January 20, 2025 7:00 PM –8:30 PM
PGHwrites: Youth Poet Laureate of Allegheny County
Now in its fifth year, the Allegheny County Youth Poet Laureate, an initiative of The National Youth Poet Laureate Program, recognizes and celebrates our nation’s top youth poets committed to artistic excellence, civic engagement, and social impact. The Youth Poet Laureate of Allegheny County is awarded to an artist between 13-18 years old who is passionate about their art and their communities. City of Asylum hosts an annual Youth Poet Laureate and Youth Poet Ambassador commencement reading to celebrate the new cohort and showcase their works.
City of Asylum has traditionally hosted the annual commencement reading on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This year, the holiday happens to also fall on Inauguration Day. Holding space for the history that has influenced them and the world that awaits them, the five-poet cohort will be reading new work on the topic of the future. How will leaders and activists shape our future? What will we be like in the future? Are we hopeful? Scared? Uncertain? Youth Poet Laureate Oluwatobiloba Olaore and Ambassadors Vanshika Jain, Linda Kong, Monroe Law, and Sarah Voigt will explore these questions and more in this reading and discussion.
