The National Youth Poet Laureate program is an initiative of Urban Word, an award-winning youth literary arts and youth development organization. The Chicago Youth Poet Laureate Program has been administered by Young Chicago Authors since 2016. The Chicago Youth Poet Laureate is a young person selected from YCA’s ecosystem of programs to serve as an artistic ambassador for the year. The Chicago Youth Poet Laureate receives professional development as a teaching artist and mentorship to develop a chapbook, published in partnership with Haymarket Books.

2016-2017 – E’mon Lauren
2017-2018 – Patricia Frazier
2018-2019 – Kara Jackson