Young adults, leaving childhood and looking forward to adulthood and independence, have something important for all of us to learn. For younger children, it is the wisdom of what is to come, and to see what is next in store for their lives. For adults, it is to look back on the potential of what they once had and remember and reflect on what their own hopes and dreams had been for the future. Young adults in particular have remarkable insight into the human condition and the desire to want to change the world. Given the state the world is in now, this is a worthy goal to aspire to. Teens can be introspective one day, and reckless the next. And much to the despair of their parents, they are often contradictions in their own terms.
Often this turbulence finds truth and meaning expressed in poetry. Poems have their own rules, and those rules are meant—and are even expected--to be broken. Young adults are very skilled at the latter—it’s almost at the top of the job requirement for being a teen. Yet in one flash, one sentence or insight, there can be a brilliance that one never thought possible to accumulate within such a short lifespan. For young adults, there is poetry of rebellion, of identity, of race, of justice, of insight and of beauty. Poetry is the art of opening one’s eyes to new possibilities and new ideas. And I know of no other population better suited to this than for young adults.
Below are some recent poetry collections that are by and about the young adult experience. Enjoy! And while you're looking, also check out the Spring into Poetry contest starting April 1st at your local branch!
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