State Youth Poet Laureate Application

PART 1: CONTACT & DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

*This section is used for informational purposes only and will not affect your score
Email address or Phone number
Used for correspondence only
Must be 13-19 years old to enter
Only limited states eligible in 2023.

How would you describe yourself

PART 2: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, EXPERIENCE & AWARDS

Please use the fields below to share more about the different ways you engage with the community, places you've worked and volunteered, and any awards/recognition received.
Community & Civic Engagement
List your community and civic engagement, school and extracurricular participation, clubs and activities.

Examples:
  • “Engagement” Volunteer Tutor, “Description” Tutor middle school students at Brooklyn Public Library;
  • “Engagement” Youth Leadership Council, “”Description” Serve on the Youth Leadership Council at Urban Word NYC;
  • “Engagement” Spoken Word Club Founder & President, “Description” Founded the Spoken Word Club at Wilson High School, where we conduct workshops and performances;
  • “Engagement” Varsity Soccer, “Description” Play on the Varsity Soccer team at Long Beach Polytechnical HS.
Awards & Distinctions
List any awards and distinctions you have received, and include the title, who awarded it, and the year.

Examples:
  • “Award/Distinction” Gold Key, “Description/Source/Date” Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, 2022;
  • “Award/Distinction” Black Girl Magic Fellowship. “Description/Source/Date” Awarded fellowship by Urban Word, 2021;
  • “Award/Distinction” Los Angeles Youth Poet Laureate, “Description/Source/Date” Named LA Youth Poet Laureate in 2019 at the LA Public Library.
Examples:
  • “Publication/Performance” Open Wings Anthology, “Description/Source/Date” Norton
  • Books, 2018; Artesia City Council, “Description/Source/Date” Performed at city council meeting, January 2020.

PART 3: POETRY SUBMISSION

Please submit 3 original poems in one document that best represents your poetry. We prefer PDF or Word doc.

PART 4: POETRY QUESTIONNAIRE

*Answers to these questions will not affect your score.

Where do you engage with writing poetry most?

How often do you engage in poetry reading and writing?


Do you feel supported to impact your community?

Does being in a poetry community affect your desire to impact your community?

Of the topics listed below which are your top three concerns? Rank them 1-3; 1 being most important 3 being 3rd most important. We acknowledge that these issues are often intersectional and dividing them out is an arbitrary attempt to capture ideas. Consider each of these issues in the context of the United States
Racism/Racial Injustice
Police Brutality
Access to Clean Water
Gender Equality & Justice
LGBTQIA’s + Justice
Voting Rights
Climate Justice
Gun Violence
Poverty, Food Insecurity, Hunger
Refugee Rights & Supports
Educational Equity & Justice for Students