Ella Kim, a 17-year-old senior at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School, has been named the 2024 Austin Youth Poet Laureate.
The Youth Poet Laureate program spotlights young Austin writers who are committed to civic and community engagement, poetry performance, social justice, and education.
At St. Stephen’s, Ella has been editor and graphic designer for The Bell, the school’s newspaper, and involved in theater, acting in numerous plays and musicals. She recently won First Prize in Princeton University’s Lewis Center of the Arts Ten-Minute Play contest.
Her poetry, which sometime explores her Korean heritage, was lauded by the judges for its “command of language and exploration of the poetic line.”
bodies thrum belonging
From “H Mart (Community)”
people whose language lands like my ancestors’
(they stumble over similar syllables)
browse for rice,
that ritual heft of sack into shopping cart,
safety in numbers and manners and wisdom.
Five finalists were also selected to share their poetry in readings and public programs. The finalists are:
- Saaya Accapadi, 16, Anderson High School
- Aly Clark, 16, Classical Conversations Cedar Park
- Astrid Gothard, 17, Liberal Arts and Science Academy
- Michelle Li, 16, Westwood High School
- Beatrix Lozach, 16, McCallum High School
Ella and the finalists will read the poetry at commencement celebration at the Austin Central Library on Dec. 14. The event is free and takes place from 2 to 3 p.m. More info here.
“We are proud of these young poets for the work they have done already, and the work they will do during their year together celebrating poetry and making it accessible to others,” said Katherine Lamb, programs manager at The Library Foundation who served as one of the judges. “While all poets see the world in a different light, we believe that these young voices in particular have much to say and much for us to listen to.”
This year’s panel of judges also included Katrina Brooks, owner of Black Pearl Books; Jennifer Chang, poet and Professor at The University of Texas; Kathleen Houlihan, teen librarian at Austin Central Library; Amanda Johnston, Texas Poet Laureate, and Cecily Parks, poet and Professor at Texas State University.
During their term, Austin Youth Poet Laureates serve as a representative for youth voices in Austin, participating in public readings and programs. Their poetry is published in a chapbook and included in the National Youth Poet Laureate anthology.
Open to writers ages 13 to 18, the Austin Youth Laureate program is a joint initiative of The Library Foundation and the National Youth Poet Laureate Program. Additional support comes from the Austin Public Library.
