Adrenaline Rush By Rudy Francisco (Grades 10+)

Rudy Francisco is an established Black American poet. He has been published and presented on several notable platforms, such as Button Poetry and Write About Now Poetry. He was also the first spoken word poet to perform on The Tonight Show hosted by Jimmy Fallon. Rudy's work is characterized by a conversational yet incendiary poetic style which is equally matched in his verbal performances. He has written on subjects varying from racism, love, religion, and much more. His works include two full-length poetry collections, Helium and I'll Fly Away. His poem "Adrenaline Rush" satirizes the idea of extreme sports and likens it to an expression of white privilege, going on to retell the harrowing experience of being stopped on the road as a black man. He leaves the audience with a powerful, thought-provoking idea: "it must be nice to feel so safe, you have to invent new ways to put yourself in danger."