DIRTY SOUTH by Phillip Thomas Duck

College is a big adjustment—but not if you’re Kenya Posey. Even at a Southern school far from her Jersey turf, she’s the one the girls envy and the boys want. Kenya’s the star of a hot singing/dancing troupe, her high-school BFF Lark is on campus—could things get any better?
For Lark, the answer is yes. While [...]

CAN’T STOP THE SHINE by Joyce Davis – Kimani Tru

You’re Gonna Blow Up!
When an American Idol-like competition comes to Atlanta, Kalia and Mariama Jefferson (sisters who couldn’t be more different) stop arguing long enough to agree on one thing: Kalia has to try out. A senior at a prestigious performing arts high school, Kalia has a shot at making her dream come true. And [...]

BOOK OF RHYMES: THE POETICS OF HIP HOP by Adam Bradley

If asked to list the greatest innovators of modern American poetry, few of us would think to include Jay-Z or Eminem in their number. And yet hip hop is the source of some of the most exciting developments in verse today. The media uproar in response to its controversial lyrical content has obscured hip hop’s [...]

SPIN IT LIKE THAT by Chandra Sparks Taylor

Sixteen-year-old Jasmine Richardson has a love for music. When She gets on the turntables, her gift for spinning and rhyming earn her admiration and respect. She’s also talented academically, but her parents disapprove of their daughter’s hobby, hoping that it’s a phase she’s going through. Still, Jasmine finds it hard to deny the joy and [...]