NYC Youth Poet Laureate

NYC Youth Poet Laureate Program

Are you a young poet between the ages of 15-19?

Are you interested in finding new ways to be a leader in your community?

The New York City Youth Poet Laureate Program, founded by Urban Word NYC, aims to identify young writers and leaders committed to creating change through civic engagement and poetic excellence.

Every fall, 10 finalists are selected from the pool of applicants to join in a 4-week PAID fellowship workshop series. Fellows will grow as writers and performers, in preparation for a commencement event where the next NYC Youth Poet Laureate will be crowned. Along with the official title, the NYC Youth Poet Laureate gets both high-level performance and publication opportunities and the opportunity to compete to be the Regional and National Youth Poet Laureate!

See the bottom of the page for application requirements.

A link to the application for the 2025 Youth Poet Laureate Program will be posted here in the fall.

Meet the 2024-2025 NYC Youth Poet Laureate:

Kai Diata Giovanni

Kai Diata Giovanni is an 18 year old Brooklyn-based poet and performer who holds the title of 2024-2025 NYC Youth Poet Laureate. They published their first book of poetry, “The Words That Need To Be Heard”, at 13 years old. Kai was a 2024 Urban Word Slam Team member and the first runner-up in the 2023 New York State Youth Poet Laureate competition. They have organized and performed as an artivist (artist-activist) with A New Black Arts Movement, Art and Resistance Through Education (ARTE), Girl Be Heard, and Bridges: A Pan-Afrikan Arts Movement. Kai has also been a featured performer at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, the Blue Note Jazz Club, and various other venues in NYC over the past 10 years.

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

How Do I Qualify?

You must be between 15 –19 years old and a current resident of New York City.

Guidelines:

Your complete entry must include:

1.

A Short Bio:
Your bio should tell us a bit about who you are, your personal background, community work (i.e. volunteer work, activism, etc), and artistic & academic accomplishments. (For tips & an example, see our Crafting Your Bio guide)

2.

Personal Statement:
A written or video response to the Personal Statement prompt, which can be found in the application.

3.

Work Samples:
One document containing 1-2 original poems, as well as one video of you performing/reciting 1 poem. Additional instructions can be found in the application.

The NYC Youth Poet Laureate will serve a one (1) year term, make special appearances throughout NYC, and will receive support in applying to be the Regional, State, and the National Youth Poet Laureate.