Seventeen-year-old Willow Koseoglu, a senior at the Academy for Technology and the Classics, was selected to be Santa Fe’s youth poet laureate this weekend. She received the title in a ceremony at the Jean Cocteau Cinema.
The theatre was so full that some audience members had to stand in the aisles. Each of the seven finalists performed a poem. Willow’s poem is titled “A Conversation on Loss and Unicorns.”
The Santa Fe youth poet laureate program is administered every year by the Witter Bynner Foundation. Carmella Padilla, a foundation board member, said that the face of poetry has changed a lot since her youth. "Because of spoken word and slam poetry, I think it’s gotten more rooted in the community and become more accessible."
She added that, "At least when I was growing up, poetry was more of an academy thing or a scholarly thing. This seems to be more associated with the community now in terms of our poet laureate programs, youth and otherwise. I see a lot more [poetry] happening from a grassroots perspective."
For Willow, poetry has allowed her to express things that plain language can’t quite describe. "I think poetry is just a way to express emotions in a way that you’re not able to tell to someone. I think poetry allows you to kind of describe more complex emotions." She credited her English teacher, Dr. Kristen Holzer, whom she says has "really motivated me to stretch my poetry out."
Willow also plans to continue writing poetry, adding "I hope to keep it as something that’s still consistent in my life." She'll be Santa Fe's youth poet laureate throughout the next year, with around one opportunity a month to perform in the area. She’ll also receive a scholarship of $1000.
