From: Marc Aronson <75664.3110>
Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2000 09:26:06 -0400

The whole area of poetry for teenagers is quite fascinating. Very very recently both poetry and YA were considered dead spots on publishers' lists. But now both are doing much better. A big challenge, though, is finding the poetry. That's one reason we often will create an anthology around a theme that we feel is of interest to teenagers, but let the anthologist select any kind of poetry -- adult, classic, translated, modern, for teenagers, for children -- that suits the theme and will reach the reader.
        I think this form, the thematic YA poetry anthology, is a rich and expanding area where some very fresh and interesting work is taking place. One thing it can do is to give voice to a wide range of experiences without waiting for a single author to deal with them in a novel. I also think that because there are so many voices and tones in these books they offer many different ways for readers to enter them. A quick read may land on short poems, or funny ones, or ones by familiar authors. A slower read will bring the reader to more complex poems that reveal their secrets over time.
        I do hope librarians and teachers will start to think of the YA poetry anthology as a genre all of its own, and explore with us the many directions they can take.

Marc Aronson
Received on Tue 25 Apr 2000 08:26:06 AM CDT