Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate Program
Finalists will be notified via email once final judging is completed by April 2026. The Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate and four Poet Ambassadors will be announced at the Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate commencement ceremony, which will take place in mid-May.
What is YPL?
The Youth Poet Laureate (YPL) is a title held by a young person who demonstrates skill in the arts, particularly poetry and/or spoken word. They use their voice to inspire change and demonstrate strong leadership within their community. Amplify your voice and apply to become Long Beach’s next Youth Poet Laureate!
The person named LB Youth Poet Laureate will receive a $1,500 scholarship along with access to mentorship and resources while engaging Long Beach youth in literary arts programming from May 2026–April 2027. Four (4) LB Youth Poet Ambassador runners-up will each receive a $500 scholarship and will be part of the year-long program along with the laureate.
The LB Youth Poet Laureate and Youth Poet Ambassadors will be announced during the program's commencement ceremony in May 2026 and will serve as the city's fourth YPL cohort, representing literacy, the arts, and advocacy in our community.
All Long Beach youth are welcome to attend Youth Poet Laureate (YPL) public events and submit their application for the opportunity to represent Long Beach through their activism and art. Our goal is to amplify voices of underrepresented communities, and so we strongly encourage youth poets of all backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities, socioeconomic status, gender and sexual identities, disabilities, or diverse lived experiences to apply.
Long Beach Forward is our nonprofit Social Impact Partner, providing collaboration and partnership to help guide students in using their poetry and voice for social engagement. The Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate program is a partner of the National Youth Poet Laureate program and Urban Word NYC.
The YPL program is designed to support and uplift youth poets in their development as writers, while providing resources and opportunities for growth and public service. The program components include:
- Mentorship from a local poet in the community.
- Monthly feedback workshops for them to share and comment on each other’s work, facilitated by an experienced poet-teacher.
- Monthly craft lessons taught by professionals in the fields of the literary arts, writing, publishing, public speaking, etc.
- Weekly email prompts.
- Professional development opportunities, such as support with headshots and professional bios, sending work out for publication, and applying for grants.
- Opportunities to read or showcase their work at local community events.
- Option to design and implement a service project of their choice.
- Support from our Social Impact Partner, Long Beach Forward.
- Publication in a Long Beach Public Library digital anthology at the end of the service year.
- A featured showcase reading sponsored by the Library near the end of the service year.
- Other opportunities as they arise throughout the year!
While many of the opportunities that arise throughout the year may be optional, the LB Youth Poet Laureate cohort is required to complete the following as part of their service contract:
- Attend a majority of the regularly scheduled monthly (craft and feedback) workshops.
- Submit work for publication in the LBPL YPL anthology.
- Participate in the final showcase reading at the end of the service year.
In addition, the Youth Poet Laureate is required to:
- Participate in the National Youth Poet Laureate program, including attending all required meetings.
- Be available for opportunities that specifically request the Laureate’s involvement, such as special City- or Library-sponsored events.
Participants in this program can expect to build strong and meaningful relationships with each other as a part of their literary community, as well as relationships with other organizations throughout the broader literary and activist communities.
- Writing shows promise and may engage with literary techniques and complex subject matter.
- A well-rounded individual involved in their community and school.
- Someone who is interested in uplifting their community with a desire to make an impact/change.
- Demonstrates leadership and willingness to be an active supporter of others.
- Someone who is able to be an active participant in the program workshops, conversations, and events throughout the year.
- Someone who is eager to share their perspective in the world and community around them through poetry.
- Someone with a passion for writing, poetry, and the literary arts.
- Someone open to learning and growing as a writer in the program, including being mentored by a poet in the community.
- Able to dedicate time outside of program activities to write, revise, and practice.
- Willingness to do public speaking in front of audiences.
- Someone excited to design a service project to benefit their community.
- Clear and responsive communicator who is attentive to program coordinators and requests.
Long Beach YPL Cohorts
2025-2026
- Youth Poet Laureate: Ezequiel Correa
- Youth Poet Ambassadors:
- Eden Gonzalez
- Maddox Harris
- Macuilquiahuitl Ixeh
- Adele Odette
2024-2025
- Youth Poet Laureate: Helena Donato-Sapp
- Youth Poet Ambassadors:
- Liam "Lee" Balmeo
- Jorany Chim
- Ezequiel Correa
- Sammantha Martinez
- Ajala Sen
- Against the Storm: Poems of Resistance; Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate 2024-25 Anthology (Coming Soon)
2023-2024
- Youth Poet Laureate: Claire Beeli
- Youth Poet Ambassadors:
- Helena Donato-Sapp
- Matilda Iem
- Kieran Lundy
- Sofia Uribe
- Verses on the Horizon: 2023 Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate Cohort Anthology
The Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate (LB YPL) Program is administered through the Long Beach Public Library as a partner within the National Youth Poet Laureate program, with support from Urban Word and the Arts Council for Long Beach. Funding for this citywide program is provided by the City of Long Beach. The Social Impact Partner for YPL is Long Beach Forward.
