
anger, and relief.
Franco, Betsy (editor). Things I Have to Tell You: Poems and Writing by Teenage
Girls. Massachusetts: Candewick Press, 2000.
Things I Have to Tell You is the female compliment to the
above book and one just as accomplished.
Kweller, Ben.
Ben Kweller. ATO
Records, 2006. Compact disc.
The sentiments behind Kweller�s songs of love, life,
and growth aren�t particularly original, but when framed against Kweller�s
previous two albums (which were written as a teenager, whose songs were usually
trivial in subject), it represents an interesting, fairly bold jump to young
manhood. Ben Kweller�s an intriguing
document of a growing and maturing mind.
Tom, Karen (editor). Planetkiki�s Angst!: Teen Verses From the Edge. New York:
Workman Publishing, 2001.
Angst! gathers poems written by girls from the
now-defunct Planetkiki website, and packages them in this colorful, attractive
book. Most of the poetry is of
dubious quality and a poetry 101 in the back of the book borders on parody. But the poppy packaging is appealing. Overall, a cute contrast from the �raw�
and �unfiltered� attitude of other teenage poetry collections.
Violent Femmes. Violent Femmes. Slash/Rhino Records, 1980. Compact disc.
Irreverent acoustic rock, released during the artistic peak of New
Wave. Written while the band
members were still in high school, each song revolves around approaching girls
while bleary-eyed and strung out.
Reflects the awkwardness of being an outsider, but the toe-tapping,
strutting nature of the music gives it radio friendly vibes.
Watson, Esther Pearl, and Mark Todd (editors.) The Pain Tree and Other Teenage
Angst-Ridden Poetry. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2000.
Artists Watson and Todd solicited teenage poetry and created oil canvas art to accompany each poem. The poems range in quality, though few rise above to anything noticeable. The art adds little, and ends up feeling like a veneer over the general shortcomings of the poetry.