Dream Catchers: POPS the Club Anthology

by Dennis Danziger, Amy Friedman

Overview

Dream Catchers, the seventh volume created by members of POPS the Club, is an enlightening and inspiring collection of art, prose, and poetry by high-school students with a unique perspective: they have encountered the pain of the prison system-most have incarcerated loved ones. By telling and sharing their stories, they not only start the process of healing but also illuminate a world many of us are unfamiliar with. POPS the Club offers a sacred space where those with incarcerated loved ones can connect with each other, creating a supportive and open-hearted community. Students draw, paint, write, photograph, talk, listen, and share their stories, untangling the web of shame, stigma, and sorrow these young people too often face. This collection represents the work of high school students from Los Angeles, Harrisburg, Atlanta, and New York City. POPS the Club is a nonprofit [501(c)(3)] designed to provide support to teens whose lives have been impacted by the Pain of the Prison System. This nonprofit creates and sustains high-school-based clubs across the country for this long-ignored population.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781952197062
Publisher:	Out of the Woods Press
Publication date:	01/12/2021
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

Table of Contents

Pops Janna Rae Nieto iv

Introduction-Perspectives of a POPS Club Advisor xi

Dance Janna Rae Nieto xiii

Day In, Day Out

Who I Am Imari Stevenson 2

Band-Aids Don't Fix Everything Reagan King 2

Never Give Up Ahidsa Mateo 3

People Janna Rea Nieto 4

Scribbled Thoughts Jazmin Joseph 5

Mind, Body, and Paint John Rodriguez 6

Lights Alba Navas 7

Art of the Ghetto Julian Izaguirre 8

Sleepless Nights Jazmin Joseph 10

In the Well Janna Rae Nieto 11

My Kind P.J. Swanson 12

I Am Victor Zapata 13

The Paint Julian Izaguirrep 15

Portrait of Julian Chris Wright 17

Know This

Mixed Emotions Morgan Hamilton 20

What I Want My Parents to Know-Members of the Venice High School POPS club 21

Wonderland Janna Rae Nieto 22

Six-Word Memoir Erika Hernandez 24

Advice to Ninth-Graders John Bembry 25

Ronald's 5 Rules for Freshmen Ronald Griffis 26

Advice Anonymous 26

More Wisdom Talena Vasquez 26

Palos Verdes Moon Reggie Love Hurd 27

Handshakes Guillermo Ovalle 28

Where We Grow From

Self-Love Reagan King 32

My Journal Reagan King 33

You Are My Home Stacie Ramirez 34

The House Angela Fajardo 35

I Come From Alba Navas 36

Growing Up in the Hood Katherine Secaida 37

I Don't Remember Much Blue 38

I Come From Maricela Romero 39

I Love My Bed Celine 40

Anxiety J/U 41

Clockwise Elena Bernardez 42

Palms Alba Navas 44

I Come from Waking Up to My Parents Arguing Anonymous 45

Haiku Anonymous 46

Tricksters Janna Rae Nieto 47

Me Nombraron Después de Ella Donaji Garcia 48

I Come from a Bold City Hayden Brown 49

Connected Detachment Nicole Bezerra 50

Confusing Journey Nicole Bezerra 51

The Mathematics of Life Eric Lee 52

Embroidered on the Cempasuchil Flower Donaji Garcia 53

I Come from Asking Too Many Questions Matthew Lopez 54

Abstract Richard Anthony Espinoza 55

Family Can Hate You Too Giselle Sanchez 56

Nobody's Goddess Janna Rae Nieto 57

Spanglish Donaji Garcia 58

No Bars

Dream Janna Rae Nieto 60

POPS Leslie Mateos 61

When I Was Four Years Old Xavier Tucker 63

Freedom Janna Rae Nieto 64

Jail Is Not the Place to Be Xavious Anderson 65

The Block Janna Rae Nieto 66

He Motivates Me Ashton Autry 67

I Want to Do Good Thomas Braswell 68

As Long as I Got My Mom Jaylynn "One Jay" Nelms 69

I Have Hope Jaylin Ramos Arteaga 70

Waves Alba Navas 70

White Lights in Dark Rooms Elena Bernardez 71

When We Were Kids

Childhood Janna Rae Nieto 74

Incarceration Affection Jennijer Birstein 75

Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Angela Fajardo 76

Vendetta Emanuel Scott 78

Hot Pink Razor AG 79

Pretend Daniel 80

Down a Slope Sarah Avalos 81

Voice in My Head King 82

Coloring Books Jax 84

Hope Rah-San Bailey 84

Haiku Hayden Brown 85

The Monsters under My Bed Hiromi Maeda 85

Young Criminal Katherine Secaida 86

Eye See You Anonymous 86

I Miss You Stacie Ramirez 87

Ancestors Janna Rae Nieto 88

Disorder in the House

The Talk Janna Rae Nieto 90

Living in Los Angeles Maricela Romero 91

Singularity Tear Kennedy King 92

Something I Never Talked About-The students of Steelton Highspire POPS club 93

What I Want My Parents to Know but Won't Tell Them John Bembry 95

I Hate School Perry G. 97

Portrait Chris Wright 97

Poem Juliana Pinn 98

In the Room Chris Wright 98

Against All Odds Reggie Love Hurd 99

Put Yourself in My Shoes Anonymous 100

Women Janna Rae Nieto 101

My Father's Addiction Katherine Secaida 102

Sorry Nelson Mendez 103

In the Beginning Ellie Perez Sanchez 104

Trauma Anonymous 105

Split Anonymous 106

The Real and the Imagined

Point of View Nicole Bezerra 108

The Days Unraveling Nicole Bezerra 109

Family Visit Karen Arellano 110

Royal Rebel Elena Bernardez 112

The Two Fridas Donaji Garcia 113

Six-Word Memoir John Bembry 115

