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HAWAI‘I YOUTH POET LAUREATE 2022

There are no longer any performances available for this show.

This is a FREE MACC-streamed event (online only). Head to MauiArts.org homepage, the MACC's Facebook or YouTube page, or AKAKU channel 55 to tune in to the event.

The Maui Arts & Cultural Center presents Hawai‘i’s second youth poet laureate presentations and selection of the state's 2022 Youth Poet Laureate. 


The event will include performances by 13 youth poet finalists from throughout Hawai‘i, appearances and performances by several special guests, and culminating in the announcement of the young poet selected to be this year's youth poet laureate. Founded in 2008 by Urban Word, the National Youth Poet Laureate Program identifies and celebrates young poets who exhibit a commitment to artistic excellence, civic engagement, youth leadership and social justice.
 
This year, MACC’s Education Department has been working with teachers and students statewide to encourage and prepare them for this opportunity. Finalist participants in the program range in age from 10 to 19. 
 
Special guests for the event, offering performances and some mentoring messages to the finalists, are:
  • Lua Bowman, selected last year as the first-ever Hawai‘i Youth Poet Laureate
  • Meera Dasgupta, former U.S. Youth Poet Laureate
  • Sara Tekula, Director of Programs and Communications of The Merwin Conservancy
  • Terisa Siagatonu, award-winning poet, teaching artist, mental health educator and community leader
  • Michael Cirelli, Executive Director of Urban Word and founder of the National Youth Poet Laureate Program
 
Emcees of the event are Travis Kaululā‘au Thompson and Ittai Wong. Born and raised in Kalihi, Oʻahu, Travis T. is a nationally ranked slam poet, spoken word artist, educator, and professional teaching artist for the MACC. Ittai Wong is a multidisciplinary artist, writer, and educator, a published poet and two-time international grand slam champion, featured on the HBO documentary series, Brave New Voices.

To view or download more information on this year's hosts and special guests, CLICK HERE

To watch the 2021 youth poet laureate event on demand on the MACC's YouTube channel, CLICK HERE

The development of a Hawai`i youth poet laureate program at the MACC was the first collaboration between an arts organization and Urban Word, an award-winning youth literary arts and youth development organization that initiated the National Youth Poet Laureate Program. The organization collaborates with local youth literary arts organizations across the country to provide uncensored platforms for youth voice. It is championed by the leading national literary organizations, including the Library of Congress, the Academy of American Poets, Poetry Foundation, Cave Canem, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
 
This program is made possible in part by funding from Hawaiʻi Council of the Humanities through the Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan (SHARP) with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act. 

This program is made possible in part by funding from Hawaiʻi Council of the Humanities through the Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan (SHARP) with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act. This Hawai‘i Youth Poet Laureate program is also made possible by the generous support of the County of Maui, and the Office of Economic Development. 
 

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