sturgeon by Kateri Akiwonzie-Damm (grades 10+)

An internationally acclaimed spoken word poet, Kateri Akiwonzie-Damm hails from the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation, Saugeen Ojibway Nation, in Ontario. Kateri's poem sturgeon encompasses the idea of being weary of what one consumes. The bond between wildlife and humanity is ever so present when one takes even the slightest glimpse of a sturgeon's journey from the rainy river to the kitchen table. Kateri masterfully describes the heartbreaking process behind having such a fish on one's plate and reasons why she herself does not eat sturgeon.

Australia's Silenced History by Nola Gregory (grades 7-9)

Nola Gregory is a descendant of the Gija/Bardi peoples of the East and West Kimberly and has been writing poetry since 1995. Her passion for poetry writing is what keeps her going. Nola writes poems that she hopes reach deep down inside the person reading them.

Fatty Legs by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton (grades 4-6)

"Fatty Legs" follows the powerful story of residential schools. The story follows the experience of Pokiak-Fenton, an eight year old girl who goes to residential school. She begged her parents to go, as it was her dream to learn how to read. However, when she arrives to residential school, it is not what she imagined. This book talks about the terrible and traumatic treatment that she received at the school, specfically from one nun. Pokiak-Fenton describes the experience of having her hair cut, being held in a locked, dark basement, and the humiliation and embarassment of wearing red socks as a punishment for her actions. This story teachers us about the devastating and traumatic reality of the residential school system. In 2010, "Fatty Legs" was named one of the best children's books of the year by the Globe and Mail.

Stolen Words by Madelanie Florance (grades 1-3)

Melanie Florence is an author of Cree and Scottish heritage who writes about the experiences that her grandfather went through at one of Canada's most infamous residential schools. Her relationship with her grandfather sparked her interest in writing about issues affecting Indigenous people. She loves writing books for both children and young adults, and one of her most famous children's books is "Stolen Words". It won The Children's Book Review's Best Picture Books of 2017, Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award 2018, and many more. This story shows the pain that Indigenous people had to go through when their culture and language was taken away from them and how that agony got passed on to the next generation. This is a sensitive and warm book that is perfect for exploring how the residential school system can separate Indigenous families.

Abecedarian Requiring Further Examination of Anglikan Seraphym Subjugation of a Wild Indian Rezervation by Natalie Diaz (grades 10+)

A Mojave America poet, Natalie Diaz is the author of poetry collections When My Brother was an Aztec and Postcolonial Love Poem, the latter of which won the Pulizer Prize for Poetry in 2021. Diaz's work focuses on the intersection between Indigenous, queer, feminine, and Latina identities, which extends beyond her involveent in literature particularly in Mojave language activism. This poem. "
Abecedarian Requiring Further Examination of Anglikan Seraphym Subjugation of a Wild Indian Rezervation" wittily examines the tensions in enduring colonial patterns in Native American life, and in the English language structures.

Hotel Centrale, Rotterdam by Daniel David Moses (grades 7-9)

Of Delaware descent and a noted playwright and poet, Daniel David Moses has won and been nominated for many literary awards. His poem Hotel Centrale, Rotterdam addresses the many questions of identity Moses faces—who he is, even where he is—becomes of ever such importance falling asleep under an unfamiliar and unwelcoming roof. Moses longs to meet and greet new faces, though saddened by the fact he may not communicate with them as they are not of similar tongue as him. As he drifts off, he ponders of a dream suspended in the blue and frost of dawn.

Remember by Joy Harjo (grades 4- 6)

Joy Harjo was born in 1951 in Tulsa, Oklahoma and part of the Muscogee (Cree) Nations. She is a poet, playwrite, musician and author. She served three temrs as the 23rd poet lauraate of the United States (2019-2022) and in 2023, she won Yale's Bollinger Prize for American Poetry. Harjo delivered the 2021 Windham-Campbell Lecture at Yale. She has also won many other awards. As a poet, Harjo has written ten books, several plays and childrens book, two memoirs and numerous poems, including her newest release a poem for young listeners titled Remember. As a musician, she has produced seven award-winner albums, including I Pray for my Enimies and Winding through the milky way. At 71, Harjo is still writting and composing and is the chancellor of the Academy of American Poets among many of the other roles she has.

Victory by Sherman Alexie (grades 1-3)

The poem “Victory” by Sherman Alexie explores the guilt that the speaker experiences after stealing a pair of basketball shoes. Being too scared to confess, they suffered through the season, only to confess at the end and see his father crying of shame. Alexie is the acclaimed author of many other poems and novels, including The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which won the 2007 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature and Reservation Blues, which won the 1996 American Book Award. Many of his works are memoirs of his own experiences as a Spokane-Coeur d'Alene Native American.