Let's Dance Hiromi Maeda 115

What If This Life Didn't Cost a Thing? Mya Edwards 116

Auto Janna Rae Nieto 118

Roads to Freedom

Eye in the Sky One Janna Rae Nieto 120

Eye in the Sky Two Janna Rae Nieto 121

Forgiveness Jennifer Birstein 122

Stronger Sofia Sanchez Annibali 123

On Target Janna Rae Nieto 123

A Summer of Firsts Riva Goldman 124

Dear Freedom Donaji Garcia 126

Transferring to a University Katherine Secaida 129

Chillin' Chris Wright 129

My Love for Reading Brianna Carrington Myricks 130

Apples to Broccoli Janna Rae Nieto 131

An Unchecked Box Monserrat Hernandez 132

Keep Us in Your Heart

Hearts Kennedy King 136

Against All Odds Tinsae Yimer 137

She Became a Human Ellie Perez Sanchez 138

Close Alba Navas 140

Scared for the Future Tinsae Yimer 141

I'm Looking for a New Heart John Bembry 142

Open Heart Anonymous 143

Things I Never Said Judith Lopez 144

Catch Me If You Can Katherine Secaida 145

An Autistic Athena Donaji Garcia 147

I've Been Experimenting Mya Edwards 148

Saying Good-bye, Hello to Yourself Yachi Bonilla 150

Almost Adults

On the Lawn Janna Rae Nieto 152

12th-Grader Mya Edwards 153

Mushrooms Janna Rae Nieto 154

A Moment I Want to Forget Bamlacktsega Haile 155

I Am Who I Define Myself As Erika Hernandez 156

Immature People Ellie Perez Sanchez 157

Women's March Hiromi Maeda 158

See You Later, City of Angels Katherine Secaida 159

Christmas Jennifer Birstein 160

Death of a Teenager John Bembry 162

My New Best Friend KS 164

Malibu Moon Reggie Love Hurd 166

The Broken Bowl Project

Steelton Highspire Broken Bowl Project Steelton Highspire POPS Club 168

The Steelton Highspire POPS Club Bowls 169

Seven Years Ago Today

Vulgar Jason Cruz 174

Seven Years Ago 175

A Voice Joey Estrada 176

Living Poetry John Bembry 178

Drugs Kei'Arri McGruder 179

Rain Alba Navas 180

Godfather Nelvia Z. Marin-Caballero 181

The Lens Shown to Us Nicole Bezerra 182

What Is Life? Luis Nunez 183

Vistas Hiromi Maeda 184

Irreplaceable Idalia Munoz 185

Visiting Day Kei'Arri McGruder 187

Experimenting John Bembry 188

Listening Alejandra Magallanes 190

Author/Artist Bios 193

Acknowledgments 203

Editorial Reviews

01/01/2021

Gr 7 Up—POPS the Club is a nonprofit organization designed to provide support to teens whose lives have been impacted by the pain of the prison system. Many of these teens have a loved one who is incarcerated. This powerful collection, which represents the work of high school students from Los Angeles, Harrisburg, Atlanta, and New York City, illuminates the lives of these young creators and examines the difficulties they face because of the prison system. This is the seventh anthology of work by POPS students. Each page is a testament to how art can heal and express feelings and emotions. One short piece uses the death of a beloved goldfish as a metaphor. The collection includes haiku, free verse, and short stories. The artwork uses media such as watercolor, pencil drawings, comics, and photography. Each illustration connects to some part of a written work, creating a twofold connection. The emotion leaps from the page. The back matter includes biographical information about each student and an author's note, with more information about how POPS started. VERDICT A great purchase for libraries where art and short stories are popular and more diverse voices about incarceration and incarcerated family members are needed.—Molly Dettmann, Norman North H.S., OK

School Library Journal

2020-10-12
An inspiring collection of teen-created poems, prose, and artwork that elucidates the hidden world of young adults living in a carceral state.

Created by members of the POPS the Club, a national organization for high school students who have been impacted by incarceration (as the children or other loved ones of the incarcerated), the pieces are emotive but not resigned. Readers will connect to many of the major themes, including navigating change, overcoming adversity, advocating for social justice, and questioning one’s place in the world. Divided thematically into 12 sections, the entries show the daily realities and struggles of the student writers as they deftly navigate multiple spaces. Many of the teens’ challenges present as ordinary angst, like navigating school, while others point to deeper traumas, like parents with substance use disorders. Overall, their contributions are lyrical, haunting, and poignant, and the anthology marches toward hope. While the execution of some reflects the contributors’ youth, others, like “Me Nombraron Después de Ella” (“They Named Me After Her”) by Donaji Garcia, stand out for their mature use of metaphor, language, lyricism, movement, and pacing. Other pieces are a call to action, directly confronting the impact of incarceration on families and challenging adults to fix a justice system that is overburdened with imprisoned people while neglecting children’s emotional health.

Birds sing outside cages: Overall hopeful selections inspire a desire to rethink justice and enact change. (Anthology. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews