The Contract Says: We'd Like the Conversation to Be Bilingual by Ada Limón (Grade 7-9)

Ada Limón’s poem The Contract Says: We’d Like the Conversation to be Bilingual captures the uniquely visceral, yet restrained flavour of anger which racial microaggressions in polite conversation produce. A description of how people have spoken to Limón about her father, who is Mexican, this poem outlines how biases against immigrants influence the stories that are told, which in turn, influences the biases against immigrants. Cultural curiosity is one thing, expecting all people of a particular race to have the same “exotic” experiences with their culture is another. Speaking out against the stereotype of the “scrappy” and “criminal'' Mexican person, Limón asks the reader to consider if the questions they ask people from different backgrounds have a specific biassed answer in mind, and to listen to peoples’ hardships, even if these experiences directly implicate oneself as a part of the problem.

Brave Girl by Michelle Markel (Grade 4-6)

Clara Lemlich arrived in Americawithout knowing English, that young women had to go to work, that they traded an education for long hours of labor and that she was expected to grow up faster than normal. However, Clara never quit despite the circumstances. Markel shows how many arrests, serious physical attacks and terrible misogny failed to deter this young womans journey on becoming an activist.
Michelle Markel is a former freelance journalist who has written multiple fictional and non fictoional books for children including Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Markers Strike of 1909 and Hillary Rodham Clinton: Some Girls Are Born to Lead. She lives in Los Angeles, California with her husband and two daughters. Michelle also has a program that often does school visits to give students a behind the scenes sneak peak of her work, publication process and full experience of how her books came to be.

Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors? by Tanya Lee Stone (Grade 1-3)

Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors is an empowering, uplifting story, not only to motivate children to pursue their dreams, but also to instill hope in the new generation. This picture book is based on a true story about a woman named Elizabeth Blackwell who saw past gender stereotypes, challenging society's quota to become a doctor during a time when women in the workforce was frowned upon. Lee Stone uses playful images to illustrate a sense of capacity-building confidence for a brighter future for women today.

Tanya Lee Stone studied English at Oberlin College, received her Masters Degree in Science Education, and is the Program Director of the Professional Writing Program at Champlain College, in Burlington, Vermont. Her books shed light on stories that are less highlighted from history, threading themes of female and youth empowerment.

My Poem Without Me In It by Sharon Olds (Grade 10+)

Sharon Olds is the winner of countless major prizes, including the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Critics Circle Award, and her books have been bestsellers throughout her career. Her work is known for its candor, and emotional power. Olds often draws from her own life, mining personal and intimate details about her children, her parents, and her romances. Olds herself maintains that she doesn’t want to “ask a poem to carry a lot of rocks in its pockets.” She was born in San Francisco but grew up in Berkeley California, where she was raised as a strict Calvinist. Olds currently teaches in the graduate writing program at New York University.

Mr. Darcy by Victoria Chang (Grade 7-8)

American poet, writer, editor, and critic Victoria Chang earned a BA in Asian studies from the University of Michigan, an MA in Asian studies from Harvard University, an MBA from Stanford University, and an MFA from the Warren Wilson MFA Program for Writers. Detroit born Victoria was raised in the suburb of West Bloomfield. Her parents were immigrants from Taiwan. Her expansive career and acolytes include books of poetry, non fiction, children's literature and more. Victoria lives in Southern California with her family.

Mushrooms by Sylvia Plath (Grade 4-6)

"Mushrooms" compares the meek growing vegetables to that of women in the unfair society she lived in. Yet just like the mushrooms, who can survive off of crumbs and flourish in the shadows, women too can break through the norms they are bound to despite how little is expected of them. The poem itself has a quiet but determined voice that by the end confirms the power that women could hold: "We shall by morning/Inherit the earth."

Sylvia Plath, born in Boston, was said to be one of the most admired poets of the 20th century. Most of her poems were autobiographical and dealt with her self-image, troubles with her parents, and unhappy marriage to fellow poet Ted Hughes. Although some critics argue that her last few poems lack technique, all can agree that they capture the themes of cynicism, ego-absorption, and depression like no other.

The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Lorraine Hubbard (Grade1-3)

Mary Hardway Walker was born in 1848 in Union Springs, Alabama, into slavery. After the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, she was freed at the age of 15, and went on to live to the age of 116. At the age of 114, after all of her children and her husband had died, she set her sights on a dream she'd had her entire life - to learn to read. A story of perserverence and determination, The Oldest Student is aa picture book biography diving into an inspirational woman.

