Monterey County's new Youth Poet Laureate, Mya Pop, prepares to take the mantle.

The Arts Council for Monterey County annually selects one adult Poet Laureate to carry the title through one year. Since 2023, the council has been also selecting the Monterey County Youth Poet Laureate.

On Tuesday, April 22, Arts4MC announced the next Monterey County Youth Poet Laureate: Mya Pop, a sophomore from North Salinas High School. Pop will replace her predecessor, Maram Haddad, starting Thursday, May 1.

"It feels amazing to win," Pop says. "When I first found out I was sure someone was playing a prank on me. I'm filled with every emotion from happiness to nervousness, but most of all I'm grateful," she says, mentioning her teachers, especially Ms. Bauer and Ms Bryan, parents, etc.

Pop will have the honor of representing young arts and culture throughout the county. She will work alongside the current Monterey County Poet Laureate Rachelle Escamilla. Naturally, there is the honorarium of $1,000 for participating in every event in the county that combines poetry and youth. 

"I started writing poetry about a year ago, in late winter or early spring, but I've been writing literature all my life, from mini stories to song lyrics. My inspiration are things I feel strongly about, things that resonate with me," the winner shared.

To adorn someone’s head with a wrath of laurel leaves (essentially bay leaves) has been a sign of the highest recognition. Apollo himself, the god of poetry and poets, liked to wear one. One of the first poets crowned with laurels was Francesco Petrarca in the mid-14th century. The royal office of Poet Laureate in England dates from the appointment of John Dryden in 1668.

In the U.S, the title is granted by the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.—and the job consists of “consulting” on poetry for the library and the nation. 

The Monterey County Board of Supervisors will recognize Pop as the Monterey County Youth Poet Laureate 10am Tuesday, April 29 at the County Government Center (168 W. Alisal St., Salinas). Another ceremony will take place the same day at 5:30pm at the Marina Library’s Community Room (190 Seaside Circle, Marina).

The afternoon ceremony will feature performances by Pop and three other youth poets.

Visit arts4mc.org.