Because Youth Have Something to Say to Us and This World!
Anouk Yeh
Santa Clara County Youth Poet Laureate, 2021-2022
Mahder Aklilu
Santa Clara County Vice Youth Poet Laureate, 2021-2022
Congratulations to our 10 Finalists!
"Santa Clara County Announces Finalists for Youth Poet Laureate" by Samuel Getachew in KQED Arts
"...the ten finalists for Santa Clara County’s youth poet laureate were announced: Sarah Fathima Mohammed, Swasti Johri, Margaret Mei, Avalon Felice Lee, Trisha Iyer, Anouk Yeh, Mahder Aklilu, Anna Yang, Paula Escobar, and Jasmine Kapadia. Selected by a panel of seven judges, applicants were scored on the craft of their writing, the authenticity of their voice, their performance and their potential for leadership.
"When I began to listen to poetry, it's when I began to listen to the stones,
and I began to listen to what the clouds had to say, and I began to listen to others. And I think, most importantly for all of us, then you begin to learn to listen to the soul, the soul of yourself in here, which is also the soul of everyone else."
- Joy Harjo, United States Poet Laureate
Photo is from the @poetlaureatescc Instagram page
ABOUT
Santa Clara County is proud to announce the launch of our Youth Poet Laureate Program!
The Santa Clara County Youth Poet Laureate Program is meant to inspire, to teach, and to be enjoyed by audiences across the county, and perhaps, the country and world.
As a partner with the National Youth Poet Laureate Program, we hope youth poets use their voices for change.
In 2021, Santa Clara County will select its first ever Youth Poet Laureate.
MISSION STATEMENT
To serve as youth ambassadors for civic engagement, literary excellence, and social justice through literacy, arts, and youth expression with ongoing opportunities for performances and community collaborations
