The Howard County Youth Poet Laureate program last year proudly welcomed Mai-Anh Nguyen as the inaugural appointee, at the announcement held in Busboys and Poets, Columbia. Since then, Mai-Anh has been heard at numerous events throughout the county, in her role as a voice for youth expression and the literary arts. In a recent interview with Howard County Arts Council, Mai-Anh said the best part of her term so far has been, “When my classmates and teachers become interested in poetry after seeing me on the news. I like having people ask me, ‘can you write something like this?'”

The Youth Poet Laureate is an honorary position, formally appointed by the County Executive to a one-year term, participating in public events and readings across the county. Eligible applicants are aged 14–21 and either live in or are able to present at in-person events in Howard County, such as from a nearby college. The next Youth Poet Laureate will serve from September 2025 – July 2026, and receives an honorarium of $500. Eligible candidates can submit their own applications, open NOW and due Friday, May 9, 2025.

To anyone thinking of applying, Mai-Anh wants “to encourage people to try, whether you’ve just started or have been interested in poetry for a long time. You never know until you take a leap.”

Click here to apply!

The Howard County Poet Laureate and Youth Poet Laureate programs are a partnership of HoCoPoLitSo, Howard County Arts Council, and Howard County Government through the Office of County Executive Calvin Ball. Full program guidelines can be found on Howard County Arts Council’s “Grants for Artists” homepage; for questions or technical issues concerning the application process, please contact grantsandprojects@hocoarts.org or by phone call to (410) 313-2787 during regular business hours.