City of Madison announces 2024-25 Youth Poet Laureate opportunity

The Madison Arts Commission and Madison Poet Laureate Steven Dawson are pleased to announce the third annual call for a Madison Youth Poet Laureate.

“The next YPL will have a direct line to the future of poetry in Madison. It’s a great way to represent your city and put your finger on that pulse,” said City of Madison Poet Laureate Steven Dawson.

The Madison Youth Poet Laureate program is a partnership between the City of Madison and the National Youth Poet Laureate program, an initiative of Urban Word. The Youth Poet Laureate program honors talented young poets and provides competitive opportunities for young people to showcase their literary art on the regional and national stage.

The Madison Youth Poet Laureate serves for one year and will be expected to give three public readings alongside the current Madison Poet Laureate during their term. Additionally, the Youth Poet Laureate will have the opportunity to apply for the National Youth Poet Laureate role in the fall.

Applications for the 2024-2025 Madison Youth Poet Laureate opened on May 7, 2024, and close June 7, 2024. To be eligible, applicants must be between the ages of 13 and 19 at the time of selection and must reside within the City of Madison.

People interested in applying to become the Madison Youth Poet Laureate can apply online.

Applicants are required to attend and read one of their submitted poems at the Madison Arts Commission meeting on June 11, 2024 at 5:30 PM. The winner will be announced in July.

Steven Espada Dawson is currently serving as the Madison Poet Laureate. He is from East Los Angeles. The son of a Mexican immigrant, he is a former Ruth Lilly Fellow and Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing Fellow.

He has served as a poetry editor for Copper Nickel and Sycamore Review and has taught creative writing at universities, libraries, and prisons across the country. His poems appear in many journals and have been anthologized in Best New Poets, Pushcart Prize, and Sarabande’s Another Last Call.

Dawson, members of the Madison Arts Commission, and other community literary partners believe it is important to provide an official platform to elevate the unique voices of young poets in our city.

About the National Youth Poet Laureate Program

The National Youth Poet Laureate Program works with local arts organizations across the United States to elevate youth voices that are committed to artistic excellence, civic engagement, and social impact.

The National Youth Poet Laureate Program is supported by the Academy of American Poets, the Poetry Society of America, the Library of Congress, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Parks Service, and many more organizations. It is an initiative of Urban Word NYC, Inc., an award-winning youth literary arts and youth development organization.

About the Madison Arts Commission

The Madison Arts Commission (MAC) is an 11-member citizen commission appointed by the Mayor to advise the City about matters of arts and culture. MAC’s mission is to foster arts appreciation by initiating partnerships, developing new audiences, and sponsoring diverse artistic activities by emerging and established artists and arts organizations while preserving Madison’s rich artistic tradition. To support a full creative life for all, The Madison Arts Commission commits to championing policies and practices of cultural equity that empower a just, inclusive, equitable city.