About CT’s Youth Poet Laureate program
Connecticut selects a youth poet laureate each year to celebrate young poets who are committed to artistic excellence, civic engagement, and social impact. Our state’s first youth poet laureate was selected in 2022.
COA collaborates with Urban Word, founder of the National Youth Poet Laureate Program, to select our laureate. The selection panel includes National Youth Poet Laureate judges and CT-based poets and community members.
Meet CT’s current Youth Poet Laureate:
Mercuri Lam
Mercuri Lam (she/they) is a writer from Texas and Connecticut. Her work has been recognized by Hollins University, Smith College, Connecticut River Review, and more. Mercuri has attended the Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop, the Ellipsis Summer Writing Workshop, and the Adroit Journal Summer Mentorship. Her work appears in SoFloPoJo, Gone Lawn, Eunoia Review, and others. Her debut chapbook, BLOODPATHS, was published in April with Kith Books. Outside of writing, she loves A24 films, flowers, and mountains. You can find more about Mercuri at mercurilam.wordpress.com,
CT’s Former Youth Poet Laureate:
2022: Jaida Taveras
About the National Program
This nationwide program got off to an amazing start! Amanda Gorman was named the first National Youth Poet Laureate in 2017. Just four years later her riveting delivery of The Hill We Climb at the presidential inauguration captured international attention. Connecticut selected it’s first Youth Poet Laureate in 2022.
Learn about the National Youth Poet Laureate program
About the Annual Competition
This competition is open to poets who are 13-19 years old. Judges evaluate each application using a standard rubric and the poets with the highest scores are honored as local or state laureates. The highest scorers in the program’s four national regions are finalists for the National Youth Poet Laureate title.
Apply in October or November!
Review the form, get your files ready, and submit your application at any time from October 21 - November 30, 2023.