Santa Clara County
Youth Poet Laureate
Program
The Santa Clara County Youth Poet Laureate program is youth-centered program to celebrate literacy and self-literacy through poetry and connect young writers to opportunities for performances and community collaborations.
Each year, we will accept applications from talented Santa Clara County writers (ages 13-18) to join a community of young poets. The Laureate earns an educational scholarship. The Laureate will, and all the Finalists are invited to, serve as ambassadors for literacy, arts and youth expression with ongoing opportunities for performances, projects, and peer support.
Every applicant will be invited to stay in connection with the SCC Youth Poet Laureate community.
Celebrating Youth at Intersection of Artistic Excellence & Civic Engagement.
2025-2026
Santa Clara County
Youth Poet Laureate
Kurn Sundaram
Kurn Sundaram is a performance poet based in Northern California. He has been published by PWU, The Battering Ram, The Outlook, WEIGHT Journal, and more, and was named a 2024 YoungArts Winner in spoken word. Additionally, he has been recognized by the Iowa Young Writers' Studio, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, and the Los Gatos Poet Laureate. He is the founder & editor-in-chief of JADE&COMPASS, a literary magazine that advocates for marginalized voices across the globe. When he isn't writing, you can catch him watching a show he will never complete.
GET STARTED
OUR PROGRAM
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The Santa Clara County Youth Poet Laureate program works with local youth literary arts schools and organizations across the county to identify and celebrate exceptional youth poets who use their voice to inspire change.
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Our program model supports local youth in autonomous projects such as anthologies, poetry workshops, and open mics. Collectively launching local young poet-activists into community organizing, and creating opportunities and resources to expand and elevate platforms for these youth poet laureates.
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This program is supported by the Poetry Center San Jose and in partnership with the National Youth Poet Laureate Program.
For me, poetry has always been both an excavation and a mirror:
a language that helps me understand myself and in turn, the world around me."
- Kurn Sundaram, '25-26 Santa Clara County Youth Poet Laureate
Address
Poetry Center San José
1650 Senter Road
San Jose, CA 95112-2599