Angst!: Teen Verses from the Edge!
- Book Review,
by Karen Tom (Editor)
From Publishers Weekly
Divided into sections such as "Society's Ills," "Crushed" and "Why Me?," the more than 60 poems included in Angst!: Teen Verses from the Edge edited by Karen Tom, illus. by Matt Frost, explore teens' thoughts and frustrations in their own words. From "Multiracial in a Small Town" to "The Whinings of a Middle-Class White Girl" to "Ode to Narcissus," the verses cover a wide range of viewpoints; a final chapter, "Poetry 101," defines different kinds of poetry and invites readers to try their hand at rhyme and meter. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Gr 8 Up-This collection of poetry derives from the Web site PlanetKiki.com, and the editor has done a fine job of maintaining its hard-edged feel in a print medium. With the look of a fanzine and the uncensored flavor of an Internet chat room (there's some strong language here), the selections, written by teen girls, will no doubt find an audience due to the quick pacing, fresh look, and offbeat attitude. This is poetry on the verge with trash-talking verse about crushes, rumors, multiracial issues, smoking, and individuality. Sections titled "Society's Ills" and "Argh! I Hate You!" appropriately encompass the pieces within. There are no poetic triumphs here, but that hardly matters. This is slam-bam, hard-hitting verse that may be just what today's teens can relate to. The editor includes a useful, playful appendix titled "Poetry 101," a guide to different styles of poetry (haiku, limericks, cinquains) and poetry conventions (alliteration, meter, metaphor). The book is irreverent enough that it just might convince those who traditionally shun poetry to give it a second glance.Sharon Korbeck, Waupaca Area Public Library, WICopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Nashville Tennesean
"Girls who read the book...will find validation when they read that others have the same questions, cares and concerns..."
THE BOSTON HERALD
"If these high voltage poems don't get you writing, we don't know what will."
Book Description
Every day thousands of teenage girls log on to a unique Web site called PlanetKiki.com. They come for the gossip, the advice and beauty tips. But mostly they come for each other. Seventy-five percent of Planet Kiki's content is created by its audience, and the most compelling chunk of that content is the poetry. Raw, soul-baring, outspoken, unfiltered, direct - here are the voices of teenage girls worldwide, at their most expressive. ANGST! Compiles the best of Planet Kiki's poetry in an edgy anthology on the agony and the ecstasy of being a teenager. ANGST! Covers the full spectrum of the girl's experience: the struggles with falling in love, being unpopular, braking up, feeling alienated, searching for life's meaning, bonding with friends, even the awkwardness of not having the right clothes. Uplifting, commiserating, humorous, and always passionate about telling the truth, these are poems that speak from the teenage heart, to the teenage heart. Following the poems is a Poetry 101 primers, complete with tips on subjects, forms, rhyming and technique, plus brief bios of the poets featured.
From the Back Cover
TEEN GIRLS ARE RAVING! Having a hard time figuring out your daily existence? Wondering when your deepest desires will ever be fulfilled? Sick of feeling unwanted? Have a bone to pick with the world? Want to make voodoo dolls of everyone you know? Feel as if you just might burst if you don't let your feelings out? You're not alone! ANGST! has arrived! EMPOWER YOURSELF WITH THE FREEDOM OF VERSE! Compiled from the best poems of the popular teen web community PlantetKiki.com, ANGST! is a collection of raw, edgy, and outspoken poems highlighting the voices of teen girls worldwide. ANGST! shares impassioned monologues, lyrical longings of unrequited love, odes to alienation, and inspiring messages about dumping a crummy boyfriend. Plus ANGST! offers a Poetry 101 guide to help bring out the poet in everyone! PlanetKiki.com is a fun-filled interactive universe of everything a teen gal needs to kick some *@$ in the world! It's a place where gals can always add in their two cents and feel fab! PlanetKiki.com was founded by Karen Tom, Matt Frost, and Kiki and made its debut October 1998.
Excerpted from Angst!: Teen Verses From the Edge! by Karen Tom, Matt Frost. Copyright © 2001. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved
CHEM 101 (LABORATORY LOVE) The acid in my beaker is dilute The boy who sits in front of me is cute He doesn't notice my flirtatious winks 'Cause he's focusing on phosphorus and zinc He says the charge of calcium is two I tell him, "I have chemistry with you!" He doesn't understand the way I feel (He thinks the nuclei have sex appeal) But I think about him every day in class When he is looking up atomic mass And when he states the formula for density I want him with a passionate intensity I've never met a boy who is as smart but he's got a TI-90 for a heart Of him I am becoming rather fond I wish that we could form a double bond But the boy does not reciprocate my crush He is busy cleaning test tubes with a brush Still my faith remains in one small fact... One day, he'll find out that opposites do attract. -Jessikah Dragon FRIEND OR FOE Are you my friend, or are you my foe? Please tell me now, 'cuz I want to know. One minute you are there, the next you are gone. I can't take this any longer, this can't go on. Friends are supposed to be there for you, This is something I know. How can you say things behind my back, Then turn around and act nice? How come you act phony all the time? How come I'm the only one who knows you lie? Why can't you be a good friend? Forget about being popular, because it doesn't matter in the end. -Danielle Marie Vacca
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