2015 Oakland Youth Poet Laureate to Be Announced at 7/11 Beast Crawl

The Youth Poet Laureate is the top literary honor for both the city and its "hometown hero." Now in its fourth year, the Oakland Youth Poet Laureate program had a record number 53 applicants, who are between the ages of 13-18 and live or attend school in Oakland.

Youth Speaks, The Oakland Public Library, Pro Arts, and more than a dozen community partners are hosting an inspiring night of youth poetry as part of Beast Crawl, Uptown Oakland's annual free literary event for all ages.

Seven finalists were selected and will perform during Leg 1 of Beast Crawl on Saturday, July 11, 2015, 5-6pm, at Pro Arts, 150 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Oakland, CA, 94612.

The 2015 Oakland Youth Poet Laureate will be announced at the end of the evening. The winner will be honored with a $5,000 scholarship and the opportunity to officially represent his/her community through poetry, media, and public appearances.

Oakland Youth Poet Laureate program is an unprecedented citywide effort to celebrate literacy through poetry and connect young writers to far-reaching opportunities. The program welcomes all poets, from the page to the stage, to represent the City of Oakland. Applicants submitted three to five original poems showing excellence, originality, creative risk-taking, and authenticity. These talented young poets made it through a highly competitive first round juried by esteemed judges, including accomplished authors, educators and community leaders. The seven finalists represent the best of Oakland's young talent, while also reflecting the city's lauded diversity.

Finalists:

Ericson Amaya, 18
Litzy Castillo, 16
Ahab Chopra, 15
Azariah Cole-Shephard, 17
Lucy Flattery-Vickness, 16
Claire Mansell, 15
Tova Ricardo, 16

Honorable Mention:

Shanga Labossiere, 18
Ronnie Perez, 17
Ezekiel Swaby, 17

Past Winners:

Sophie Elkin (2014)
Obasi Davis (2013)
Stephanie Yun (2012)

Founded in 1996, Youth Speaks is a multi-faceted organization that understands and believes that the power, insight, creativity, and passion of young artists can change the world. Through the intersection of arts education and youth development practices, civic engagement strategies and high quality artistic presentation, Youth Speaks creates safe spaces that challenge young people to find, develop, publicly present, and apply their voices as creators of societal change. Youth Speaks exists to shift the perception of youth by combating illiteracy, alienation, and silence, creating a global movement of brave new voices bringing the noise from the margins to the core.

The Oakland Public Library is a part of the City of Oakland in California and has been in existence since 1878. Our locations currently include 16 branches, a Main Library, a Second Start Adult Literacy Program, the Tool Lending Library, and the African-American Museum and Library. We also offer many other special services for residents of Oakland and California. The Oakland Public Library informs, inspires, and delights our diverse community as a resource for information, knowledge, and artistic and literary expression, providing the best in traditional services, new technologies, and innovative programs.

Beast Crawl is a free literary festival featuring more than 200 writers in a single night, in dozens of events, spread out over three hours and thirty-five local galleries, bars, restaurants, cafés, performance spaces, and storefronts. For tickets to the free event, visit beastcrawl.weebly.com/leg-1.html.