28Jun
Youth Poet Laureate
Anaya Ertz (Junior, Marin Academy) is driven by deep curiosity and a passion for learning. She began writing poetry in the 6th grade, and the art form became a means for her to process her emotions during the pandemic. She hopes her poetry will inspire change, whether that be on an institutional or personal level. Anaya believes in writing as a form of community engagement and finds inspiration in the people and places around her. She is editor-in-chief of her school’s literary arts magazine, Echoes, and works with KQED as a student journalist. Outside of reading and writing, her diverse array of interests includes world history, Formula 1, and neuroscience.
Youth Poet Laureate Ambassador
Tess Belger (Junior, Tamalpais High School) began writing poetry as a means of self-expression during the pandemic. Since then, she has earned a National Gold Medal from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Tess is also the co-founder and teacher of Dance Without Boundaries, a dance program for youth with disabilities. Outside of writing and dancing, she enjoys hiking, going to the beach, and baking strawberry muffins. As an Ambassador, Tess hopes to make poetry an accessible and unifying practice for people of all generations.
Youth Poet Laureate Ambassador
Walt Novosardian (Junior, San Marin High School) has a strong passion for disability justice and LGBTQIA+ advocacy. Through poetry, he sheds light on mental health and social justice issues, using his voice to spark conversation. Outside of writing, Walt serves as Chair of the Disability Justice Subcommittee of the Marin County Youth Commission, volunteers with Positive Images to support queer youth, and hones his advocacy skills as a pre-trial attorney in his school’s mock trial team. In his free time, he enjoys relaxing with his dog Hazel, reading books, and caring for his birds, Jason and Piper.
Youth Poet Laureate Ambassador
Juno Phipps (Sophomore, Marin School of the Arts) fell in love with poetry through the Creative Writing program at her high school, which cultivated her passion for writing. Her poems have been recognized with multiple awards, and she aims to bring awareness to cultural and mental health issues. When she isn’t writing, she can be found on a run, spending time with family and friends, or playing music. She aims to demonstrate the healing power of poetry with her work and hopes to inspire younger kids and help them fall in love with the literary arts.
The Marin County Youth Poet Laureate program seeks to support arts leadership in younger generations of poets by providing them with platforms that allow them to use their art as an active way of building social change in their community.
California Poets in the Schools in conjunction with Marin Free Library, Marin Charitable Foundation, Marin Museum of Contemporary Art, Marin Poetry Center, Mill Valley Library and Urban Word NYC, are pleased to announce that Marin County has joined with other municipalities nationwide in celebrating and nurturing the voices of our youth by establishing a Youth Poet Laureate program. This program grew out of Marin Poetry Center’s Youth Poet Ambassador Program, established in 2021. Students throughout Marin County are eligible to apply for the stipended position of Youth Poet Laureate and Youth Poet Laureate Ambassador (which now serves as a runner-up to the YPL). As Laureates, they have the opportunity to publish both locally and in the national anthology produced by Urban Word NYC. Winners are also eligible to move on to the regional and national rankings. Additionally, Marin Poetry Center is able to offer a complimentary one-year membership to both candidates, and an opportunity to attend MPC workshops tuition-free, open or host MPC Reading events, visit Bay Area classrooms with English or bilingual instruction, and propose projects in conjunction with their creative interests. Throughout their term, both candidates should participate in a minimum of three public functions (in-person or online) in Marin county.
The Youth Poet Laureate and Youth Poet Laureate Ambassador (runner-up) serve for a period of one year (April - April), during which they participate in ceremonial, educational, and cultural activities encouraging community members to develop their own voices within the county. Youth Poet Laureates represent and celebrate the richly diverse communities of Marin County telling their stories and shaping the future narratives of communities to which they belong.
Qualifications
Candidates for Youth Poet Laureate should be between the ages of 13 and 19 (incoming high school, college, or gap year), currently reside in Marin County, and demonstrate a commitment to poetry, community, and social change. Candidates for YPL Ambassador may reside within the 9 Bay Area counties, as long as they have the ability to occasionally travel to and from Marin County for public events. In appointing a Youth Poet Laureate and Ambassador, the Marin YPL Program will consider the quality of the candidate’s written-word and/or spoken-word poetry, as well as the candidate’s history of leadership or participation in community events with literary, environmental, and/or social justice focus. The Marin YPL Program may seek additional information from candidates or conduct interviews during the review process.
[It is the Marin YPL Program’s intent to make the application accessible to anyone. Please contact youthpoetlaureate@marinpoetrycenter.org for access needs.
Application
Applications for the 2025-2026 year are now closed.
Winners will be notified in late-March. An inauguration ceremony will be held on Tuesday, April 29 during National Poetry Month at the Belvedere-Tiburon Library. Register for the event here: https://beltib.libnet.info/event/12852410
Judge
Harita Kalvai is a second-year Criminology and Computer Science major at UC Irvine, originally from San Rafael, CA. She served as Marin County's Inaugural Youth Poet Ambassador in 2021-2022, and began her poetry journey by writing about climate issues in her community. Throughout high school and into college, she's used poetry as a way to incite social change, whether that's through environmental action or racial justice. In her free time, she enjoys working in the UCI community garden, journaling, and writing poetry and short stories for the school newspaper.
