Wesley writes a poem instead of the assigned Harlem Renaissance essay.

Mr. Ward has Wesley read his poem aloud, inspiring other students to want to share their own.

Mr. Ward launches Open Mike Fridays after students express a desire to share their poetry.

Tyrone reads 'Attendance' at the first Open Mike Friday, voicing the class's social context.

Chankara arrives at school wearing sunglasses to hide bruises from Johnny's assault.

Students from other classes begin sneaking into Mr. Ward's room to attend Open Mike Fridays.

Devon reads 'Bronx Masquerade,' publicly declaring himself a poet and not just an athlete.

Gloria reads 'Message to a Friend,' revealing the harsh realities of being a teen mother.

Tanisha reads 'For the Record,' revealing her lighter skin is rooted in an ancestor's rape by an enslaver.

Devon carries a poetry book openly to the cafeteria and defies his basketball teammate's mockery.

Raynard reveals his dyslexia to classmates and performs his first poem with live saxophone accompaniment.

Tyrone, Wesley, and Steve perform a collaborative poem challenging media stereotypes of Black teens.

A newspaper reporter visits the class and writes a positive article about the students' poetry.

Porscha reads 'A Letter to My Mother,' publicly forgiving her mother who died from a drug overdose.

Students perform their poems at an all-school assembly to a school-wide audience.

Mr. Ward's English class begins studying the Harlem Renaissance, and when Wesley writes a poem instead of the assigned essay, it sparks a classroom revolution. Mr. Ward formalizes Open Mike Fridays, giving students a public space to share their poetry and lived experiences throughout the school year. As the program unfolds, students like Devon, Gloria, and Tanisha use the open mic to reveal truths about identity, teen parenthood, and racial history. The program grows so popular that students from other classes sneak in to witness it, and a newspaper reporter visits to cover the phenomenon from the outside. Porscha, the last student to participate, reads a poem forgiving her mother who died of a drug overdose, marking one of the year's most powerful moments of healing. The year culminates in an all-school assembly where the entire student body witnesses what Mr. Ward's class has built together.

The key events that transform Mr. Ward's English class through Open Mike Fridays.

Raul reads 'Zorro' in class, challenging racial stereotypes and celebrating his Puerto Rican identity.

Diondra nervously reads 'If,' asking whether classmates would mock her for her artistic passion.

Lupe reads 'Brown Hands' while privately daydreaming about having a baby to feel unconditionally loved.

Janelle talks to herself in the bathroom mirror about her crush on Devon.

Janelle reads 'inside,' comparing herself to a coconut whose inside is sweeter than it appears.

Tyrone admits he has mocked Janelle's weight and decides to change his behavior after hearing her poem.

Leslie and Porscha discover in the school locker room that both of them have lost their mothers.

Leslie reads 'Common Ground,' a poem about finding unexpected friendship through shared grief.

Judianne reads 'Cocoon,' using sewing as a metaphor for remaking herself and escaping insecurity.

Open Mike Fridays shift from monthly to weekly due to overwhelming student participation.

Sterling is bullied by Leon, who deliberately pours honey all over his new shoes in the cafeteria.

Sterling responds to Leon's bullying by hugging him and kissing him on both cheeks.

Sterling reads 'D-Train,' a poem about a young man tempted by drugs on a subway train.

Sheila asks the class to call her by an 'Africana name,' causing classmates to react with eye rolls.

Mr. Ward takes down the classroom gallery wall to make personal anthologies for each student.

Beneath the main arc of Open Mike Fridays, individual students have quieter but no less important moments of growth and connection. Raul and Diondra confront their artistic identities in early chapters, while Janelle, Lupe, and Judianne share poems that expose private insecurities about beauty, love, and self-worth. A chance collision in the locker room leads to an unlikely friendship between Leslie and Porscha, two girls united by the shared grief of losing their mothers. Sterling's faith is tested when a bully targets him in the cafeteria, but his graceful response with forgiveness instead of retaliation shifts the energy in the class. The frequency of Open Mike Fridays grows as student demand increases, and Sheila's request to be called an 'Africana name' raises uncomfortable questions about identity and cultural belonging. The year closes with Mr. Ward dismantling the classroom gallery wall so every student can take home a personal anthology of their work.

The individual readings, friendships, and personal breakthroughs that fill the year.

Chankara defiantly removes her sunglasses in the hallway, declaring she will never accept abuse again.

Tyrone recalls for the first time in years that his father used to beat his mother.

Lupe realizes Marco would not make a good father and ends their relationship.

Lupe calls Leslie after the breakup and discovers her friends can be the family she needs.

Janelle runs into Judianne in the bathroom and tries to bond over their shared insecurities.

Judianne rejects Janelle's attempt at connection and calls her 'fat.'

Janelle reads 'Mirror, Mirror,' directly addressing Judianne's denial of their shared struggles.

Tyrone realizes why Tanisha dislikes being called 'caramel cutie' after hearing her poem about ancestry.

Diondra reads 'High Dive,' showing her bold new willingness to leap into artistic risk.

Steve's father announces the family is moving out of New York City to the suburbs.

Poet Pedro Pietri visits the class and attends an Open Mike Friday in person.

Wesley advises Sheila to embrace her own identity rather than imitate her classmates of color.

Diondra's father discovers her art school brochures and reacts with fury.

Tyrone volunteers to give an impromptu speech at the all-school assembly about what Open Mike Fridays meant.

Mai Tren, a Black Vietnamese student, is inspired by the assembly and decides to take Mr. Ward's class.

Running alongside the poetry readings are private moments of realization and change that quietly reshape each student's path through the year. Chankara's decision to remove her sunglasses and Tyrone's sudden memory of his father's violence mark early emotional turning points, while Lupe's decision to break up with Marco forces her to confront what she actually needs from life. Janelle and Judianne's bathroom confrontation exposes how shared insecurity can still breed cruelty, and Tanisha's poem forces Tyrone to reckon with his own unconscious bias toward a classmate. Later in the year, Diondra's artistic courage takes a visible leap through 'High Dive,' while a family conflict over art school brochures tests how far she is willing to go for her dreams. The poet Pedro Pietri's classroom visit and Wesley's frank conversation with Sheila mark turning points in how the class understands identity and art. The novel closes with Tyrone's surprising decision to speak at the assembly and the arrival of Mai Tren, a new student who sees in the class a vision of belonging she has never before witnessed.

The decisions, discoveries, and emotional shifts that define each student's journey.

Nikki Grimes

Novel

Fiction

Guide