This title was selected for your interest in poetry and titles with gay themes. It is a collection of poems that are written by “a boy who likes boys”. It includes coming out, growing up, and acceptance.

Billy Merrell is a serious poet just out of high school. The winner of the first PUSH Writing Internship, Billy has produced a fine set of poems telling his story. Billy wants to fit in a “good world/ that is welcoming but was full enough without him.” You see, Billy is gay and he often pretends “I was lonely, without actually being alone.” Your family is falling apart. Your parents’ marriage is dissolving. You live in a world that prefers silence to truth but you feel compelled to speak. The words are crafted. The line breaks, thoughtful. Billy knows how to tell a story. It’s not my story, but it is an important one. Brave students and poets will appreciate the craft and the honesty of this talented poet. ( )