Another World: Poetry and Art by Young People from The Poetry Studio by Ann Gengarelly and Tony Gengarelly (Luminare Press, 2021) is available for purchase online at barnesandnoble.com, amazon.com or locally at Everyone’s Books in Brattleboro, Antidote Books in Putney, and now at Broadside Books in Northampton.
“This must be another world.” These opening lines of Hannah Christensen’s poem, “Another World,” introduce us to Another World, an extraordinary book of poetry and art by young people, ages 5 to 17, from The Poetry Studio.
The Poetry Studio, founded in 1995 by Ann Gengarelly, is indeed “another world” that inspires imagination and discovery. These students’ poems, in original and exceptional ways, invite us to remember the creative spirit and the importance of meeting with that part of oneself that is so often neglected. According to prizewinning poet/professor, Bruce Smith: These poems. . . are cracks in the construction, cures for the hurt, color for the bleakness, and challenges to the system. These poems of love and rage are counterforces to unfeeling and silence. They are maps to be consulted when navigating the world. . .
The unfettered imagination of the poets is also represented in their compelling drawings and the artful presentation of their writing. Visual communication as part of the process of creation is integral to their work facilitating a multifaceted expression where word and image often come together in the creation of a work of art.
This book also includes comment and insightful discussion from its authors about their creative process and teaching philosophies. Chard deNiord, Vermont Poet Laureate, 2015-2019, writes the Foreword to this very special edition of a beautifully assembled and compelling anthology of poetry and art.
Another World is a testament to the wisdom and insight, the joy and compassion expressed by these young poets and artists. Naomi Shihab Nye, Young People’s Poet Laureate for 2019- 2022, comments: “These students’ poems and art are so beautiful and refreshing — they ring of truth in a time of lies. We need them.”
Another World is the January 2022 “Book Pick” of the Poetry Foundation’s Young People’s Poet Laurate, Naomi Shihab Nye
