We believe in the power of youth voices.
Shout Mouse Press is a nonprofit writing and publishing program dedicated to amplifying underheard youth voices. From writing workshops to book publication to public speaking, we support young people as they tell their own stories and act as agents of change.
“This D.C. press helps diverse young writers express themselves ‘from a place of power.’”
Diverse and Inclusive Books
We publish and sell new books by young authors from marginalized and underrepresented communities each year. Proceeds from book sales are invested directly back into author communities through scholarship funds, speaker honoraria, intern stipends, and other initiatives that support youth leadership.
The Impact of Shout Mouse Press
“It is so valuable to create platforms like these books to amplify voices that we don’t regularly hear, and to have opportunities for people to listen. And then, for our students to be able to connect and say, ‘That’s me. I can do that.’”
“I remember at first I was like, ‘I don’t have a story. I don’t know what to tell.’ But then [the writing process] made me realize I have a lot of stories to tell — stories that can be powerful and inspire other youth like myself.”
“During this experience I realized that my story impacted everyone I came across. To have college students and professors admiring me because I continue to persevere shows me that despite my age, I’m teaching those older than me that everyone’s story matters.”
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What Would You Like To Do Next?
Available for preorder — product will ship Oct 27 2026
By the young writers of Shout Mouse Press
"The poems and essays in Stubborn Roots have changed me in ways I was unprepared for. The profundity of their observations of the world, and of themselves, left me in awe. This is a special book filled with special writers." —Clint Smith, author of How the Word is Passed
This powerful anthology illuminates today’s activist experience through the poetry and essays of our most vital and essential youth.
Through compelling poetry, 18 young writers of color plant their resistance in the soil of our uncertain future. They tackle disparities across lines of gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity, ableism and fatphobia, immigration and the environment, and more. Their poems are accompanied by portraits of each poet (by cover artist Sobia Ahmad) along with first-person essays on what liberation means to them.
Diverse voices and styles shine throughout Stubborn Roots, providing personal and cultural context to ongoing conversations about change in the United States. Tender and green, vulnerable and wondrous, this singular book of poems serves as an urgent call to the transformative power of art and is a must-have for young readers looking to develop their connection to social justice.
Foreword by Camonghne Felix, author of Let the Poets Govern.
ISBN: 9781950807901
Age: 12+
Page Count: 220
Coming Fall 2026