NYC Youth Poet Laureate Program

The New York City Youth Poet Laureate (YPL) program is a voting-themed teen competition designed to energize youth voters through spoken word poetry. The program is open to students, ages 16-19.

• Congratulations to the 2012 winner Ishmael Islam! As the Youth Poet Laureate, Ish and the Youth Poet Ambassadors (finalists in the program) will travel the five boroughs to speak to their peers about voting and civic engagement. The team will also embark on a tour of NYC High Schools and parks. Along with the title of NYC Youth Poet Laureate, Ish will also receive a book deal of his poetry to be released at next year's slam in November.
• 2012 YPL Program: Learn more about this year's YPL program, workshop facilitators, and more.

NYC Youth Poet Laureate Winners
Learn more about the past winners and read their voting-themed poems:

• 2012 Youth Poet Laureate Ishmael Islam
• 2011 Youth Poet Laureate Justin Long Moton
• 2010 Youth Poet Laureate Zora Howard

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The YPL Program is a partnership between Urban Word NYC and the CFB. Urban Word NYC presents literary arts education and youth development programs in the areas of creative writing, journalism, college prep, literature, and hip-hop. It provides writing workshops to teens year-round and hosts the Annual Teen Poetry Slam.