Three Girls Write Now Mentees Named as New York State Youth Poet Laureate Finalists

April 7, 2023

The National Youth Poet Laureate Program and Urban Word recently announced on Instagram the selection of 13 young poets as finalists in the first-ever New York State Youth Poet Laureate Program, including Girls Write Now mentee alum Thisbe Wu, and mentees Megumi Jindo and Madeline Hutchinson.

The National Youth Poet Laureate program works with local youth literary arts organizations across the United States to identify and celebrate exceptional youth poets who use their voice to inspire change. The program began in 2017 when Amanda Gorman became the first National Youth Poet Laureate. This year, Urban Word will select one winner to be New York’s first state Youth Poet Laureate. State winners will be announced on April 28.

In celebration, mentee Madeline Hutchinson will host a live conversation about poetry on Girls Write Now’s Instagram later this month.