{"product_id":"school-for-runaways-paperback","title":"School for Runaways - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJonah\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOften funny, sometimes harrowing, each prose poem in the debut chapbook from Erik(a) Jonah captures a moment in the daily life of a school for runaways and homeless youth. Jonah's poems introduce a cast of students and a teacher (once a troubled youth themself) seeking glimmers of human connection amidst the housing crisis, the Trump presidency, and the often harsh realities of survival. We are invited inside scenes at once prosaic and intensely poignant, as a teacher makes smoothies for breakfast and collects students' weapons, a student eats a chicken sandwich while his sister lights his sleeping bag on fire, a teacher reviews fractions with a youth who sells fentanyl, a non-binary student falls in love and searches for direction, and a young mother's baby mashes banana into the carpet. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThroughout are surprises and beauty, from pet rats named after jazz musicians to youth handing out gifts on the same corner where they used to panhandle. At once playful and humanizing, \u003ci\u003eSchool for Runaways\u003c\/i\u003e is a rare confluence of literary poetics and stories from the unhoused community.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eErik(a) Jonah has work published in \u003ci\u003eThe Adroit Journal, Foglifter, The Hopkins Review, Poetry Northwest, \u003c\/i\u003e and elsewhere. A non-binary teacher, Erika was a finalist for the 2018 Francine Ringold Award for New Writers. They were recently awarded a residency at The Mineral School in Washington, as well as being nominated for a Pushcart Prize by the journal Cave Wall. MFA from the University of Oregon. Erik has taught in the Bronx, in Ohio, and at a school for runaway and homeless youth in Eugene, Oregon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 38\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.09 x 8.5 x 5.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e October 27, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67924646756659,"sku":"9781625572158","price":18.83,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0300\/5595\/6612\/files\/39CYHGT9fU9781625572158.webp?v=1793832708","url":"https:\/\/www.vysn.com\/products\/school-for-runaways-paperback","provider":"VYSN","version":"1.0","type":"link"}