Oakland, CA — Leila Mottley, a native Oakland writer, is the 2018 Oakland Youth Poet Laureate. The Youth Poet Laureate program was founded by the Oakland Public Library and other community organizations and is a citywide effort to celebrate literacy through poetry.
Mottley's poem, "Love Poem to Oakland," offers a look at the changes she sees in her city. Watch the video to see Leila read her poem and to experience the Oakland sights and sounds she references.
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For more about the Youth Poet Laureate Program: https://www.oaklandlibrary.org/teens/events-programs/youth-poet-laureate-program
To apply for the 2019 Youth Poet Laureate competition (Feb. 4 deadline) : http://www.oaklandlibrary.org/teens/events-programs/youth-poet-laureate-program
And watch our interview with Leila about what it's like being an artist in Oakland here: