Shout Mouse Press

Shout Mouse Press is a writing program and publishing house dedicated to amplifying the voices of marginalized youth.

Shout Mouse Press is dedicated to centering and amplifying the voices of marginalized youth (ages 12+) via writing workshops, publication, and public speaking opportunities. The young people we coach are underrepresented--as characters and as creators--within young people’s literature, and their perspectives underheard. Our work provides a platform for them to tell their own stories and, as publis

hed authors, to act as leaders and agents of change. In collaboration with community-based partners, we have produced 45 books by 350+ youth who are incarcerated or formerly incacerated, Black, low-income, Latinx, Muslim, immigrants, from other marginalized communities and all the intersections therein from Greater Washington, D.C. These authors change and reclaim the narrative, adding necessary complexity, empathy, and humanity to the stories of marginalized communities — and prove themselves as powerful thought leaders for all. There are currently over 75,000 Shout Mouse books in circulation across the country and around the world.

06/23/2026

Today is the day! 🌱

We are SO excited to share the cover reveal of our newest youth-authored book – created in partnership with Split This Rock

Stubborn Roots: Poems to Grow a Better World is officially available for pre-order.

18 young poets of color. Poetry, essays, and portraits. Resistance, tenderness, and hard-won
truth — all rooted in today’s activist experience. This book will stop you in your tracks.

Clint Smith says of the book: “The poems and essays in Stubborn Roots have changed me in ways I was unprepared for.”

Go to the link in our bio to get your copy. This book will be released on October 27.

06/18/2026

Come see us at this weekend!!!

Our Founder & Executive Director — and co-editor of Bright Bright Before Us, Like a Flame — will be signing books this SUNDAY!

Will you be there? 👀 Drop a comment & let us know! ⬇️ American Library Association

06/16/2026

Winners of the Bright Before Us writing contest were announced by guest judge José Olivarez yesterday, and we are thrilled now to share them with you!

We are so grateful to all the young writers who shared their work with us. We received submissions from around the world. A panel of Shout Mouse Press authors helped judge the entries, and guest judge José Olivarez selected the first, second, and third place winners, as well as three honorable mentions.

Swipe through to meet these young writers — and then head to the 🔗 in our bio, where you can read all of the winning pieces on our website, and where you’ll also find full bios of each writer.

As José Olivarez (who we are proud to have as a member of the Shout Mouse Press Megaphone Board) shared in his remarks to contestants:

“It was truly a delight to spend time with all of your stories and writing and art making. If you did not win this time, I encourage you to keep writing and keep submitting. Take it from me; I was rejected for years before I got published. Everyone’s journey is their own and sometimes it can take a little bit of patience. But if you believe in yourself – and I hope you do, because you are all brilliant – I hope you will continue to write and submit.”

Congratulations to the winners, and gratitude goes out again to every writer who sent in poetry, fiction, children’s books, essays, and more. We are grateful for your creativity, courage, and generosity in telling and sharing your stories with us.

06/10/2026

Follow along this summer as we highlight bookstores we love in the DC area!

First up... , a wonderful bookstore that aims to bring the best diverse books and events to the community. And we are so grateful to have been a part of these events through a weekend-morning Storytime series with our youth authors in fall 2025 — and to have had Loyalty as our bookseller at our launch event for The Light Looks Like Me: Words on Love from Q***r Youth. We love partnering with this amazing store...and browsing its shelves!

Bonus: can you spot one of our books in the window in the first photo?! 👀

06/05/2026

Join us next Thursday, June 11, at the for STORYTIME! This event is in partnership with our dear friends at .

Youth authors will read the much-loved A to Z: The Real DC, and the audience will learn and read about the places that define living in DC, and celebrate the city with accompanying Go-Go song and dance. It’s going to be a great time!

This is a FREE event but please register at the link in our bio to let us know that you will be attending. 📚🎉

06/02/2026

This spring, Shout Mouse youth authors showed up everywhere. ✨📚

The school year is coming to a close but our youth authors are available for author talks year-round — inspiring other young writers and bringing diverse stories into classrooms, social justice fairs, libraries, bookstores, and more.

The link to request an author talk is at our link in bio!

05/15/2026

We turn 1️⃣2️⃣ today!!! 🥳🎂🎉

To mark this milestone, we have a goal this week: to add 1️⃣2️⃣ new members to our Shout Squad!

The Shout Squad is our amazing community of monthly donors. This devoted group of supporters powers our work all year long with their generosity.

And, if you make a monthly gift of any size, you’ll get a one-time 25% off discount to our bookstore! Shout Squad members get perks throughout the year, too — including a regular discount on our books and special invites and updates!

➡️ Link in bio to join today

05/11/2026

WOW did we have a blast at the Books in Bloom festival this past Saturday! , youth author and co-editor of Bright Before Us, Like a Flame, spoke on a panel with & , moderated by SMP Programs Director — it was incredible! The audience was packed and there was great energy all day long.

Youth author Celeste Ampah was also on site to sign When You Feel, one of our newest board books for the youngest readers. The book sold out within the first hour!!

Grateful we had the chance to be at this festival — and grateful to everyone we met who came to the panel, bought a book, or just stopped by to learn more about our work supporting the creation and publication of diverse books by young people for young people. ❤️

05/05/2026

This Saturday!! Don’t miss youth author who will speak with two other incredible panelists, Jason Reynolds and Dr. Khadijah Ali-Coleman. Shout Mouse program director will moderate the conversation, and afterward we’ll be selling books from 11 AM - 3 PM with youth author Celeste, author of When You Feel from the Mini-Mirrors series.

This is a fantastic, family-friendly event at Color Burst Park in the . The festival celebrates literature, community, and family fun, with a focus on Teen and Young Adult voices.

04/30/2026

On this very last day of we are shining a light on these titles by youth authors. Some are full collections of poetry (including those from our partners and ) and others are collections that include poetry along with prose, fiction, memoir and more. All are available online in our bookstore — where all orders support diverse youth authors through scholarships, stipends, and paid internships.

Happy Poetry Month 🩵🩵🩵

Address

1638 R Street NW, Suite 218
Washington D.C., DC
20009

Telephone

+12407721545

Website

http://www.shoutmousepress.org/

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