PGHwrites: Youth Poet Laureate of Allegheny County 2025–2026 Commencement Reading

It’s time to celebrate the Youth Poet Laureate 2025–2026 cohort at City of Asylum’s annual commencement reading! City of Asylum has traditionally hosted the annual commencement reading on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in alignment with the reading’s themes of social justice and activism. This year’s theme is Artificial Inspirations. The young poets of the cohort will focus on AI, fake personas, trends, consumerism, and privilege.

Now in its sixth year, the Allegheny County Youth Poet Laureate, an initiative of The National Youth Poet Laureate Program, recognizes and celebrates our nation’s top youth poets committed to artistic excellence, civic engagement, and social impact. The Youth Poet Laureate of Allegheny County is awarded to an artist between 13 and 18 years old who is passionate about their art and their communities. The 2025–2026 Youth Poet Laureate of Allegheny County is Ivanna Smith. Joining Ivanna are Youth Poet Ambassadors Vanshika Jain, Monroe Law, Ashley Shim, and Lillia Strickland.

About the Poets:

Ivanna Smith is an 11th-grader at Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School and is from Moon. She loves all forms of writing, but especially poetry and screenwriting. She is the poetry editor for her school’s literary journal, Pulp, and has had work appear in The Antithesis Review, Rune, and Pulp. When she’s not writing, you can find her reading, watching movies, or playing volleyball.

Vanshika Jain is a junior at Mt. Lebanon High School and the author of Letters to the Empire, an Amazon International Bestseller. Her historical fiction novel explores the personal struggles of individuals living under British colonial rule. Alongside her writing, Vanshika is passionate about social justice and amplifying youth voices. She was recognized by Save the Children as the “Most Powerful Youth Advocate” for her work as the Student President of the international charity DTCare.

Monroe Law is a poet who is really passionate about social activism and creative writing, who believes that in today’s age, the most powerful thing a person has is their voice. “With globalization, unlike any other generation, it’s so critical that young people use their resources and their voices to speak out about the injustices that happen daily. The way I choose to speak out is through writing. It paints the world in a more beautiful lens while talking about dismal truths. I want to use my pen, or keyboard, to talk about things that matter.”

Ashley Shim loves all things art, especially poems. As a listener, she finds inspiration in daily conversations and in reading the news. She is driven to make a community impact and pursue a career in science while staying true to the values instilled by her family. For her, poetry is a way of giving voice and embracing those who are not provided the platform to be heard. Outside of creating, you can expect her to be taking lots of naps and playing badminton.

Lillia Strickland is a senior at Montour High School, where she first became interested in slam poetry. In school, she has sought to become a leader, an activist, and a personal proponent of academic integrity, the arts, social progress, and environmental preservation. She believes that everyone can and should participate in positive change and is proud that she was just 5 years old when she first decided to take a stand for something she believed in. In becoming a vegetarian to reduce the harmful practices of the meat farming industry, a cause which she still champions to this day, she unknowingly unlocked a lifelong passion for activism. Her poetry is deeply personal and reflects her own experiences and struggles of growing up in a chaotic, often tumultuous world, of struggling with her identity and mental health, and of trying her best to always return to ground herself in something positive.

About Your Visit: 

The in-house restaurant, Cucina Alfabeto, is closed on Mondays.