Before it was a play, "Romeo and Juliet" was a poem, first in Italian, then in French, and finally in English.

And now it's a poem once again: a sword-and-cell-phone novel-in-verse.

In a city where right-handed people have long oppressed left-handers, Romeo of Montaright and Juliet of Capuleft fall in love, and their cousins Ben, Ty and Rosalyn--along with their friend Merk--have to navigate the complexities of prejudice and desire in order to bring the lovers together and sort out their own platonic and romantic entanglements with a minimum of projectile vomiting.

Fans of Terry Pratchett's "Witches" books will find themselves right at home with this humorous, serious, dramatic, melodramatic, straight, kinky, queer, poignant, and sweet Shakespearean tale. Adult, new adult, and older young adult readers--particularly boys and young men--who are looking to connect with the ancient traditions of literature while embracing the inclusive values of the modern world will enjoy the twists and turns of this oddball romance, this equal-opportunity festival of joyous shenanigans, this book, this poem, this volume!