A collection of seventy-eight poems which highlight the seasons, the passage of time, and living life itself and which were written by one of America's foremost poets.
Pongo Poetry Project's 16th anthology of youth poetry, the Story of My Heart anthologizes the last 10 years of Pongo facilitated poetry from youth at Child Study and Treatment Center (CSTC)--Washington State's largest psychiatric hospital for teens and children. The Pongo Poetry Project engages youth in writing poetry to inspire healing from difficult life experiences. Pongo's process particularly supports underserved communities and those who have a hard time expressing themselves. Our trained staff and volunteers establish writing projects inside juvenile detention centers, psychiatric hospitals, and other sites. Our primary purpose is to help our authors understand their feelings, find their voices, and express their hope for a better future. For counselors, teachers, and caregivers, Pongo offers national trainings, free web resources, and a book about our methodology, Writing with At-Risk Youth: The Pongo Teen Writing Method by Richard Gold, Pongo's Founder.
Soto writes with a pure sweetness free of sentimentality that is almost extraordinary in modern American poetry. -- Andrew Hudgins. Soto insists on the possibility of a redemptive power, and he celebrates the heroic, quixotic capacity for survival in human beings and the natural world. -- Publishers Weekly. Soto has it all -- the learned craft, the intrinsic abilities with language, a fascinating autobiography, and the storyteller's ability to manipulate memories into folklore. -- Library Journal.