Sponsors
We are grateful for the support of our sponsors.
Contact
Maxine Flasher-Düzgüneş, YPL Coordinator
youthpoetlaureate@marinpoetrycenter.org
2024-2025
Youth Poet Laureate
Mira Sridharan (Junior, The Branson School) began writing poetry in fifth grade for fun and has since developed a passion for reading and writing. She got into poetry as a form of activism in the summer before freshman year and has been experimenting with it ever since. Outside of writing, her hobbies include cooking and walking her dog. She hopes to inspire other high schoolers to expand their comfort zones and share their stories. Read Mira's interview with the MarinIJ
2024-2025
Youth Poet Laureate Ambassador
Ruby Kosek (Senior, Tamalpais High School) is a passionate advocate for social justice, environmental conservation, and civic engagement, whether through law, poetry, or politics. She competes on award-winning slam poetry and mock trial teams and interns with an organization dedicated to exonerating the wrongfully convicted and sharing their art and poetry with the public. She also campaigns to energize young voters and grows organic fruit and vegetables to donate to local food banks. To recharge, Ruby immerses herself in nature, kayaking on rivers and hiking up mountains. She finds freedom and power in language and believes that poetry is one of the most honest forms of communication. Experience Ruby's project, Visions of Hope
2024-2025
Youth Poet Laureate Ambassador
Clarisse Kim (Senior, Abraham Lincoln High School) fell in love with poetry as a freshman when her English teacher showed her the potency of poetic nuance. Her sophomore English teacher described the writing process as “making sauce”—boiling essays worth of emotion down into a single rich stanza. Her work has been published in the Marin Poetry Center High School Anthology, the Weight Journal, and Under the Madness Magazine. When she isn't writing, Clarisse can be found eating her weight in MadeGood berry granola bars or playing (and losing) crane games. She aims to inspire youth to write more poetry and to cook as much sauce as our community can savor. Watch Clarisse's reading at Quiet Lightning.
2023-2024
Youth Poet Co-Ambassador
I’ve always used poetry as an outlet for my emotions. Sometimes I’ll just write prose, and other times I’ll use poetry in my songwriting. The power of words is so important, and I believe that teens today can make such an impact with what they have to say. I hope to help MPC develop a program that encourages high schoolers to share their unique experiences, cultures, and emotions, and step out of their comfort zones.
Naomi Ko loves to play the guitar, write, and sing in her free time. She attended St. Ignatius College Prep and was Editor-in-Chief of their school newspaper. She also contributed to SI’s literary & arts journal and played in the jazz band.
2023-2024
Youth Poet Co-Ambassador
Cade Palmer attended Novato High School where he was a member of the Marin School of the Arts Creative Writing program. He began experimenting with short fiction near the end of middle school and has since developed a profound passion for poetry and its potential to impact the communities we participate in. He has been featured in numerous publications both in and out of school and continuously seeks out greater heights through which he might hope to influence the younger members of his generation to develop their creative lens and see the relevance of art in our understanding of the place we live in.
2022-2023
Youth Poet Co-Ambassador
I remember my first introduction to poetry. It comes to me in snippets, images of me and my classmates crafting haiku poems on desks sticky with glue, little papers fluttering to the carpet. I loved how when I wrote, the world faded away and I was left in a space where I could do anything, be anyone, while also being myself….Writers can change the world. Words are powerful and can leave a lasting imprint, not only in our communities but in our hearts.
Tashi Manchip enjoys reading, writing, and doing art in her free time. She has assisted in elementary school classrooms both in-person and online. Tashi attended Tamalpais High School and co-led their Creative Writing Club.
2022-2023
Youth Poet Co-Ambassador
Poetry has improved my life because it allows me to express myself when I’m feeling stressed or uncertain. I believe the practice of self-expression is an important part of being human, and that writing poetry can be both self-healing and self-reflective. I want to help others experience this feeling. To strengthen my community and the well-being of my peers and neighbors, I seek to spread the beauty of poetry all across the county. In addition, I further aspire to help establish a program in Marin that would allow the county to nominate an individual for Youth Poet Laureate.
Jackson Bramlette attended Redwood High School, where he led their Creative Writing Club.
2021-2022
Youth Poet Ambassador
Harita Kalvai served as MPC's Inaugural Youth Poet Ambassador, and attended Terra Linda High School, and within TL, the Marin School of Environmental Leadership. Throughout middle and high school, she became more involved with social advocacy, especially surrounding Climate Change, leading to a position as the leader of Marin Citizen Climate Lobby’s youth action team. Alongside CCL, she also worked with Beyond Differences on ending social isolation in middle schools. In January 2021, she worked with Marin Poetry Center, the Mill Valley Library, and CCL on a Poetry/Environmentalism event called Words To Live By, which was focused on teenagers using poetry as a way to express their thoughts on the effects of climate change.
