KARA JACKSON

Washington D.C. –on April 4, at the Library of Congress, the 5 finalists for the National Youth Poet Laureate title performed in front of a full house. Kara Jackson, Chicago’s Youth Poet Laureate since the Fall of 2019, was chosen by a panel of esteemed judges, that included former U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera and National Book Award winner Elizabeth Acevedo, as the nation’s 3rd National Youth Poet Laureate. Jackson was chosen from a field of 41 other youth poet laureates from 32 different states. Also notable is that Jackson’s predecessor for the title was also a Chicagoan, which makes two years in a row that the national winner is from Chicago. The evening also included performances from Washington D.C. Youth Poet Laureate Gabriela Orozco and Prince Georges County Youth Poet Laureate Mi'jan Credle.

The National Youth Poet Laureate Program (YPL) - a program of the award-winning youth literary arts organization, Urban Word - identifies, celebrates, and honors teen poets who exhibit a commitment to not just artistic excellence but also civic engagement, youth leadership, and social justice. YPL collaborates with local youth literary arts organizations across the country, as well as leading national literary organizations including the President’s Committee on the Arts & Humanities, The Academy of American Poets, Poetry Society of America, Cave Canem, and the Library of Congress.

“The Youth Poet Laureate program is important because it celebrates young poets who utilize their powerful voices to impact social change,” says Urban Word Executive Director, Michael Cirelli. “Kara was chosen not only because of her exquisite poetic skill, rarely seen in a teenager, but also because she uses her voice to engage the issues that affect her as a young woman of color, as well as her hometown of Chicago.”

Kara Jackson is a poet, prison abolitionist, and jazz vocalist that uses her voice, activism, and multidisciplinary art to document her lineage of divine womanhood in a country that demands its erasure. She is the 2018 Chicago Youth Poet Laureate, the Midwest Regional Youth Poet Laureate Ambassador, and now the third National Youth Poet Laureate. Kara is a recipient of the Louder Than A Bomb Literary Award, Frontier Poetry’s Award for new poets, and the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award. Her writing has been featured in numerous publications including Poetry Magazine, Blavity, “The End of Chiraq,” Frontier Poetry, and the Nimrod Literary Journal among many others. Her performances have been featured at the Library of Congress, WBEZ Chicago Public Radio, WGN Radio, and a TEDx talk for TEDx Oak Park Women. Kara couples her literary skill with critical activism to create equitable communities and emancipatory arts leadership.

"Being a Youth Poet Laureate is an honor and a privilege to me. I am grateful for the opportunity to use my poems as catalysts for changes much larger than poetry," says Kara.

Program Director, Dr. Camea Davis notes, "Kara's art and activism offer a candid examination of injustice that she uses to advocate for her local community and re-imagining true justice for people across the nation. Kara embodies the power and criticality of an experienced civic leader, making her an excellent national youth laureate that will thrive in the role."