Still I Rise: The Rio Grande Valley Youth Anthology 2020

“Out of the huts of history’s shame

I rise

Up from a past that’s rooted in pain

I rise

I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,

Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear

I rise

Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear

I rise

Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,

I am the dream and the hope of the slave.

I rise

I rise

I rise.”

- Maya Angelou

Still I Rise brings together youth poets and artists from across the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, from 1st to 12th grade. As they deal with family, romance, discrimination, loss, fitting in, and many other aspects of their lives, these talented voices guide us across the Valley’s landscape. Inspiring, compelling, and full of hope during this pandemic, Still I Rise is a testament to the brilliance of the Valley’s youth.

Edited by McAllen Poet Laureate Rodney Gomez and co-editors Edward Vidaurre and Celina Suarez, with cover art by Celeste De Luna, Still I Rise is a necessary addition to any library, classroom, and home interested in what a new generation of poets and artists have to say. The anthology is supported by The Academy of American Poets.