Congratulations to Hana T. ’27, who has been named the 2026 New York State Youth Poet Laureate. Hana was selected among nearly 50 young poets, ages 13-19, from across the state who applied for the honor. Along with the official title of NYS Youth Poet Laureate and a cash prize of $500, Hana will have performance and learning opportunities and the chance to apply to be the National Youth Poet Laureate.

Hana is a published poet and violinist, a recipient of several National Gold Medals from the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, and has been recognized by the Bennington Young Writers Awards, the Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest, and the Storm King Poetry Contest & Festival. Her work explores themes of womanhood, belonging, and cultural inheritance, which she will continue to develop at the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio and the Adroit Mentorship Program this summer. Below, read more about New York’s newest youth poet laureate, including how her identity shapes her work and how Spence teachers encourage her to explore the nuances of language. 

When I began writing poetry in fifth grade, I never expected to get any recognition for it, let alone be able to represent a whole state with my writing, so winning this award is very meaningful to me. The award also recognizes civic engagement, which I have been committed to since freshman year through my initiative Empower Girls of Color (EGC) and through writing by focusing on topics like cultural inheritance and motherhood. Being named New York State Youth Poet Laureate is opening up many opportunities for me to continue uplifting others through poetry, and I am so excited to take on this new role!

For this award, I submitted three of my poems, a few of which I have written in my poetry class this past fall semester with Ms. Silva: “Third Daughter (셋째 딸),” “On East 77th Street,” and “Unleft Hand.” These three poems are particularly special to me because they capture my experience growing up with a Korean identity in New York City and they also helped me develop my poetic voice.

I wrote “On East 77th Street” in Ms. Silva’s poetry class. Through her class, I was encouraged to think deeply about connotations within language. I also went to my very first open mic to listen to the poetry readings by the Academy of American Poets Chancellors at the Guggenheim Museum, which was a very prestigious way to begin attending open mics now that I look back. Our class also went on a field trip to Poets House in Battery Park City where I studied many translations of my favorite french poem by Arthur Rimbaud. Studies in Poetry with Ms. Silva immersed me into the world of poetry far deeper than I ever have been. I am so incredibly lucky that Spence has such amazing English teachers, and I have loved every English course I’ve taken here (six!), and I am looking forward to many more.

Writing poetry is something I do whenever I have the chance, and I can’t imagine myself without writing anymore. Poetry has become an important way for me to reflect on my character and share it; I hope to keep developing my work and my poetic voice to further engage with broader conversations about identity and community.