2024-25 Nebraska Youth Poet Laureate Finals Ceremony

The Youth Poet Laureate competition identifies influential youth poets with a history of artistic success, civic and community engagement, social justice initiatives, and leadership.

YPL is a joint initiative of Urban Word NYC and the Nebraska Writers Collective. This is a national network that begins, for us, at the state level, and produces poets like our 2021 Inaugural Poet, Amanda Gorman. The winner of the Nebraska YPL title will have the opportunity to apply for the regional and national competitions.

7:30 PM Welcome

Judges’ Commentary

Introduction of Finalists

8:40 PM Intermission

9:00 PM

Introduction of Finalists (cont’d)

Video of Last Year’s YPL Experience

Poem by Aliyah American Horse

Crowning the 2024-25 Nebraska YPL

Thank You!

MEET THE 2024 FINALISTS

Victoria Bogatz is a sophomore at Bellevue East High School. In her free time, she enjoys running, reading, playing the piano, and especially, writing. Bogatz’s poetry explores the priceless value of words, the beauty of living and loving, and the necessity of storytelling. Her work has been published in Best Nebraska Teen Writing 2022 and the 2021 Bow Seat Yearbook, among others. Her poem “A Bit of Solace” was also set to music as part of the Opera Omaha Poetry & Music Project. As well as writing, Bogatz is also passionate about changing the world through environmental activism and education.

Miranda Davis is a senior at Norris High School in Firth, Nebraska. Her passions for poetry, nature, and music drive her to create a better world for herself and others through words. Davis’s poetry has been published in multiple local anthologies, and her public performances of slam poetry have received 1st place rankings at Wayne State College and the Larksong Writer’s Place. She’s also been a member of the National Speech and Debate Association since 2021 and placed in the top 100 in the nation for poetry in 2022. In her free time, Davis enjoys dancing, gardening, and reading.

Stephany Orellana-Gómez is a sophomore at Benson High School. Originally from El Salvador, she has achieved significant milestones in less than two years since moving to the United States and learning the language. Inspired by her life experiences and devout Catholic faith, her poetry reflects themes of social justice, cultural empowerment, and romance, woven with personal references. Orellana-Gómez finds her safe place in writing, animals, nature and art, but also in the intensity of her feelings. She won second place in the MLK “Living the Dream Competition” for poetry categories two consecutive years and was chosen as one of 13 young poets by Opera Omaha to have her poetry adapted into a song for performance.

Aiden Whalen is a senior at Omaha Central High School. Poet, activist, and staunch cat lover, Whalen utilizes his poetry to convey the aspects of American Youthfulness and the many intricacies involved in being a young person. Whalen volunteers with Omaha Teen Council as a peer educator, as well as Advocates for Youth as a Student Organizer. In his free time, he loves to hang out with his cats, Loki and Lola, and he hopes that others will pet their furry friends for him.

Jules Wuestewald is an aspiring poet with the hopes of inspiring many. Wuestewald’s pieces are derived from personal experience regarding his experience as a transgender man, diving into the dynamics of emotion, and processing the world from various perspectives. Wuestewald’s passion stems from discovering ways to express what initially seemed undefinable. Not to mention his devout support and empowerment towards communities that are disparaged and discriminated against, by society, with primary focus on the LGBTQ community. Which led to the mantra, “Disturb the Silence.” Believing that the unheard, the misunderstood, and the mistreated, deserve a voice.

MEET THE JUDGES

Wendy Jones, of Durham, North Carolina, is a poet and copy editor. She serves as the Slam Coordinator for the Bull City Slam Team at the Hayti Heritage Center and is President of the Black on Black Rhyme Carolina chapter. With over 15 years of experience, Wendy has been actively involved in various Spoken Word projects and Slams, including the Southern Fried Poetry Slam and Duo Slam. She is also an artistic curator, workshop facilitator, and event planner, with plans to expand into publishing in 2024.

Vic(tory) Klafter, originally from Norfolk, Nebraska, now calls Lincoln home. A former participant in the Nebraska Writer’s Collective’s high school poetry program, they have competed at the national collegiate slam poetry competition. Their writing now gravitates towards micro nonfiction, reflecting their community organizing work in Trans rights, housing rights, and economic justice campaigns and demonstrations.

Artie Mack , born Arthur Clayton McWilliams IV, is an artist and advocate based in Lincoln, Nebraska. Graduating from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in English Literature, Artie Mack has gained popularity on TikTok, advocating for disability justice and Sign Language visibility. His hand-drawn comic book covers explore themes of Black deaf fantasy, showcased in his 2023 art exhibition, “VIS,” at the Lux Center for the Arts.

