Eligibility & Criteria
About the 2027 Orange County Poet Laureate Programs - New Application Process & Guidelines!
Founded in Orange County, CA in 2021 by LibroMobile and supported in part by OC Public Libraries and the National Youth Poet Laureate Program, the OC Poet Laureate programs and movement honors and celebrates the county’s most exceptional poets, who not only have a commitment to writing and literature, but who also have a track record of leadership, civic and community engagement, social justice, leadership and extra-curricular participation. We created this platform to honor these poet-leaders and have committed to identifying poet laureates who uphold these program values.
What we are looking for in an OCYPL
We seek nominations for young people who demonstrate both artistic excellence in poetry and a commitment to community engagement and social justice — an application and a letter of support are now required. We welcome poets of all creative dispositions and aesthetics and of all backgrounds to apply. We want the YPL program to reflect the diversity of voices and experiences in the world, and particularly the demographics of Orange County. Traditionally, Youth Poet Laureates are students who have matriculated through writing programs, have achieved various levels of success, and are embedded in the youth leadership of various organizations, but we are moving away from that to focus on youth who do more at a grassroots level in the community rather than in an institution.
What we mean by Community Engagement and Social Justice
We seek applications from young people who are committed to the growth and development of their local communities. By “Community Engagement,” we mean any regular activity, formally or informally sponsored, whereby the YPL applicant can strengthen and promote the quality of life in their local community or broader county, on and off a school campus. By “Social Justice,” we mean any examples of praxis, commitment to equity and inclusiveness, activism, and the fundamental right of youth to be outspoken. Examples include efforts in political activism, organizing, school participation, and volunteerism, as well as various educational and artistic initiatives. We require the submission of an application, instead of a CV, which is judged and reviewed by local community-based leaders, to add value to the mission and goals of this program.
What we mean by Literary Empowerment
We seek applications from young people (13-19 years old) who engage in literary arts, using poetry as a tool not only for self-expression but also for community engagement and social justice as well. We define literary empowerment as any literary work that employs the tools of poetic craft—music, image, spoken word, metaphor and simile, traditional forms (sonnet, villanelle, ghazal, and so on)—combined with a passionate artistic vision concerned, thematically, with matters of the heart, spirit, and mind; politics; identity; family and relationships; history; love in its many iterations; other art forms; or any aspect of the human experience, often at the intersection of any of the aforementioned, to explore and deepen our common humanity. Literary empowerment is assessed via the poetry portfolio submission, and also merited in the nomination with a history of the presentation of the written word and empowerment through community-based initiatives.
The Youth Poet Laureate will serve a 1 academic-year term, through the end of summer 2027.
What we are looking for in an OC-PL
We seek applications from people over the age of 19 who demonstrate both artistic excellence in poetry and a commitment to community engagement and social justice (as exemplified through a nomination). We welcome poets of all creative dispositions and aesthetics and of all backgrounds to apply, acknowledging a need for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) representation. We want the OC-PL program to reflect the diversity of voices and experiences in the world. Traditionally, Poet Laureates are community members who have matriculated through writing programs (but not required), have achieved various levels of success; however, we are shifting this emphasis to prioritize community leadership and literary work as a source of empowerment, rather than accolades and institutions.
What we mean by Community Engagement and Social Justice
We seek applications from people over the age of 19 who are committed to the growth and development of their local communities. By “Community Engagement,” we mean any regular activity, formally or informally sponsored, whereby the Poet Laureate applicant can strengthen and promote the quality of life in their local community or broader county, in and out of academic institutions. By “Social Justice,” we mean any examples of praxis, commitment to equity and inclusiveness, activism, and the fundamental right of community members to be outspoken. Examples include efforts in political activism, organizing, community engagement, and volunteerism, as well as various educational and artistic initiatives. We require the submission of a CV, which is judged and reviewed by community leaders, to add value to the mission and goals of this program.
What we mean by Literary Empowerment
We seek applications from people over the age of 19 who excel in the literary arts, using poetry as a tool not only for self-expression, but civic engagement as well. We define literary excellence as any literary work that employs the tools of poetic craft— music, image, metaphor and simile, traditional forms (sonnet, villanelle, ghazal, and so on)—combined with a passionate artistic vision concerned, thematically, with matters of the heart, spirit, and mind; politics; identity (LGBTQ+, race, ethnicity, ability, etc.); family and relationships; history; love in its many iterations; other art forms; or any aspect of the human experience, often at the intersection of any of the aforementioned, to explore and deepen our common humanity. Literary excellence is assessed via the poetry portfolio submission, and also merited in the CV and nomination, with any history of awards/accolades for writing and empowerment through grassroots community initiatives.
The OC Poet Laureate will serve a 2-year term, through the end of 2028.
