Young Poet Iris Robert Explores Identity and Growing Up in Debut Collection Life Poems

NATIONWIDE – JULY 2026 – Poet Iris Robert is set to publish her debut collection, Life Poems. The collection opens up about her life as a young transgender writer. It gathers close to thirty poems written during her transition, and every page comes straight from a moment she lived through.

Robert started jotting down verses as a way to sort out her feelings while she searched for the right words to explain herself to the people closest to her. That habit grew into a full manuscript. Readers now get to follow her from her first careful conversation about who she is all the way to a much calmer sense of self.

The collection opens with “Wearing My Name,” a long poem that walks through the day she came out. A borrowed line from Shakespeare returns after each scene like a chorus, and it holds the whole piece together as the reactions swing from a warm welcome to a cold stare.

Robert uses her poems to show what a chosen family feels like once it finally arrives. Home life fills several pages as well. “Family” and “My Family” look at a household where everyone loves one another, yet bickers over small stuff. “A Child’s Death” turns toward the moment a kid works out that grown-ups are ordinary people who also get things wrong. Robert treats that discovery gently, giving readers space to experience the sadness before finding their way forward.

Shorter pieces allow the reader to pause and reflect. Robert plays with acrostics, spelling out words such as SWIM and DND down the side of the page, and pokes fun at homework in “Why School Sucks.” She also wonders aloud about adult life, reminding readers that each person may follow a path of their own choosing.

The book speaks to teenagers who are working out their own identity. It offers parents and teachers a window into their world. Robert wrote the poems in everyday language, so a reader can finish each one in a minute or two. That plain style makes the harder subjects easier to reflect on.

Robert also hopes the book will find young people who feel alone right now. She wants them to see their own experience printed on a page and know that other people share it. Her verses acknowledge the tough days and, in the same breath, keep pointing toward better ones. She leaves the reader with the same courage that saw her through her own year of change.

Alongside her poetry, Robert writes a regular blog where she digs deeper into family life and what it means to live openly. Her recent posts pair each essay with a poem from the collection, which gives readers a fuller picture of where the writing came from.

Life Poems will soon be available at Amazon. For now, readers can follow her blog for essays and join her newsletter to receive fresh posts by email.

About Iris Robert

Iris Robert is a young poet and blogger who writes about identity, family life, personal growth, and the experiences that shape us as we grow older. Her debut collection, Life Poems, collects the verses she wrote during her transition and shares them with readers who may be on a similar road. Through her poetry and her blog, Robert hopes to give young LGBTQ readers a place where they feel seen, understood, encouraged, and less alone. She also hopes her writing will help parents, teachers, and other adults in their lives listen a little better and gain a deeper understanding of the experiences young people may be navigating. 

Contact: scottlr1125@gmail.com