Matt Mason is the Nebraska State Poet and has run poetry workshops in Botswana, Romania, Nepal, and Belarus for the U.S. State Department. His poetry has appeared in The New York Times and Mason has received a Pushcart Prize as well as fellowships from the Academy of American Poets and the Nebraska Arts Council. His work can be found in Rattle, Poet Lore, Prairie Schooner, and in hundreds of other publications. Mason’s 5th book, Rock Stars, was published by Button Poetry in September of this year.

Brad Aaron Modlin wrote Everyone at This Party

Has Two Names and Surviving in Drought His poems appear on Poetry Unbound; The Slowdown with U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. His work has been the basis for a Brooklyn art exhibit, two orchestral scores, and some TikTok viralness. Modlin is the Reynolds Endowed Chair in Creative Writing at University of Nebraska in Kearney.

Rachel Olsen , the Director of Education and Engagement at the Willa Cather Foundation, is a dedicated educator and literary enthusiast. A former college English teacher, she enjoys developing activities and content designed to preserve Cather’s rich literary history. In addition to her role at the Foundation, Olsen serves on The Valley Child Development Center Board of Directors.

Sharmila Seyyid , a Sri Lankan artist and activist based at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, is dedicated to advancing women’s rights through literature and activism. Forced to leave her homeland due to her advocacy, Seyyid found refuge in the United States, collaborating with renowned human rights institutions. As a visiting research fellow, Seyyid made significant contributions to literature through her fiction, non-fiction, short stories, poetry, and research, earning accolades such as the Best Novel of the Year 2014 award for her book, “Ummath.”

MEET THE MENTORS

CIVIC MENTOR

Nancy Petitto is the senior director of programs at Civic Nebraska, ensuring our leadership has the support, training, and supervision so our work aligns with the needs of the communities we serve, our strategic plan, values, and mission. Since 2022, she has served on the board of directors and is currently the board president for the Belmont Community Center.

CREATIVE MENTOR

Emily Anderson (she/they) is corn born and holds an MA in English from the University of Nebraska Omaha, which she uses to varying degrees while teaching writing with graduate, college, and high school students; emceeing a surprising number of events for an introvert; and slinging books at Dundee Book Company.

2023-24 NEBRASKA YOUTH POET LAUREATE

Born in Cedar City, Utah and raised in small town Gordon, Nebraska, Aliyah American Horse is a community-based artist who strives for the betterment of the future. She is an actress, artist, singer, writer, and advocate for Indigenous people everywhere highlighting causes such as the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women movement. Aliyah graduated from Gordon-Rushville High School in 2023 and plans to attend college this fall to earn her teaching degree in hopes of continuing to inspire the next generation. Aliyah is a proud Indigenous woman from the Oglala Lakota Sioux tribe and dedicates her success to her family, tribe, and community.

Contemporary Warriors

By Aliyah American Horse, 2023-24 Nebraska YPL

I come from a generation of survivors

A family tree with rotted roots and broken branches

Mended back together through the uprise of a younger generation

Voices banging on the wood from the inside, begging to be heard

We started by surviving off of what Unci Maka had allowed us to take

To living off of whatever the newest more corrupt politician wanted to give us

Who still expected us to drop to our knees in gratitude

We are still living the same life as we did 100 years ago

Our women being taken, raped, and murdered

Names unknown, but stories said just to instill fear

An endless fight to feed our families and provide a roof

That won’t fall at a storm named Colonization

Tongues chopped and shoved down our throats

To stop us from speaking indigenous truth

The youth, just a piece of clay, being fitted to fit this new world mold

Being taught in schools to

Do this thing in this way

Say this thing in this way

Be this person who you are not meant to be.

I was working as a waitress when an old cowboy came in one night. He complimented my beaded earrings and we sat down and talked for nearly two hours about my culture. He said something that stood out to me more than anything. He described how on the reservation you’ll find the frames of cars with every part, piece, and bolt stripped from it. He compared it to the hundreds of years ago where you would find the bones of a buffalo, tatanka, with every bit of meat, piece, and skin stripped from it.

See, my people, we have not changed but grown

The late generation charging into battle

Leaves only the vision of a road that we now have to walk upon

It’s our job to tear down the overgrown weeds that block our view of the war that lies beyond

We are todays warriors and our weapons are carved by our voices

Fueled by a rage that was born in my mother, and her mother and all the mothers before her

I want to find the hands who are responsible for the suffering of my mother

And force the holder of these hands to watch as we tear down what they have built

Burn the walls that were built on our parents backs

Take away any essence of hate that spews out of the loud mouths

Who stand on the podium at the top of this nation

Whose only issue has been that their stack of money was too large for their house

Thank you to an anonymous donor and the Sommer Family for supporting Aliyah’s travel to the National Youth Poet Laureate competition in Washington, D.C.

Support change-makers, leaders, and young writers across the state of Nebraska. Give to the Nebraska Writers Collective today. Donate online. Scan the QR code or visit bit.ly/nwc-give.