Found their people in the unexpected places beyond the boundaries of a world passed to them through the stories they inherit don t call us punk because we hate thatThis is the only kind of poetry I can handle It s lyrical but understandable It reads like a story of images with some blanks demanding a response from the reader I especially liked A Dream About Teeth and The Whole World Hates You for Jesus Poetry While I m definitely a bit biased Adam used to be my teaching partner and he was full of stories that I knew would have to be written down this short collection of poetry is the perfect way to help celebrate National Poetry Month Don t Call Us Punk Because We Hate That felt like the 90s and suburbia and the awkwardness and longing of adolescence with the wisdom of age as we look back on it all It made me laugh out loud but also hit that perfect sad nostalgia that looking back always makes me feel If any part of you is an elder punk.

Adam Oyster Sands is a high school Language Arts teacher and poet After writing cringey song lyrics in his younger years he began writing poetry with his students as a practice on craft and voice and an expression of identity Since then Adam has had a number of poems published in various literary journals and magazines such as Picture Frame Press Indolent Books and Allegory Ridge as well as winning an award from the Oregon Poetry Association Though his back may revolt Adam still enjoys trying to land a kickflip the occasional circle pit and hanging out before 10pm He can often be found hiking up mountains and running through forests with his partner Morgan and their puppies near their home in Portland Oregon. Memory and myth Cigarettes and summer nights Worship songs and circle pits don t call us punk because we hate that traverses the backroads of America s suburbia in the days before smartphones and AirPods at the very time of life when the aimless youth are waking up to their disillusionment at the world their parents were planting for them These starkly direct poems speak to the human need for authentic community and escape before they drown in middle class expectations The characters places and times are pulled from a lived experience and expanded into a universal narrative around the search for something sustainable and true Adam Oyster Sands has written a love letter to punk and to those who wove in and out of the various shows record shops skate spots and fast food joints of his formative years Whether you ve spent a Saturday night in a circle pit and Sunday morning in a church pew or not don t call us punk because we hate that speaks to anyone who at the exact right time I think this book will spea Poetry