California Poets in the Schools Announces the Search for the First Youth Poet Laureate for Sonoma County!

Full guidelines as well as an application can be found on our website.

Sonoma County California Poets in the Schools plans to follow the lead of the nation, the state and sister counties (Alameda, Los Angeles, Ventura and others) in acknowledging a student who has achieved excellence in poetry, allowing them to be a leader for the county in raising the profile of poetry and developing its audience.

Specifics:

• This student should be between the ages of 13 and 19.

• They must be a county resident who expects to remain in the county between May of 2020 and May of 2021.

• They should also have demonstrated their commitment to literary arts and community engagement through participation in volunteer and community service, clubs, afterschool activities, and extra academic activities.

• California Poets in the Schools will administer this program as a regional partner of Urban Word.

• The Youth Poet Laureate will serve a one year term and is expected to participate in at least four public functions.

• YPL will receive a $500 stipend and a publishing contract for a chapbook of their work, or an anthology that includes their work and that of other finalists.

• A grant to support this program has already been obtained from the Bill Graham Memorial Foundation.

Procedure:

• YPL nominations may come from any organization or individual.

• Application must be submitted by March 13 to californiapoets@gmail.com or, if student has no means to apply online, to California Poets in the Schools - Youth Poet Laureate Submission, PO Box 1328, Santa Rosa, CA 95402

• With the application, three of the student’s poems must be submitted, totaling no more than ten pages.

• For finalists, an adult sponsor will be required to provide a letter of support.

• A committee of respected local poets will review applications and choose finalists.

• Finalists will be asked to attend a judging session so that their ability to present their poems effectively (as well as writing good poems) can be assessed.

• The winner will be announced in late April.

• The inauguration will occur on May 2, from 2 – 4 pm, in conjunction with a county-wide poetry reading by youth at the Santa Rosa Central Library.