Boston names its next youth poet laureate

On Saturday afternoon, dozens of people gathered at the Roxbury branch of the Boston Public Library for an afternoon of poetry. Young poets, who were finalists for the city's youth poet laureate position, performed.

As the program wrapped up, Porsha Olayiwola, the city's poet laureate, announced that Boston’s next youth poet laureate would be 15-year-old Parker-Vincent Alva, a student at Boston Latin School.

“These are incredible young people who have put up extensive applications,” Olayiwola told the crowd. Finalists also went through interviews with a selection committee composed of local poets and members of literary organizations like 826 Boston and MassPoetry.

“It’s just such a great honor,” Alva told WBUR. “I’m just so excited to work with the city of Boston to really get the message across about literature, poetry and community and everything else I want to do.”

The city’s youth poet laureate program was launched in 2020 and is supported by the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture. The youth poet laureate works with the city and the current poet laureate to advance poetry in Boston. They also have the opportunity to publish a short book of poetry.

“This program means a lot to me because I was in a very different place in January 2020 versus the place I’m in now,” Alondra Bobadilla, the 2020 youth poet laureate, said. “In part, I owe that to the program and to the mentors that I had.” Bobadilla was also on this year’s selection committee.

Alva describes his work as an examination of the “intersection of desire and identity.” He’s excited to use his position to highlight the transformative power of poetry. “I want to make poetry accessible,” he said. “I hope other people feel seen... I want my poetry to get across to the world that you aren’t who you are, until you try to be yourself.”

I want my poetry to get across to the world that you aren’t who you are, until you try to be yourself.

Parker-Vincent Alva

“I think Parker’s writing is really strong and I also just think the way [he] thinks about other young people is worth having in the city,” said Olayiwola. “This program is all about fostering a space where the stage is built for young people and what they have to say.”

Alva has specific goals he wants to achieve during his term. “I want to have more programming in libraries,” he said. “I want to expand adult literacy initiative programs. I want to redo the poetry curriculum in schools so that it’s more accessible for children… I want to make poetry something that the public is excited about.”

Boston’s youth poet laureate serves a two year term.