Hold That Thought! by Bree Galbraith (grades 1-3)

Hold that Thought is a picture book by Bree Galbraith celebrating discovering yourself, and being true to who that is. In it, the non-binary main character Finn has an amazing idea.. but they just can't seem to figure out how to describe it. As they begin to share it with their friends, they discover that not everyone is always receptive to brand new ideas, and finding the confidence to believe in them anyway can take a little work. But, as each kid in Finn's class finds the confidence to share who they really are, their courage-and the result-is inspiring. A book about confidence, creativity, and staying true to yourself.

Bree Galbraith (she/her) is a local Vancouver author, who has written many fantastic picture books about fining ways to make positive change in the community. You may recognize her name from the popular new early chapter book series "Wednesday Wilson," about a fiesty young entrepreneur with two moms. Illustrator of Hold that Thought, Lynn Scurfield (she/they) is a mixed media artist based out of Toronto, Ontario. You can see more of their stunning artwork at http://www.lynnscurfield.com/.

The Lost Pardner by Charles Badger Clark ( grades 4-6)

Badger Clark was an American cowboy and poet, as well as the first laureate of South Dakota for poetry. The Lost Pardner is only one of the many poems that came from of the Old West's primarily queer and BIPOC inhabitants, The Lost Pardner encapsulates the atmosphere on the American Frontier-- one in which marginalized people risked life and limb to live and love freely. Throughout the 19th and 20th Century, puritanical influences on popular culture have tried to erase the existance and impact that queer people have had on the formation of cornerstones of western culture, but surviving art such as this poem exist to prove otherwise. Clark memorializes his relationship and grief in this eulogy to one of his lovers who perished while working in deadly conditions, a lucky one out of the thousand nameless LGBTQ2S+ and BIPOC people who met a similar fate.

Our Work is Everywhere by Syan Rose (grades 7-9)

A decade in the making, Syan Rose’s book Our Work is Everywhere: an Illustrated Oral History of Queer and Trans Resistance is exactly as the name suggests– an ode and undeniable evidence of the mark that queer people have made on history. However, instead of writing about the more well-known accomplishments made by queer people (such as Alan Turing’s Enigma Machine, the pirates of the 16th century who pioneered social equality, and historical figures such as Emperor Ai of Han, Alexander the Great, and the many Two-Spirit spiritual leaders in pre-colonial Anishinaabemowin communities), Syan Rose redefines the word “work” to include the wide range of personal experiences that American queer and trans individuals have had. Swaddled in surrealist imagery, this record touches on themes of family, mental health, disabilities and more. An incredibly empathetic look into the complex lives of Queer and Trans Americans today, Our Work is Everywhere is an expertly crafted visual and verbal portrait of many different faces.

Sarah Rosenblatt, better known as Syan Rose, is an innovative voice in topics such as ancestral history and queer liberation. Rose’s work combines both written and visual language in mediums such as graphic novels, posters, and logo designs.

A Supermarket in California by Allen Ginsberg (grades 10+)

Allen Ginsberg is celebrated as one of the great queer voices of all time in writing. In 1943, while studying at Columbia University, Ginsberg befriended William Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, and the trio later established themselves as pivotal figures in the Beat Movement.

Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love (grades 1-3)

Jessica Love is an American theater actress, author, and illustrator. She is best known for her debut children's picture book Julián is a Mermaid, which has won the Stonewall Book Award and Klaus Flugge Prize. All of her books are LBTQ+ friendly, including, Julián Is a Mermaid. It is an American children's picture book that tells the story of a boy who wants to become a mermaid and participate in the Coney Island Mermaid Parade. Love first began writing the book in 2014 while she worked as an actress, and it was published in 2018 by Candlewick Press.

The Best at It by Maulik Pancholy (grades 4-6)

The Best At It tells the story of seventh grader Raoul Kapoor as he struggles to start middle school in Indiana. Attempting to follow his grandfather's advice, Raoul attempts to find the thing that he is good at and become the best at it. But there's just one problem. Raoul doesn't feel like he is good at anything. While trying to find his way alongside his best friend, Chelsea, Raoul must also navigate an entirely different issue, his growing feelings for his classmate Justin. Published in October 2020, The Best At It is also a Stonewall Honor Book.

Maulik Pancholy is an actor who graduated with an MFA from Yale University and whose credits range from 30 Rock to Phineas and Ferb. In 2014, he was named to then President Barack Obama's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. He is also the Chair and Co-Founder of Act to Change, a non-profit organization devoted to fighting bullying. The Best At It is his debut novel.

