We are excited to announce that the tenth Warwickshire Young Poet Laureate 2024/25 is Anandita Venkatramanan from Rugby High School.
On Saturday 9 November 2024 at Rugby Library, four talented and wonderful shortlisted candidates joined us for a day of poetry.
Candidates took part in a 90 minute workshop with Coventry Poet Laureate 2021/23, Emilie Lauren Jones, who shared creative tips and advice about how to successfully deliver poetry performances.
The candidates then each took part in interviews in front of a judging panel, which consisted of delivering a poetry performance and answering a series of questions, including sharing their ideas about the Young Poet Laureate role. The day culminated in the judges selecting Anandita as Young Poet Laureate 2024/25.
We are looking forward to working with Anandita during her laureateship.
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Warwickshire Young Poet Laureate 2025/26
Applications for our eleventh Young Poet Laureate will open in June 2025. Check back here where we will give you more details and links to the application form.
To apply, candidates will need to:
- Be 13-17 years old.
- Live and be educated in Warwickshire.
- Fill in our Application Form
- Submit three poems. One should be inspired by Warwickshire; one should be about or inspired by libraries and the third can be of your own choosing.
- Submit a personal statement and explain in 250 words:
- Why you want to be Warwickshire Libraries’ Young Poet Laureate
- How you would promote poetry to the diverse range of people
If you have any questions about our Young Poet Laureate scheme, please email libraryevents@warwickshire.gov.uk.
Warwickshire Young Poet Laureate 2023/24
Last year’s Young Poet Laureate was the incredibly talented May Vaughan.
During May’s Young Poet Laureateship she:
- performed at a poetry evening at Coleshill Library,
- hosted a poetry workshop to a reading group for young people at Warwick Library
- was commissioned to write a poem to celebrate the launch of our new electric mobile libraries.
- was filmed at Rugby Library for a library promotional video
- performed at Book Award Ceremonies with Warwickshire Schools Library Service
- performed at The South Warwickshire Literary Festival
- held a workshop and performed at Rugby Literary Festival.