Young People’s Poet Laureate
Appointed every two years, the title
of Young People’s Poet Laureate (YPPL) is awarded to a poet in
recognition of a career devoted to writing exceptional poetry for young
readers while working to instill a lifelong love of poetry among developing
readers. This two-year appointment comes with a $25,000 annual stipend
and additional programmatic funding in support of a project that promotes
poetry to young people and their families, teachers, and librarians.
Application Process and Timeline
Eligibility
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This appointment is available to poets currently residing in the US and its territories. Nominations are open to US citizens and long-term residents (official US Residency status is not a requirement).
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YPPL nominees/applicants must have produced a significant body of
poetry for young people, including, at minimum, three books of
poetry for young readers.
- For the purpose of the YPPL, youth is defined as poetry that is specifically written for young people under the age of 18 years old.
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YPPL nominees/applicants must have a clear commitment in their writing and community work and/or professional work to being in service to young people.
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YPPL applicants must either commit to a project during their appointment or to participating in three youth-based events per year. Additional funds are available to support this work.
The YPPL appointment is a two-year term, with a year-one check-in to determine the continuation of the appointment mutually.
Important Dates
- March 4 - Nominations open.
- March 15 - Deadline to request alternative nomination format.
- March 22 - Nominations due.
- April 8 - Nominated poets are invited to apply.
- April 26 - Deadline to request alternative application format.
- May 3 - Applications due.
- All nominators and applicants will be notified by early August 2024.
How to Apply
All nominators and applicants will need to register and submit through the Poetry Foundation’s Grants and Awards Online Portal. To access the portal, nominators and applicants must submit an initial registration form. Registrations will be approved within 3-5 business days.
After approval of the registration, nominators will be required to complete a nomination form. All nominations will be reviewed by an internal committee to determine which will advance to the application stage. Selected nominees will be invited to apply through the online grants and awards portal.
Poets are encouraged to nominate themselves for this appointment.
Alternative Nomination and Application Formats
The Poetry Foundation offers alternative nomination and application formats, including audio format, video format, and interview with transcription. Please contact [email protected] or call 312-799-8072 to arrange a method of submitting the nomination or application that best meets your accessibility needs.
Information on the 2024 Decision Process
The Young People’s Poet Laureate will be determined by a committee of paid external reviewers from the literary community.
For any questions about the nomination process, please contact
[email protected].
Announcements
September 8, 2022
Monthly Book Picks
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Book PickPlantains and Our Becoming
Picked By Elizabeth Acevedo September 2023Plantains and Our Becoming, a coming-of-age memoir in poetry, is a self-described collection centered on love. When I first read this collection, I thought of it as a full-throated war...
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Book Pick
Remedies for Disappearing
Picked By Elizabeth Acevedo August 2023Remedies for Disappearing is both a hymn to Black girlhood and a collection of full-throated songs. It is the cry and resounding echo. This collection captures the tender-hearted but unflinchingly...
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Book Pick
Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance
Picked By Elizabeth Acevedo June 2023In the poetry collection Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance, Nikki Grimes works as a guide. Throughout the collection, Grimes features a poem by one Harlem Renaissance poet and includes...
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2019-2022 Laureate
Naomi Shihab Nye was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Her father was a Palestinian refugee and her mother an American of German and Swiss descent, and Nye spent her adolescence...
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2017-2019 Laureate
Poet, novelist, and journalist Margarita Engle was born in Pasadena, California, to a Cuban mother and an American father. She earned a BS from California State Polytechnic University and an...
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2015-2017 Laureate
Jacqueline Woodson was born in Columbus, Ohio and grew up in Greenville, South Carolina and Brooklyn, New York. She is the author of over 30 books for children and adults, including...
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2013-2015 Laureate
Kenn Nesbitt was born in Berkeley, California. He grew up in Fresno and San Diego and attended National University in San Diego, where he majored in computer science. Nesbitt’s poetry for...
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2011-2013 Laureate
Former Children’s Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis grew up in Gary, Indiana and earned a BA at Saint Joseph’s College, an MA at Indiana University, and a PhD in economics...
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2008-2011 Laureate
Mary Ann Hoberman was born in Stamford, Connecticut. She earned a BA in history from Smith College and (35 years later) an MA in English literature from Yale University. She...
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2006-2008 Laureate
Jack Prelutsky is a creator of inventive poems for children and adults alike. He served as the Poetry Foundation’s Children’s Poet Laureate from 2006 to 2008. Prelutsky grew up in...
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