Youth Poetry Ambassador-
The Center partners with the Rhode Island Poet Laureate to select a RI high school student to serve as a youth poetry advocate to bring more poetry to our state’s youth and to inspire young people through example.

Rhode Island Center for the Book and Poet Laureate Tina Cane Announce
RI Youth Poetry Ambassador Initiative 2019

Rhode Island Poet Laureate, Tina Cane, and The Rhode Island Center for the Book , are partnering to launch the Rhode Island Youth Poetry Ambassador initiative. This program seeks to establish a youth poetry advocate position to be filled by a high school student (grades 9-12) who resides in the state of Rhode Island. It will be filled on an annual basis, with this year’s application period taking place between October 15, 2018-December 1, 2018.

This initiative is designed to bring more poetry directly to our state’s youth and to inspire young people through example. Just as the State Poet Laureate position symbolically affirms Rhode Island’s support of poetry, the Youth Poetry Ambassador is meant to validate and support the creative potential of our young people. A Deputy Youth Poetry Ambassador will also be selected to perform on-site, in-state duties when necessary or desirable.

A Youth Poetry Ambassador and Deputy Ambassador will be chosen in a blind-submissions process by RI Poet Laureate, Tina Cane, and announced in early January 2019.

The selected Youth Poetry Ambassador will receive (some or all of) the following opportunities–contingent upon the student’s ability and availability:

• a $250 cash prize from the RI Center for the Book
• a guest-writer spot in the Providence Journal “Second Sunday” Poet Laureate column
• the opportunity to have his/her poetry featured through the Poetry in Motion, RI on RIPTA busses state-wide
• an Instagram account to manage as RI Youth Poetry Ambassador through which to share with RI youth visual prompts for poetry writing and poetry items of interest
• a reading with other youth at a Providence Community Library branch or at another Rhode Island branch
• an opportunity to record an episode for Poetry Dose , the poetry podcast produced by Atticus Allen and Tina Cane
• a trip on Providence Community Library’s Bookmobile to meet, greet and share poetry with youth from around the city

Applicants may submit the following materials together, via email or post, between October 15, 2018 – December 1, 2018:

• a one or two-paragraph statement on why s/he would like to be considered for this position
• a letter of support from a teacher or librarian
• a letter of support from a peer
• two original poems

email: Kate Lentz, Director of Rhode Island Center for the Book at kate@ribook.org

by mail: Rhode Island Center for the Book
72 Rumstick Road
Barrington, RI 02806

Attn: Kate Lentz, Director

Learn about RI’s first Youth Poetry Ambassador, Moira Flath