Homeboy Art Academy: Youth Anthology Vol. 1 collects poetry written by teens during poetry workshops at Homeboy Art Academy with world-renowned poet Matt Sedillo. These poems detail the poets' love for their neighborhoods, their families, their lifechanging experiences at Homeboy Art Academy as well as, themes of love and loss, crime and punishment, and their hopes for their futures.
 
“It awakens my heart to see young people utilize the power of the arts for their healing and transformation. I believe this collection can inspire and move your spirit as it does mine. The words you find in here are an indelible testament to the human spirit at any age. Empowered and empowering, the poems and stories of these youth compel you to not turn away. Homeboy Art Academy: Youth Anthology, Vol. 1 is a rich collection of stories told by impacted youth themselves and demonstrates how art heals. Homeboy Art Academy is giving voice and saving lives.”
—Jane Fonda, actor, activist, and board member of Homeboy Industries
 
 
Homeboy Art Academy challenges systems of oppression by centering life experiences and cultural knowledge of impacted communities to inspire transformation and reclaim self-agency. Homeboy Art Academy envisions a future where system impacted communities create and lead a just world. A division of Homeboy Industries (HBI), Homeboy Art Academy (HAA) strives to extend the mission of providing hope, training, and support to formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated youth and adults, by securing a space in which the Arts can be the central modality to healing and transformation. Homeboy Art Academy challenges systems of oppression by centering life experiences and cultural knowledge of impacted communities to inspire transformation and reclaim self-agency.