Falling Hard

"The teen poets in this lively anthology knock greeting-card clichés even as they celebrate their romance and their passion...From the pain of breakup and denial to affection and desire, the feelings in these poems will ring true to gay and straight teens alike." — Booklist

"But what I'll really mean is
are you ready to dive in?
This is not falling,
this is landing."

— From "Gift" by Portia Carryer, age 16

The poets are straight, gay, lesbian, bi, or transgender. They live next door or across an ocean; they are innocent or experienced; their lyric explorations range from new love to stale love, obsession to ennui, ecstasy to heartbreak, and every nuance in between. Whether the romantic escapades described are touching, comical, or tragic, whether the feelings expressed are tender and sweet or brutal and biting, readers will find the love these young poets openly share to be exquisitely, excruciatingly, endlessly fascinating. Here is a collection to turn to again and again, because life and love keep on changing.

“The quality here is head and shoulders above most young writers' collections, and in fact it's well above many adult anthologies as well. --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)”

The quality here is head and shoulders above most young writers’ collections, and in fact it’s well above many adult anthologies as well.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)

Betsy Franco has published more than eighty books, including three previous anthologies. She lives in Palo Alto, California.

'We are getting early reports of a train crash on the Brighton toLondonline...Emergency Services are on their way to the scene'.Holly knew that by staying with her he was putting himself at risk. But, as he held her in the darkness, she didn't want to let him go. Holly's a mother with children, a husband she loves and a time-consuming job up inLondon.She copes, and life is good. So when she is in a train accident on theLondontoBrightonline, Holly knows that it's just a small chapter in her life and nothing has changed. But Holly can't forget the younger man who comforted her in the chaos of the crash, and when she seems him again on her daily commute up to town, there's a flash of recognition between them.Is it embarrassment? Curiosity?Or is there something more? And what of Anne-Marie, another passenger who has survived. Just what is her story?

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