Meet the 2017 Oakland Youth Poet Laureate Finalists
OAKLAND, Calif., April 7, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Eight young poets in Oakland were selected as the Oakland Youth Poet Laureate Finalists -- one will be named the 2017 Oakland Youth Poet Laureate, a top literary honor. Launched in 2011, as a partnership between the Oakland Public Library and Youth Speaks, this program encourages young, Oakland poets to showcase their talent and leadership skills in a program that celebrates the authentic voice of young people. The 2017 Oakland Youth Poet Laureate will receive a $5,000 college scholarship.
Feature performances by all Finalists and Honorable Mentions (listed below) will be presented on Saturday, April 29 at Pegasus Books (5560 College Ave in Oakland). The 2017 Oakland Youth Poet Laureate will be announced at the annual Oakland Book Festival (http://www.oaklandbookfestival.org), presented at Oakland City Hall, on Saturday, May 21.
2017 Finalists are:
Javier Mejia Cuenca, 16, MetWest High School
Miles DeRosa, 15, Oakland School for the Arts
Lucy Flattery-Vickness, 17, Oakland Technical High School
Emma Linnéa Hardison, 17, Oakland School for the Arts
Leila Mottley, 14, Oakland School for the Arts
Lizette Navarro, 14, Skyline High School
Krysia Olszewska, 17, Piedmont High School
Amaya Wilson, 16, Oakland School for the Arts
2017 Honorable Mentions:
Isabella Catalano, 17, Oakland Technical High School
Isabel Hallock, 18, Bishop O'Dowd High School
Harrison Harvey, 17, Head-Royce School
2017 Judges
Mg Roberts, local author and educator
Eugene Ace Johnson, poetic activist and founder of iVisionary Academy
Gracia Mwamba, UC Berkeley student
Kwan Booth, award-winning writer and journalist
Tova Ricardo, 2015 Oakland Youth Poet Laureate
About Youth Speaks:
Founded in San Francisco in 1996, Youth Speaks exists to shift the perception of young people by combating illiteracy, alienation, and silence, creating a global movement of brave new voices bringing the noise from the margins to the core. Recently, the Ford Foundation named Youth Speaks as one of the 10 most important arts organizations in the nation's future, and The Wallace Foundation named Youth Speaks one of eight exemplary arts education organizations.
About Oakland Public Library:
The Oakland Public Library is a part of the City of Oakland in California and has been in existence since 1878. The Oakland Public Library empowers all people to explore, connect, and grow.
For more information,
Tara Dorabji, Communications Director, Youth Speaks, [email protected] or 415-942-4331.
Lana Adlawan, Supervising Librarian, Teen Services, at [email protected] or 510-238-7613.
SOURCE Youth Speaks; Oakland Public Library
Share this article