I Have a Dream: Inaugural Poems for a New Generation is an anthology I co-edited with Jim Ward featuring the work of 115 students age 6 to 16. It was released on January 9, 2021, nine days before MLK Day and 11 days before Inauguration, with support from the San Mateo County Arts Commission and Office of Arts & Culture Executive Director Robin Rodricks.
The idea for this anthology came about after more than 100 San Mateo County high school students spent December of 2020 attending poetry workshops I facilitated and crafting their own inaugural poems. Partly inspired by the Academy of American Poets’ 2021 Inaugural Poem Contest, Jim and I challenged San Mateo County’s youth to write about their views, their experiences and their hopes for America as we were preparing to enter a new decade.
San Mateo County in Northern California is home to over 158,000 youth under the age of 18 who were raised in the age of technology: as an example, 90 of the anthology’s contributors are Gen Zers born the same year as Facebook; the others, ages 10 and below, belong to Generation Alpha, born around the time (or after) “app” was voted word of the year. As our youth explore and engage with digital innovations, it is our hope that they also gain a deeper appreciation for the nuances of language, to give voice to all that is possible and remarkable.
Aileen Cassinetto 