Angst!: Teen Verses from the Edge

by Matt Frost, Matt Frost (Illustrator)

Every day thousands of teenage girls log on to a unique Web site called PlanetKiki.com. They come for the gossip, the advice and beauty tips. But mostly they come for each other. Seventy-five percent of Planet Kiki's content is created by its audience, and the most compelling chunk of that content is the poetry. Raw, soul-baring, outspoken, unfiltered, direct - here are the voices of teenage girls worldwide, at their most expressive. ANGST! Compiles the best of Planet Kiki's poetry in an edgy anthology on the agony and the ecstasy of being a teenager. ANGST! Covers the full spectrum of the girl's the struggles with falling in love, being unpopular, braking up, feeling alienated, searching for life's meaning, bonding with friends, even the awkwardness of not having the right clothes. Uplifting, commiserating, humorous, and always passionate about telling the truth, these are poems that speak from the teenage heart, to the teenage heart. Following the poems is a Poetry 101 primers, complete with tips on subjects, forms, rhyming and technique, plus brief bios of the poets featured.

Genres: Poetry

144 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2001

Reviews

[R i da ♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

i enjoyed this book very much , some of the poems i read i could really relate too, i love reading poetry it makes me want to write my own poems.

[Natasha M. Nurse, Esq. · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was quite a dramatic book of poetry to read. I would have loved more diversity in the topics addressed but it was a visually appealing book to read.

[Cathleen Ash]

Chapter 6, "Poetry 101" emphasizes awareness of the world around you and reporting on it (spin on your head until you get dizzy. Report your observations). A list of Tools from Alliteration to Stanzas, and Poetic Forms, from Acrostic to Tanka, is provided - with hints on how to approach all of them! My favorite part of this series of poems is Chapter 5, where we're finally over the love rants, the player-bitterness, the hurt (although I think chapter 1 through 4 will appeal to teens!). The first poem of chapter 5, My Youth, by Amber Nicole Lupin, contains the line: there were lazy days filled with Cadillac sin; another poem by Aja Watson is entitled Suburban Suicide. Short, clear, and enticing for young adults, these poems can be read quickly or at length. The major drawback of this book is its poor binding - after only two people had checked it out, a number of pages had come unbound and it is now sitting on a desk waiting for a calm moment to be fixed!

[ME Pruitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of poems was written entirely by teenage girls. The poems are conveniently organized by topic, everything ranging from society to love to school.

Most the the poems are fairly basic in structure and usage of poetic devices, but they are still pretty powerful. For a good sampling, try reading "The Whinings of a Lower-Middle Class White Girl," "Friend or Foe," and "Untitled [by Sugarstar]."

Many of these poems could provoke meaningful discussions in a high school classroom. Some of the topics are a bit risky, but I think the majority of the content would be accessible to most teens, girl or boy.

[Stefani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool poetry collection, written by teens (8 or so from Ohio!). Broken up into sections: Society's Ills -- Argh! I Hate You! -- Love and Deep Thoughts -- Crushed -- Why Me?! -- Poetry 101 (explanation of how to write poetry) -- Who's Who of Angst! (notes about authors and more resources for writing and sharing poetry).

I can't say it was high-quality writing, but it definitely expressed how teens feel.

[Makayla Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Storys of teens who want to spill their greatest heart aches and poems.