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Contact: Aimee Reeder

Communications Manager 

Berkeley Public Library

510.495.4175

areeder@berkeleyca.gov

Berkeley Public Library Announces the 2025 Berkeley Youth Poet Laureates 

Berkeley, California (January 23, 2025) – Anita Marie Júlca has been chosen as the Berkeley Youth Poet Laureate (YPL). Adalilly Chu has been chosen as the Vice Youth Poet Laureate (VYPL). Júlca and Chu were chosen from a pool of teen poets attending schools or residing in Berkeley.

The panel of esteemed judges included the former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Hass, as well as multiple local authors, professors, and creative leaders. 

This program is part of a partnership with Urban Word and the National Youth Poet Laureate Program which identifies, celebrates and honors teen poets who exhibit a commitment to not just artistic excellence but also civic engagement, youth leadership and social justice. Last year’s YPL, Julia Segrè, led poetry workshops at Willard Middle School, performed at multiple city events, and worked with the Berkeley Poet Laureate, Aya de León, to lead workshops at the Bay Area Book Festival. 

“It is a very unique learning experience,” Chu notes in regards to the mentorship aspect of the program. “It is such a supportive space for young writers to be themselves. I am learning a lot from other poets, including the judges and poets who are in my age group.”

Programming will continue throughout 2025. For upcoming poetry-related programs and workshops, please subscribe to the “Library Happenings” monthly newsletter and/or check the event calendar.

“It has been incredible to work with teens in our libraries, read their applications, and see the amazing work they are already doing,” notes librarian Robyn Sweet. “I hope this program will continue to open doors for more creative and social justice work.”

For questions regarding this program, please contact youthpoet@berkeleyca.gov.

For questions about Library events, services, hours and locations, please call (510) 981-6100 or visit www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org

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Anita Marie Júlca Bio: 

Júlca was a new student to Berkeley High just last year, moving to the Bay Area to take care of her grandmother. An East Coast native, the Peruvian-American poet grew up primarily between Keene, New Hampshire and Queens, New York, before moving to Roma Norte, Mexico City at the age of fifteen. It was while living in Mexico City that Anita Marie fell in love with poetry, almost accidentally. She explains that while in the depths of girlhood, trauma, and searching for a language that transcended the barriers of American English and Mexican Spanish, she found poetry. 

In April 2024, Júlca published Whispers of the Storm: A Tale of Healing, a book of original poetry and original illustrations for children healing from abuse, now used by child trauma therapists. She is the president of AWAKE, a club advocating against domestic violence, a member of Berkeley Unified's Sexual Harassment Advisory Committee, and Co-President of the Sustainable Fashion Show.  

Júlca’s poetry explores violence, healing, and the people around her. She often writes verses shining a light on domestic and sexual violence while honoring resilience and sanctuary, and takes heavy inspiration from her Peruvian, Mexican, and New England backgrounds.

Adalilly Chu Bio:

Chu is a junior at Berkeley High School. She has been loving creative writing since she was four. 

Besides writing in English, she also writes in Mandarin. She lived in Taiwan for five years and has won many Mandarin writing awards there as an elementary schooler. After returning to America for eighth grade, she faced many challenges with writing in English. However, with the help of people around her, she began to catch up. This experience led her to founding the Youth Literacy Project, a nonprofit that benefits children by helping them learn how to love literature. She is the Executive Director alongside Lea Hireche. Youth Literacy Project hosts Reading Buddies at Berkeley Public Library, an ongoing program since January of 2024. This program does not just impact the families who participate in it but also brings significance to the volunteer community. 

When she isn't writing, Adalilly enjoys spending time at cafes, drinking cups of chai, and searching for inspiration for her next story. Other than that, she loves to make jewelry, spend time with her family, and read with her friends. She is also a member of the Berkeley High Badminton Team and Berkeley High's Chamber Orchestra.

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. Learn more at http://www.youthlaureate.org

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 Academy of American Poets, Poetry Society of America, PEN Center USA, Cave Canem, and the Library of Congress.