| Title | : | 2022 RYPA (Rattle Young Poets Anthology) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1931307288 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781931307284 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Chapbook |
| Number of Pages | : | - |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2022 |
The annual RYPA returns for another year of delightful and insightful poetry that happens to be written by young people. As always, this is not a book of poems for children, but the other way around—these are poems written by children for us all, revealing the startling insights that are possible when looking at the world through fresh eyes. This 40-page chapbook is mailed to all Rattle subscribers along with our Summer 2022 issue. Twenty-one poets age 15 or younger contributed to this volume, offering their perspectives on the first crushes, childhood toys, climate change, nature, and more. Order your copy and see why the RYPA is always the highlight of our year as publishers.
Contents
Melody Maxfield Cortez Old Toys
Alenka Doyle First and Last Crush
Lyla Foster Black
Daphne Frank Dino Birthday
Sloane Flaherty Getz Sandhog’s Granddaughter
Holly Haeck Heat Advisory for Rome and Surrounding Areas
Lucille Healy Haiku
Elizabeth Kerr Function
Sophia Liu Ghazal for New Moon
Anna Meister Flower for Eyes
Vitek Mencl Prague
Evie Pugh Two Poems
Reagan Rafferty My Grandmother’s Eyes
Kashvi Ramani My First Birthday Was in an Orphanage
Skyler Rockmael Necessities
Syazwani Saifudin First-Generation Driftwood
Lily Blue Simmons Death Be Unto You:
Mazzy Sleep The City
Alisha N. Wright The Dramatic Cashier
Avery Yoder-Wells Though They Called Us Two Maidens
Cynthia Zhang Running at Stillwater
..
Cover Art
M-A Murphy
2022 RYPA (Rattle Young Poets Anthology) Reviews
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It is always cool to read poems from young people.
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Rattle’s annual anthology of poems by children 15 and younger is always one of my favorite collections of the year. Although the editors are careful to include a wide range of diversity, this year’s poems weren’t quite as hard hitting as the 2020 anthology, with more heart-wrenching insights into the heartbreaks of leaving one’s homeland and culture. However, “First Generation Driftwood” (brilliant title) by Syazwani Saifudin, does speak to the problems of displacement:
“My words are loud like Singapore at night
My language is lost; stale and acrid in my mouth
Neither home feels like home.”
This 2022 anthology brought more moments of delight, smiles, and laughter to balance the book. But no matter what tone, these anthologies shock us over and over again, as we think, “How did a kid come up with THAT!” Because all the poets deserve praise and the chapbook is short, I won’t pull out many moments for comment.
Sometimes it only takes one or two words to shock me: “The urban grain of voices” – how did nine-year-old Muzzy Sleep come up with such a sophisticated metaphor?
The poem that most delighted me was “Sisters” by Evie Pugh, age 6. It’s only 4 lines that need to be read together, so please buy or borrow a copy.
And I did actually giggle at this aside by Alisha N. Wright in “The Dramatic Cashier.”
“You’re probably thinking ‘god this
poem just drags on and you’re overexaggerating.’” -
I love it when Rattle Young Poets Anthology shows up in my mailbox. This year, I’m in awe of each poem, each poet. Particularly taken with Old Toys by Melody Maxfield Cortez, Function by Elizabeth Kerr, and First-Generation Driftwood by Syazwani Saifudin.
