2020 National Student Poets Announced!

Five high-school juniors have been named 2020 National Student Poets by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the nonprofit Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. The panel of judges included U.S. poet laureate Juan Felipe Herrera, Danez Smith, Tina Chang, Jen Benka, and others, reports the New York Times.

Winners represent five geographical regions of the nation, and are: Isabella Ramirez, Florida; Ethan Wang, Texas; Manasi Garg, California; Madelyn Dietz, Minnesota; and Anthony Wiles, Pennsylvania (pictured at top, from the video of students receiving the news). More: 

"Now more than ever, we look to a rising generation of creative leaders to demonstrate the power that poetry and the literary arts have to inspire, galvanize, and unite communities," Christopher Wisniewski, executive director of the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers said in a statement Wednesday. "We are excited to work with these five exceptional teens to engage museums, libraries, and schools in the year ahead, and we are eager to see all that they will accomplish.”

Learn more at the New York Times, and congrats to all!