The Oakland Youth Poet Laureate program is a citywide effort that has celebrated literacy through poetry and connected young writers to far-reaching opportunities since 2012. As the 2022 cohort—Kaylan Black, Nadia Elbgal, Rina Huang, Dara Kashayar, Vincent Ng, Xander Timmons and Geronimo Valenzuela—we have been invited to participate in community events while building relationships with other young poets. Our love for poetry is rooted in many different interests, including music, history and social justice. We take inspiration from the world around us and funnel it into our creativity in order to use our voices for the better. The resources below have inspired us to start writing—and keep writing. We hope they’ll encourage you to explore your own poetry.