We’re looking for young writers, leaders, and change-makers ready to use their voices to shake the system and write the next chapter of our country’s legacy.

Every fall, 10 NYC-based finalists, ages of 15-19, are chosen to step into a 5-week, in-person workshop series– a creative bootcamp to level up your writing, performance, and presence. It all leads to the big stage: a live commencement event where one standout voice will be named the next New York City Youth Poet Laureate.

The title-holder receives professional and creative mentorship, is given access to high-level performance opportunities, and becomes eligible to compete for state and national youth poet laureate titles.

THE APPLICATION WINDOW FOR THE 2025-2026 PROGRAM IS NOW CLOSED

Hoshiko Hsu is a Taiwanese-American poet from Queens. A senior at The Spence School, she hosts open-mics and publishes issues as editor-in-chief of SCRAWL while captaining mock trial and debate to teach NYC legal policy and foster civic dialogue. Beyond school, she chairs TSTT, a Tzu-Chi program that mobilizes students to provide free English lessons to low-income children in rural areas; her volunteer work has made her a 4x-Gold President’s Volunteer Service Award recipient. An alumna of the Adroit Summer Mentorship, she is a Scholastic Gold/Silver Medalist, a finalist for NYS Youth Poet Laureate and Bennington Young Writers Award, and two-time finalist for NYC Youth Poet Laureate. Her performances have been featured at Federal Hall and the NYPL, and her work is forthcoming/been published by YoungArts, UrbanWordNYC, and The Eunoia Review. Hoshiko’s work spans from racial justice to karmic reincarnation, queerness, and self-temporality. She hopes that her work allows for deeper understanding of self and country, uniting youth in a time of extreme polarization. 


For Booking & Media Requests, email info@urbanwordnyc.org

Past NYC Youth Poet Laureates