Contact: Tess Mayer
Director of Library Services
Berkeley Public Library
510.981.6100
tmayer@cityofberkeley.info
Apply to be Berkeley’s 2025 Youth Poet Laureate
Apply Online by October 3
Berkeley, California (September 19, 2024) – After a successful inaugural 2024 Youth Poet Laureate program, it is time to search for Berkeley’s next Youth Poet Laureate and Vice Youth Poet Laureate.
All interested applicants are invited to an application workshops at the Central Library Teen Room (2090 Kittredge St), where staff will help craft resumes and edit poems on Tuesday, September 24th from 4:00-5:00pm. Attendance at this workshop is not mandatory to apply.
To apply, visit www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org/berkeley-youth-poet-laureate-program. Teens aged 13-18 as of January 1, 2025 who live in Berkeley or go to school in Berkeley are eligible. Applicants must live locally for the calendar year of 2024 and not be enrolled in college full-time.
A panel of community leaders with expertise in creative writing and poetry will judge the applications. The laureate and vice laureate will be announced at a celebration in January 2025.
In addition, all applicants will be invited to participate in writing workshops throughout 2024 and 2025 in partnership with Berkeley High School, the City of Berkeley, the National Youth Poet Laureate Program, Urban Word and other local organizations.
Librarian Jacob Kahn shared his excitement about the program, commenting, "in just the inaugural year, we have gotten to see the Poet Laureate and Vice Laureate share their tremendous creative talents at countless public events, engage their peers through artistic showcases, guide younger Berkeley students through educational workshops, and become an honored and vital part of the cultural fabric of our city.”
The 2024 Youth Poet Laureate, Berkeley High School senior Julia Segrѐ, and Vice Youth Poet Laureate, St. Mary’s College High School senior Serena Griffin, participated in multiple performances and workshops throughout the last year. Their voices were highlighted during the Bay Area Book Festival and they performed at the Central Library alongside City of Berkeley Poet Laureate Aya de León.
Kahn is optimistic about this year’s program, saying, “we can't wait to see how this program continues to grow and develop, and to celebrate the new youth voices that will come to represent Berkeley in the years to come!"
For questions, email youthpoet@berkeleyca.gov.
For questions about additional Library events, services, hours and locations, please call (510) 981-6100 or visit the Library’s website www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org.
More About the National Youth Poet Laureate Program
Founded in 2008, the National Youth Poet Laureate Program identifies and celebrates teen poets who exhibit a commitment to artistic excellence, civic engagement, youth leadership and social justice. YPL collaborates with local youth literary arts organizations across the country, as well as leading national literary organizations including the President’s Committee on the Arts & Humanities, the Academy of American Poets, Poetry Society of America, PEN Center USA, Cave Canem, and the Library of Congress.
More About Urban Word
Urban Word is an award-winning youth literary arts and youth development organization that collaborates with local youth literary arts organizations across the country to provide uncensored platforms for youth voice. It is championed by the leading national literary organizations, including the President’s Committee on the Arts & Humanities, the Academy of American Poets, Poetry Society of America, PEN Center USA, Cave Canem, and the Library of Congress.
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