When Madison Poet Laureate Angela Trudell Vasquez applied for the position in 2019, she was very clear that fostering youth poets would be an important part of what she wanted to accomplish – and that included creating a new position.
“When I applied to be the Madison poet laureate, that was part of my original suggestion that I would like to be the Madison Poet Laureate and bring a Youth Poet Laureate position to the city of Madison,” she said.
More than 60 cities across the country have a youth poet laureate, working with the organization Urban Word in New York, which also names the National Youth Poet Laureate. It was the first National Youth Poet Laureate stepping onto the world stage that Trudell Vasquez said moved the ball forward.
“(Youth Poet Laureate programs are) something I’ve been aware of for a very long time. And I know it works elsewhere. I’ve seen it,” Trudell Vasquez said. “Then Amanda Gorman came along and wowed everybody. And that made it easier to convince people.”
Gorman, the 2017 National Youth Poet Laureate, captured the nation’s attention by delivering a poem at the inauguration of President Joe Biden in January 2021.
Trudell Vasquez said young people have a lot to say – and many can use poetic skill to do so.
“I was one of those young poets,” she said. “I was 7 years old when I started writing. I would have loved to be fostered in the way that I try and foster young people now. We all have a voice and young people have voices as well. While they can’t vote, they can write. They’re strong, they have strong voices. They need to be heard. This is their world that they’re inheriting.”
Applications are due June 6, and can be done online at this link.
Applicants must reside in the City of Madison and be aged between 13 and 19. The application must include five poems – “well crafted poems, not your first draft,” Trudell Vasquez said – as well as an essay of no more than two double-spaced pages on why they want to be the Youth Poet Laureate. A curriculum vitae is optional, though will be required if the Youth Poet Laureate wishes to apply to be the National Youth Poet Laureate.
Applications will be reviewed June 8 and finalists will be invited to an event in July – the final date hasn’t been set yet – where the new Youth Poet Laureate will be announced.
The Youth Poet Laureate will hold the position for one year, during which time they will give three public readings and be paid $100 for each one.
“I want people to really work, I want them to send the best work they can,” Trudell Vasquez said. “So I’m looking for commitment to poetry and art, and good writing. And I’m also looking for someone who wants to serve their community.”
