2026 local & state youth poet laureates
Sosena Audain - 2026 Montgomery County Youth Poet Laureate
Read Final.
Sosena Audain is the 2026 Montgomery County Youth Poet Laureate. Her work is centered around minority advocacy and social justice. She recently published a poetry chapbook entitled Sosiology, and has a novella entitled The GIVID. Information on where to find her books can be found here: sosenaaudain.carrd.co.
Lottie Cardwell - 2026-2027 Tennessee State Youth Poet Laureate
Read Cottonmouth
Lottie is a Nashville-based poet who explores the intersections between the body, the land, translation, and family history. A Comparative Literature major at Cornell University, Lottie finds inspiration in the tension at the heart of translation, whether it’s the translation of family stories or the translation of a single word. In her work, this theme is apparent, as she celebrates the beauty of Tennessee while drawing attention to the disparities and struggles still prevalent in her beloved state.
Mady Dinh - 2026 Kentucky Youth Poet Laureate
Read Vietnamese-American Household
Mady Dinh is the 2026 Kentucky Youth Poet Laureate, a program supported by Urban Word. She will be studying aerospace engineering at UK. When she’s not writing, you can find her working on her next art project or hanging out with friends.
Hayley Anne Foo - 2026 Riverside County Youth Poet Laureate Winner
Hayley Foo is a teen poet and writer exploring social justice, community, and the overlooked corners of city life. She is the 2026 Riverside County Teen Poet Laureate and founder of a youth literacy platform that amplifies emerging voices. Her work blends urban imagery, defiance, and hope, capturing the resilience of young people and their communities.
Gauri Joshi - 2026 Kentucky Youth Poet Laureate Runner Up
Read extinction
Gauri Joshi is the 2026 Kentucky Youth Poet Runner Up, a program supported by Urban Word. She is an alumni of the Governor’s School for the Arts, a regional Scholastic Gold Key holder, and a Lexington Youth Poet Laureate finalist. When she isn’t writing poetry, you can find her volunteering with cats, binge watching new cartoons, or conducting pharmaceutical research.
Savannah Massey - 2026 Mississippi Youth Poet Laureate Runner Up
Read lines from MATHEMATICS APPLIED TO ELECTRONICS
Savannah Massey is the 2026 Mississippi Youth Poet Laureate Runner Up. They currently study engineering and applied mathematics at Kenyon College. Massey is a 2025 YoungArts Winner in Poetry, a Scholastic Art & Writing Gold Medalist, and an honorable mention for the 2025 Only Poems Poet of the Year Prize.
Alexander Poon - 2026 Edison Youth Poet Ambassador
Read Boulevard du Temple, 1838
Alexander Poon (he/him) is a poet from Edison, New Jersey. His work explores family history, cultural inheritance, memory, and the quiet distances that language and time create between generations. His poems have appeared in ONE ART: a journal of poetry, 3Elements Review, and Eunoia Review, and his writing has been recognized by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
Euphoria Rentz - 2026 Emerald Coast Youth Poet Laureate Ambassador
Read sincerely, a crestfallen woman
Euphoria Rentz is the 2026 Emerald Coast Youth Poet Laureate Ambassador, a program supported by Urban Word. She is currently a student at Pensacola State College and volunteers at her local library. When she's not volunteering or doing schoolwork, you can find her making ceramics or paintings.
Marcus Robinson - 2026 Nashville Youth Poet Laureate
Read Groomed
Marcus Robinson is the 2026 Nashville Youth Poet Laureate, through Southern Word. He is currently looking forward to studying Biology, on track to become a Pediatrician focused on cardiology, and he has competed in Brave New Voices in 2023 (Finalist) and 2024 (Runner Up). When Marcus isn't writing, he's dancing, singing or has his head in a book.
Isabel Shen - 2026 California Youth Poet Laureate, 2026 Oakland Vice Youth Poet Laureate
Read Angel Island, 2026
Isabel Shen is the 2026 California Youth Poet Laureate and the 2026 Oakland Vice Youth Poet Laureate. She is the 2025 recipient of the Frank Keegan Award for News and was a 2025 Call 4 Kindness Fellow. She leads an oral history project in Oakland.
Alys Traylor - 2026 North Carolina Youth Poet Laureate Ambassador
Read Ode to Sappho
Alys Traylor is the 2026 North Carolina Youth Poet Laureate Ambassador. Traylor has been one of her high school's poet laureate finalists two years in a row, was the the 2nd place youth winner of the 2025 Orange County Human Relations Contest, winner of the 2026 Carrborean Student Essay Contest, participant in the 2026 Poetry Out Loud Competition, and a 2026 NCCDA Poetry and Art Contest winner. Traylor's work has appeared in 1455 Youth Poets Anthology: Voices of Hope, NCPS Poetry In Plain Sight, Jagged Lines, The Young Writers Annual Showcase 2025, The Jaguar Athenaeum, EcoPoetry Zine: EcoHopeful, and will appear in Talk of the Town: Chapel Hill Mixtape, 1455 Women Writers Anthology: Silence. Traylor is headed to UNC Chapel Hill in the fall.