The 2027 Berkeley Youth Poet Laureate contest is now accepting submissions!
Learn about the program, eligibility, and find application instructions below:
ABOUT THE BERKELEY YOUTH POET LAUREATE PROGRAM
The Berkeley Youth Poet Laureate Program is a project to elevate and amplify Berkeley teens’ voices through poetry. Teens will get a chance to explore their civic voices, join a cohort of young writers, and help nurture a writing environment at the library and in school.
The laureate and vice laureate will serve for a calendar year and have the opportunity to perform at library and city functions, lead a community art project, and participate in writing workshops. They will also be eligible to represent Berkeley in the National Youth Poet Laureate Competition.
Important dates
The application period opens on September 1 and closes on October 30, 2026.
Who is eligible?
You are eligible if:
- You will be age 13-18 as of January 1, 2027;
- You live in Berkeley or attend school in Berkeley.
How to apply
The application consists of three sections: basic personal and contact information, a resume/CV, and three original poems. You can find out more about each component in the "Tips for applying" section below. To complete and submit your official application, use this webform:
Berkeley Youth Poet Laureate Application
Tips for applying
Basic Personal and Contact Information
You will need to have the following:
- Name
- Age
- Date of birth
- Address
- School you are attending for the 2026-27 school year
- Phone number (optional)
Resume/CV
The resume/CV will be submitted as an attachment (any format, such as pdf or doc, will work). The resume/CV is a chance for you to share about your experience with civic engagment, social justice, work experience, education, awards, and additional skills/experiences. It is okay to leave a section blank if you do not have any experience that fits. However, it is a requirement to submit a resume/CV, so simply fill it out to the best of your ability.
For the resume/CV, you are encouraged to use the template provided:
Youth Poet Laureate Resume/CV Template
Three Original Poems
The three original poems will be submitted as an attachment (any format, such as pdf or doc, will work). They must be original work and should not be over 10 pages total.
Learn about the judges and judging process
The Berkeley Youth Poet Laureate judging FAQs, process, rubric, and criteria are summarized here:
Berkeley Youth Poet Laureate Judging FAQs, Process, Rubric, and Criteria
Each year, Berkeley Public Library staff recruit a new cohort of judges from the broad communities of Berkeley and Bay Area poetry. Learn about the judges below.
2027 Berkeley Youth Poet Laureate Judges
Brenda Hillman
Brenda Hillman was born in Tucson, Arizona and has been an active part of the Bay Area literary community since 1975. She has published chapbooks with Penumbra Press, a+bend press, EmPress, A Minus Press, and Albion Books, as well as twelve full-length collections with Wesleyan University Press, including Still House in the Desert: An eco-contemplation (September 2026), In A Few Minutes Before Later (2022); Seasonal Works with Letters on Fire (2013), which received the International Griffin Poetry Prize; and Extra Hidden Life, among the Days (2018), winner of the Northern California Book Award. Other recognitions include the Pen (Oakland) Lifetime Achievement Award, and the William Carlos Williams Prize for Poetry. A collection of essays, Three Talks, was published by University of Virginia Press in 2024. She is Professor Emerita at Saint Mary’s College of California and currently serves at Poetry Director of Community of Writers in Olympic Valley.
Donte Clark
Donte is a prolific communicator, poet, filmmaker, actor, and lifelong dreamer through the arts. Using body language, and voice as instruments to uplift stories of the past, purify the present and reimagine the future. Donte has written 3 stage productions, Te’s Harmony, which is also featured in an award winning documentary Romeo Is Bleeding, executively produced by Russell Simmons, followed up by Po’Boys Kitchen, and This is Home. Donté has also released 4 collections of poetry, his latest being We Cry Freedom, with his 5th collection Overnight By Sunset soon to be released February 2027.
Lindsey Boldt
Lindsey Boldt is the author of Weirding (Dogpark Collective, 2022), Overboard (Publication Studio, 2012), and several chapbooks, including There Are No Cops in America and the Streets are Paved w/ Cheese. Her latest poetry collection, Tripper, is forthcoming from City Lights Books. She is the editorial director of Nightboat Books and hosts readings at Tamarack with fellow collective members. She lives in Oakland, California.
Sichen Li
Sichen Li is a senior at UC Berkeley studying English and philosophy. She is co-editor-in-chief of the Berkeley Poetry Review, and creative director and editor of Beetle in a Box, UC Berkeley's undergraduate philosophy review. She is a sentimental writer and voracious reader of poetry, who especially loves Anna Akhmatova and Pablo Neruda. She is also a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest academic honor society in the United States. Sichen is about to begin work on her English honors thesis, which will likely be to do with magical realism.
Arushi Reddy Neravetla
Arushi Reddy Neravetla is a senior at UC Berkeley double majoring in Molecular Therapeutics and Neuroscience. She is Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Berkeley Poetry Review and a research intern at the Sandler Neuroscience Center at UCSF. She has published a book titled Midnight Labyrinth on Amazon, which addresses themes of human nature, memory, self-acceptance, and personal growth. She is a passionate writer and an avid reader of the poetry of Louise Glück and Emily Dickinson. She is also a member of the UC Berkeley Pre-Medical Honor Society, an organization that advocates for academic excellence in the practice of medicine. Arushi is currently working on another book focused on the themes of discovery, innovation, and self-reflection.
Alex Wilson
Bio coming soon!
Questions?
Contact the BYPL Committee by email, and we'll be happy to answer any questions you may have: youthpoet@berkeleyca.gov
The Berkeley Youth Poet Laureate program is supported by an alliance of community partners. These community partners include the City of Berkeley Civic Arts Commission and Berkeley Public Schools, with support from Urban Word.
