MODESTO-STANISLAUS POETRY CENTER ANNOUNCES STANISLAUS COUNTY’S NEXT YOUTH POET LAUREATE (Modesto, CA – May 10, 2024)
Zoe Byron, a sophomore at Oakdale High School, was selected as the Stanislaus County Youth Poet Laureate for 2024-2025. She will serve a one-year term, participate in several engagements throughout the year, and receive a $500 honorarium. Cameron Cendejo, a junior at Pitman High School, was a finalist.
“Congratulations to Zoe Byron, the newest Stanislaus County Youth Poet Laureate. I know that she’ll carry the poetry torch high, continuing the excellent work that inaugural Youth Poet Laureate, Faith Delgado, began this past year. Thank you to program coordinator Stella Beratlis and to all the judges for their work on this, and congratulations again to Zoe,” shared Gillian Wegener, MoSt Poetry Center president. The Stanislaus County Youth Poet Laureate is a program of the Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center (MoSt Poetry), in partnership with Stanislaus County Office of Education, Stanislaus County Library, Modesto Junior College’s School of Language Arts and Education, and Stanislaus Library Foundation.
This program celebrates youth voices who are committed to artistic excellence, civic engagement, and social impact. The Youth Poet Laureate position was recognized by the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors with a county resolution for National Poetry Month in 2023, acknowledging this new role.
City of Modesto Poet Laureate Salvatore Salerno served as a judge along with fellow community members and champions for poetry: Sam Pierstorff, poet and MJC professor; Amy Bultena, artist and SCOE Arts Coordinator; Jessica Geiss, Children’s Librarian at Salida Regional Branch of the Stanislaus County Library; Tina Curiel-Vega, poet and author; Dr. Gillian Wegener, Assistant Superintendent for Oakdale Joint Unified High School District and City of Modesto past poet laureate; Faith Delgado, inaugural Stanislaus County Youth Poet Laureate, and Mariah Ring, Community Outreach Specialist, Stanislaus County Youth Empowerment Program..
Applicants for the Youth Poet Laureate program submitted an application, an artistic statement/biography indicating civic engagement and leadership background, and original poems. A panel of judges critiqued this work on content, voice, and craft. Leadership and performance were also considered in determining the young person representing our communities as Youth Poet Laureate.
Please join Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center in celebrating new Stanislaus County Youth Poet Laureate Zoe Byron at an event in early August, date TBA. You will hear original poems from the new youth poet laureate and honor outgoing youth poet laureate Faith Delgado. To learn more, visit www.mostpoetry.org/contests/
