Check out the author Dr. Tony Keith Jr.’s foreword for Now I See with Open Eyes, the newest book from 826DC’s Young Authors’ Book Project!
Dear Reader,
Have you ever considered what your voice looks like?
I know that might seem like a silly question, but humor me for a moment.
Is your voice wildly colorful, or does it stand boldly in black and white?
Does it sparkle with joy, glimmering with metallic hints woven through your words?
Perhaps your voice dances in the grayscale, moving to a rhythm that isn’t quite light or dark but something uniquely in between.
And when you put your voice on the page—does it feel right?
Is it just as powerful in a text message as in a poem?
Does it hold the same weight in a caption as it does in an essay, a song lyric, or a speech?
Does it look as beautiful on paper as it sounds in your mind?
I ask because I want you to know something: your voice matters.
Just like the voices of the young authors in Now I See with Open Eyes.
When I read early drafts of their work, I smiled wide, remembering what my voice looked like as a young person—bright like sunlight, bursting with color. I marveled at their thoughts, scribbled in fading ink, handwritten in the margins, or typed with the urgency of inspiration. Their words leapt from the page, transforming into fireworks of language.
These poets and storytellers are philosophers of their own worlds, giving us glimpses into how they process loss, separation, and grief. They write about the strength they find in family, the weight of politics, the depths of friendship, and the forces of nature. Their voices carry questions, affirmations, and bold declarations:
Mackenzie asks, “Do you know the definition of perseverance?”
Jackson describes “blue fire off the stove and red flames in hills.”
Greidys affirms, “Our dreams will come true.”
These young authors have given us something remarkable: a literary beacon proving that they are champions of language. They remind us, as 826DC’s Executive Director Robyn Lingo so beautifully puts it, that in Now I See with Open Eyes, we witness “the beauty, the earnestness, the processing of life’s big and small moments, the wrestling with injustices, relationships, missed opportunities, and triumphs.”
And so, dear reader, I leave you with this: as you turn these pages, I hope you not only hear the voices of these brilliant young writers—I hope you find inspiration to embrace your own. Because your voice, too, is powerful. It is bright. It belongs on the page.
Peace,
Tony Keith Jr.
Now I See with Open Eyes is a narrative poetry collection from the entire tenth-grade class of Phelps ACE High School. Engaging with everything from violence and trauma to self-discovery and the joy of knowing your own path, these young poets have crafted something truly special.
This book will be available for purchase in mid-June 2025. If you’d like an email when it’s ready, please let us know here.