Poet Terry Blackhawk founded the InsideOut Literary Arts Project as a way to help public schoolchildren and teenagers in the struggling city of Detroit express themselves and assure them that their voices matter. InsideOut brings volunteer teacher-poets into 27 Detroit public schools and serves 5000 kids each year through writing workshops during classes and after school. At the end of the year, InsideOut gives each student a published book featuring their work. InsideOut also hosts regular poetry readings by students, some of whom continue to write poetry after graduation.