Leila Mottley, a native Oakland writer, is the 2018 Oakland Youth Poet Laureate. The Youth Poet Laureate program was founded by the Oakland Public Library and other community organizations and is a citywide effort to celebrate literacy through poetry.
Mottley’s poem, “Love Poem to Oakland,” offers a look at the changes she sees in her city. Watch the video to see Leila read her poem and to experience the Oakland sights and sounds she references.
For More Information: Race And Gentrification From a Teen Poets Perspective
For more about the Youth Poet Laureate Program: https://www.oaklandlibrary.org/teens/events-programs/youth-poet-laureate-program
To apply for the 2019 Youth Poet Laureate competition (Feb. 4 deadline) : http://www.oaklandlibrary.org/teens/events-programs/youth-poet-laureate-program
And watch our interview with Leila about what it’s like being an artist in Oakland here: