This book, the fifth volume of The Ballou Story Project, was initiated by the students of Ballou High School in response to a challenging year for the community. They wanted to illuminate the Ballou not often represented in the media--one full of love, hard work, and transformation. Most importantly, these young people wanted to speak for themselves, not to be spoken about. They remind us that there are many sides to every story, and that all voices should be valued and heard. “This is our last line of defense,” they write. “These are our stories. This is the Ballou We Know.” 

The Ballou We Know will be released May 9th. Join us for the Book Launch celebration at Ballou High School, and order your copy now

Stay Tuned for Our Next Big Release...

I Am The Night Sky, our forthcoming collection of stories, poetry, and art by the Muslim American youth of Next Wave Muslim Initiative (NWMI) is nearly ready to launch. We can't wait! We'll spend the month of Ramadan gearing up for the release. Check it out, and help us shout:

• Welcoming Ramadan, May 4 -- Cover reveal and pre-sales open!

• Eid, June 5 -- Official release!

• Author Book Party, June 20 -- Readings + Celebration! 

Updates

Announcing a New Partnership with First Book

First Book is an organization that aims to address systemic educational inequality through research and book distribution. They provide educators with free and affordable books and classroom resources. And through our exciting new partnership, they're making our books available to educators serving low-income communities across the country -- and they've already ordered over 1,600 copies!
 

“We are so glad we are able to make select Shout Mouse titles available to educators serving kids in need through the First Book Marketplace. Many of the educators First Book serves are working with teens in strikingly similar circumstances to the teens who’ve published with Shout Mouse, and we know their students will find it meaningful both to read the words of their peers and to recognize that they too have the potential to become published authors. These books are more than just great reading – they’re powerful tools for inspiration, self-reflection, and the development of empathy.”  
-- Alison Morris, Senior Director of Title Selection at First Book

A to Z: The Real DC Reaches 1,500 (more!) DC Kids

Thanks to an ongoing partnership with Inner City Inner Child, 1500 more DC pre-schoolers will be celebrating their city and learning the alphabet through the Reach teen-authored crowd favorite, A to Z: The Real DC. 

Inner City Inner Child (ICIC) works to inspire a life-long love of learning and books through arts-based literacy programs for children, their teachers and families. They work with children children ages 0 to 5 living in Washington, DC’s most economically disadvantaged communities through arts education and literacy programs. For the second year in a row, ICIC is utilizing A to Zthroughout their citywide early education programming, and sending these books home with DC's youngest readers. We're so grateful for the ways they inspire new readers and share these student voices!

Glowing Review for Voces Sin Fronteras 

This month the authors of Voces Sin Fronteras added to their list of accolades with another strong review, this time in the esteemed Kirkus Reviews: "The compelling stories shared by these students, all members of the Latino Youth Leadership Council and active in the fight for social justice, signal their desire to serve as beacons or lifelines for other young immigrants."

Their verdict? "Enlightening and inspiring #ownvoices accounts by young activists."  Thank you for championing these voices, Kirkus Reviews. Check out the whole review here.

Welcome to our Newest Funder

We are thrilled to announce Shout Mouse's newest funder, the Morris and Gwendolynn Cafritz Foundation. The Cafritz Foundation is the largest private, independent, local foundation focused exclusively on the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, and one of the region's most esteemed funders of the arts and humanities. We are honored to partner with them and look forward to continued collaboration!