Over the Edge , Over Again by Frank Falisi (grades 7-9)

Frank Falisi’s essay, Over The Edge, Over Again examines the Pirates of The Caribbean franchise as a framework for how we, the people, should move against corrupt government systems. The origins of piracy reflect a history of empowerment through anarchism. Being vessels with the power to escape civilizations on land, pirate ships served small societies on their own. This enabled marginalised individuals to escape the culture of racism and hegemonic patriarchy on land, giving them the space to exercise control over their own lives. Falisi’s piece looks at our beloved heroes of the silver screen, as well as those of history and how their practices of activism can be applied in a modern day context.

An actor and writer originally from New Jersey, Frank Falisi has worked for the online music and film "webzine" Tiny Mix Tapes. He is currently working towards an MFA in creative writing at Florida Atlantic University and works as a staff writer for the online literary journal Bright Wall/Dark Room.

The Necessary Hunger by Nina Revoyr (grades 10+)

First published in 1997, The Necessary Hunger tells the story of Japanese American Nancy Takahiro and African American Raina Weber, two high school basketball players in their senior year of high school. Though rivals, Nancy and Raina must learn to live together, literally, when Raina's mother moves in with Nancy's father. Nancy also must learn how to navigate her growing romantic feelings for Raina. Set in inner-city Los Angeles, The Necessary Hunger tackles issues of friendship, racial identity, and the struggles LGBTQ+ teenagers face in a society that does not wholly accept them for who they are.

Nina Revoyr is a Japanese-American author who has published six novels. Her books have won the Ferro Gumbly Award, the Lambda Literary Award, and are frequently listed in community and campus book lists. Revoyr is also a visiting professor at Cornell University and Pomona College, among other post-secondary institutions in the United States.

I Dream of Popo by Livia Blackburne (grades 1-3)

Written by Livia Blackburne and illustrated by Julia Kuo, both of Taiwanese heritage, I Dream of Popo is a heartfelt and authentic immigrant story by the author herself. Surrounding Blackburne's own personal experiences moving with her family to America and leaving her grandmother behind, this picture books entails a roller coaster of emotions, from wholesome grandmother-granddaughter love to a nostalgic departure filled with fleeting connections and longing memories. Blackburne employs simple yet emotionally impactful phrases to highlight her special connection with her grandmother, reflecting how even the subtle details have shaped her childhood and familial bonds.

Born in Taipei, Taiwan, and brought up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Livia Blackburne is a New York Times bestselling author for the Midnight Thief and Rosemarked duologies. She earned an AB in biomedical sciences at Harvard and MIT, and received her PhD in cognitive neuroscience. She wrote her first novel while researching the neuroscience of reading, and has switched to full time writing ever since.

For a Daughter Who Leaves by Janice Mirikitani (grades 4-6)

Mirikitani's poem "For a Daughter Who Leaves" sets the scene of the speaker's daughter who is about to get married and is wearing slippers that use the same thread that has patched up sentimental items in her childhood. The mother recounts her experience watching her daughter grow up and reflects on the woman that now stands in front of her before walking down the aisle. The thread in the wedding slippers and thus also the girl's first silk jacket represent the mother's love for her and the continuance of her care as she hands her daughter off to her new partner.

Born in Stockton, California, Janice Mirikitani is the author of five books and has served as the second Poet Laureate of San Francisco in 2000. She was a survivor of the Japanese American incarceration during the second World War and also founded San Francisco's Glide Memorial Church center for social justice with her husband.

Tame by Sarah Howe (grades 7-9)

TW: descriptions of parental neglect and intimate partner abuse

Originally published in her anthology “Loop of Jade” Sarah Howe’s poem Tame describes the intergenerational trauma caused by misogynistic family dynamics– a pattern that has historically affected Chinese families to a disproportionate degree. With a PHD in Renaissance Literature from Christ’s College Cambridge, Howe seamlessly blends her Western and Eastern cultural influences by framing her understanding of misogyny (as influenced by her life in London, UK) through the narrative of a popular Chinese folktale. A visceral, yet whimsical tale of the “unwanted daughter”, Howe’s poem is an ode to all the unnamed, unloved girls whose wings were clipped before they even realised they could fly.

Salt Fish Girl by Larissa Lai (grades 10+)

Larissa Lai's literary and academic pursuits span countries and continents; born in California, she grew up in Newfoundland and studied in Norwich, England, Calgary, Alberta and at UBC in Vancouver. She directs The Insurgent Architects' House for Creative Writing in Calgary and writes both poetry and novels, typically within the genres of magical realism and speculative fiction. Her novels The Tiger Flu and Salt Fish Girl present dystopian futures from the perspective of the Other, and her poetry collections includes Sybil Unrest, Automaton Biographies and The Iron Goddess of Mercy.