Respect the Mic

An expansive, moving poetry anthology, representing 20-years of poetry from students and alumni of Chicago's Oak Park River Forest High School Spoken Word Club.

In its pages, you hear the sprawling echoes of students, siblings, lovers, new parents, athletes, entertainers, scientists, and more, all sharing a deep appreciation for the power of storytelling. A celebration of the past, a balm for the present, and a blueprint for the future, Respect the Mic offers a tender, intimate portrait of American life, and conveys how in a world increasingly defined by separation, poetry has the capacity to bind us together.