Author Rita Hubbard is a writer and educator with an advanced degree in School Psychology. She has written a number of books and resources, founded the Black History Channel, and if you are curious to know more about what books she personally enjoys, you can check out her book review website, https://picturebookdepot.com/.

Our Talons Can Crush Galaxies by Brooke Bolander (Grade 10+)

Trigger Warning: Strong Language, Mention of SA and Death.

In her short story, Our Talons Can Crush Galaxies, Brooke Bolander questions Western society's fixation on the perpetrators of rape and their stories by chronicalling how an intergalactic being responded to a mere mortal's attempt at assault. It's the vicim's turn to tell the story. Bolander combines trauma with a swashbuckling, fantastical, campy twist in this weird, wonderful and powerful piece.

A self described writer of "weird things of indeterminate genre", Bolander's work has been featured in magazines such as The Uncanny, Lightspeed, Tor.com and Strange Horizons, to name a few. She has been a repeat finalist for the Nebula, Hugo, Locus, and Theodore Sturgeon awards and holds a degree from the University of Leicaster for both History and Archeology.

Where There's a Wall by Joy Kogawa (Grade 7-9)

Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, poet and novelist Joy Kogawa was sent with her family to an internment camp for Japanese-Canadians during World War II, and her writing often focuses on the lasting scars of racism. The Historic Joy Kogawa House — Kogawa’s childhood home, which was expropriated from her family during the war and nearly demolished in 2005 — operates a writer-in-residence program. Kogawa is a member of the Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia.

Mothers by Nikki Giovanni (Grade 4-6)

"Mothers" depicts the last time the speaker was at home and had connected with her mother. The stylistic choice of referring to her mother as "mommy" suggests that the speaker is looking back on the memory through the lens of her younger self. As she paints the picture of her mother sitting in the dark, the audience can clearly see the love and admiration she holds for her mother.

Nikki Giovanni was born in Knoxville, Tennessee and has published countless collections of poetry in addition to several works of nonfiction, children's literature, and an Emmy-award nominated recording of The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection (2004). She received a B.A. in history and attended graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University. Many of her first published volumes of poetry were said to have been in response of the assassinations of influential figures like Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy.

Just Ask!: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You by " Sotomayor, Sonia, López, Rafael (Ilt)" (Grade 1-3)

Feeling different, especially as a kid, can be tough. But in the same way that different types of plants and flowers make a garden more beautiful and enjoyable, different types of people make our world more vibrant and wonderful.

In Just Ask, United States Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor celebrates the different abilities kids (and people of all ages) have. Using her own experience as a child who was diagnosed with diabetes, Justice Sotomayor writes about children with all sorts of challenges--and looks at the special powers those kids have as well. As the kids work together to build a community garden, asking questions of each other along the way, this book encourages readers to do the same: When we come across someone who is different from us but we're not sure why, all we have to do is Just Ask.

Educated by Tara Westover (Grade 10+)

Educated is the autobiography of Tara Westover and tells the story of how she grew up in a rural Idaho community under the roof a religiously conservative family who home-schooled her until she was 17. Her childhood was spent learning herbalism, the trade at her father's junkyard, and a very extreme set of Mormonism beliefs. After enduring years of abuse from her older brother and family, Tara managed to self-study mathematics and grammar to gain admission into Brigham Young University along the way to eventually attending Harvard and earning a PhD from Cambridge.

Educated has earned numerous accolades and awards including Apple's Best Memoir of the Year, Audbile's Best Memoir of the Year, and Named Nonfiction Book of the Year by the American Bookseller's Association. It was also listed as a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award's John Leonard Prize and the Autobiography Award. Educated is Tara Westover's first book.

To The Ladies by Lady Mary Chudleigh (Grade 7-9)

Lady Mary Chudleigh (1656-1710) was an English poet and essayist who educated herself at a time when women rarely had access to formal education. Part of a circle of women writers in Dryden, Chudleigh wrote extensively on feminist subjects. Though married herself and quite religious, she was critical of the ways in which marriage subjugated women.

How to Triumph Like a Girl by Ada Limón (Grade 4-6)

In "How to Triumph Like a Girl", the speaker admires the strength of female horses and wishes to have those desirable qualities herself. She challenges the reader to believe that she also has the heart and therefore the features of a lady horse that she so desperately wants. Throughout the poem, the speaker implies that being a female in general makes any animal or person graceful and strong.

California-born Ada Limón is the 24th Poet Laureate of the United States and earned an MFA from New York University, studying alongside several notable poets including Sharon Olds and Philip Levine. The majority of her poems concern subjects such as motherhood, womanhood, and infertility. Currently, Limón teaches at North Carolina's Queens University of Charlotte Low Residency and she also works as a creative consultant and also acts as a host of her critically-acclaimed poetry podcast, The Slowdown.

Areli is a Dreamer by Areli Morales, illustration by Luisa Uribe (Grade 1-3)

Areli is a Dreamer is the true story of DACA recipient Areli Morales who was born in Mexico, and brought to New York City at age 6 to live with her family, who were trying hard to give her a promising and good life. As an undocumented immigrant and a child who didn't yet speak English, she soon found even things like going to school and playing with new friends to be challenging - the bullying and whispers swirled around her. However, Areli rose to the challenge, and saw what hard work and tenacity could bring, becoming the woman she was meant to be, and one day sharing her story for others to understand the ups and downs of the imimgrant life.

The Train by Jodie Callaghan

The Train follows Ashley as she tries to understand why her great-uncle always waits by the old, out-of-use train tracks. Through her great-uncle’s story about his residential school experience and the history of their Mi'gmaq heritage, Ashley soon learns of the importance of the train tracks to her great-uncle. A story emphasising togetherness and hope, The Train weaves together familial ties and the residential school experience.

Jodie Callaghan is a Mi'gmaq woman who was inspired to write The Train after hearing members of her community talk about their residential school experience. The Train is the winner of the 2010 Mi’gmag Writer’s award.

It's Time to Go Play Now by Cassidy Gallant

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a new national holiday on September 30th meant to recognize the impact and legacy of the Canadian Residential School System. Cassidy Gallant’s It’s Time to Go Play Now was a poem written for the new National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and highlights the childhood experiences that were lost due to the forced attendance at Canadian Residential Schools.

Cassidy Gallant is a young Mi'kmaw poet who writes poetry about the lasting impact of Residential Schools. From PEI and a single mother, Gallant is currently working on a half-English, half-Mi’kmaw poetry book.

April 30, 2014 by Louise Bernice Halfe

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission began in 2008 with the purpose of providing those directly and indirectly affected by the Canadian Residential School System a chance to share their stories and experiences. April 30, 2014 is the date on which Louise Bernice Halfe shared her story with the committee. Named after that date, her poem, April 30, 2014 is filled with reflection, pain, and release as Halfe details the morning leading up to her hearing.

Louise Bernice Halfe is Canada’s Parliamentary Poet Laureate and is of Cree descent. Both a poet and social worker, Halfe weaves Cree language into her poetry in an act of defiance against erasure. Her works of poetry have gained numerous awards such as the Latner Writers' Trust Poetry Prize.

War by Lee Maracle

Published in 2000, Lee Maracle’s War describes experiences of Indigenous peoples in post-colonial Canada. Examining the turmoil and injustice faced by Indigenous peoples in the past, the poem presents the feelings of pain and love as non-conflicting. As such, Maracle writes of necessary acceptance and strength for Indigenous peoples to take back the narrative.

One of Canada’s most prolific Indigenous writers, Lee Maracle is a writer who is an advocate for Indigenous rights—specifically that of Indigenous women. In her work, she infuses her writings with traditional Indigenous stories; in particular, her focus in “decolonizing the feminine” in North America frames her writings in a uniquely feminist light. Maracle’s autobiography, Bobbi Lee: Indian Rebel, was one of the first Indigenous works published in Canada. Recognizing her instrumental contribution to Canadian literature and Indigenous rights, Maracle was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2018.

The Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Combining modern issues faced by Indigenous peoples and the suspense of a crime-thriller, Firekeeper’s Daughter centers around 18-year-old Daunis Fontaine who struggles to fit into her Sault community. In light of the drug-related death of her best friend, Fontaine begins to uncover the hold that addictive drugs have on her community. The story introduces readers to traditional Ojibwe phrases and medicines and pulls back the curtain on the “corrosive effect of drug-use” in Indigenous communities.

A former Director of the Office of Indian Education in the U.S. Department of Education, Angeline Boulley now writes stories inspired by her own Ojibwe community. Boulley seeks to craft stories that explore the experiences of modern day Indigenous women.