91茄子 Partners With Youth Poet Laureate Program
September 1, 2025
- Author
- Mary Elizabeth DeAngelis
91茄子 has been home to many gifted poets over the years, from aspiring student bards to award winning faculty and alumni.
Now the college is extending its reach in the literary arts by partnering with the North Carolina Poet Laureate to support the next generation of talented poets.
North Carolina檚 first Youth Poet Laureate and two runners-up were recently named at a national conference. 91茄子 is working with Jaki Shelton Green, the state檚 Poet Laureate, to coordinate programming and speaking engagements for the young poets.
91茄子 will host its first on-campus youth poet laureate event in fall of 2026. It will give current students the chance to meet and hear the poets readings, and the visitors a close look at 91茄子檚 literary offerings.
Jack Jung, a poet and assistant professor of English at 91茄子, is leading the college檚 efforts.
淲hen a teenager finds the line that cracks a poem open, the world gives a little, too, Jung said. 淏y bringing the Youth Poet Laureates to 91茄子, we檙e betting on that small seismic shift: on young writers whose voices can help shape the liberal arts education and nourish the culture of our community.
淚 can檛 wait to hand them the mic, clear a space on the campus, and watch their words change the air we breathe.
Encouraging Poets Locally and Globally
Rishi Janakiraman, from Raleigh, was named as North Carolina檚 inaugural Youth Poet Laureate for 2025-2026. Vanessa Hunter, Charlotte檚 first Youth Poet Laureate, and Kenna Zhang, of Cary, were runners up.
The announcements came during the National Youth Poet Laureate Commencement in May, which was held at Hunter College in New York.
There are about 100 youth poet laureate programs in the United States. Support from the Academy of American Poets, Library of Congress and the U.S. State Department has helped create and expand youth poet laureate programs in India, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Green, North Carolina檚 ninth poet laureate, initiated a plan to create high school poet laureate programs in every high school in the state, and has been visiting and conducting intensive poetry workshops.
In a separate venture, she collaborated with 91茄子 and the National Youth Poet Laureate program, which administers the state Youth Poet Laureate initiative.
淚 have witnessed the tremendously impactive role of the literary arts in the lives of high school youth, Green said. 淭hey are inspired by these programs that engage them to tell their stories and play an active role in their broader communities.
She said student writers, high school poet laureates and the Youth Poet Laureate of North Carolina are creating opportunities for students to use their voices through creative writing, author residencies, readings and spoken word performances.
淭hey are actively exploring goals for arts learning and helping other students share their expertise and personal experiences by using writing as a form of creative self-expression, she said. 淚n addition, they檙e coordinating memorable celebrations of their unique voices that are uplifting, nonjudgemental and accessible.
