The art of College poetry

Harvard College is home to three National Youth Poet Laureates: one current and two former. This tradition began with Amanda Gorman '20. Evan Wang '29, Salome Agbaroji '27, and Alyssa Gaines '26 recently shared how the title changed them. They also discussed balancing arts and academics, and how their poetry has grown at Harvard.

Evan Wang '29: Poetry for the Stage

Evan Wang, the 2025-2026 National Youth Poet Laureate, often writes late at night in his dorm. He thinks about how his words will sound when spoken aloud. He also imagines what hand gestures he might use.

"When I'm prepping for a performance, I think of ways that I can accentuate certain aspects of the poem," Wang said. He wants his delivery to have fluctuation, never monotone. The words he stresses can change the poem's meaning.

Wang is very busy as National Youth Poet Laureate. His first book, "Slow Burn," is coming out soon. He is also working on a choral piece with a composer. The Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia will perform it in June. This year, he has performed at Google DeepMind in London, the AFS Youth Assembly in New York, and the Smithsonian Center in D.C.

Wang started writing poetry seriously in 2021. A spoken word poem he wrote about racial microaggressions got a lot of attention. "That just really motivated me to continue writing about my own experiences," Wang said. He realized his personal poems could also speak to others.

Wang's poems are personal and reflective. He writes about queer romance, longing, and the immigrant experience. "I'm always taking risks," Wang noted. He tries to dive deep into himself to find what he truly wants to say. His mentors describe his poetry as "sharp" because his lines are short and impactful.

His approach to poetry changed after seeing Ocean Vuong perform "Head First." Wang recalled that the poem was vulnerable and used a common word like "stupid." Before that, Wang thought poetry had to be perfect, like Shakespeare. After seeing Vuong, he began to use poetry to explore his own vulnerability.

Wang chairs the IOP Coalition for the Arts and is a creative director for FIG. Magazine. He is also involved in the Harvard College China Forum. He loves poetry as entertainment and wants to combine it with other art forms. Hearing dancer Misty Copeland speak about representation made him realize how much art means to him. "I cannot imagine a future where my life is separated from the arts," he said. This made him consider poetry as a career.

Salome Agbaroji '27: Finding Her Flow

Salome Agbaroji, the 2023-2024 National Youth Poet Laureate, believes many Harvard students are poets. She thinks they just don't see themselves that way. She wants to change this idea that only award-winners are poets.

"This is an art form that is so democratic and generalizable," Agbaroji said. You only need your brain and words, not a studio or film crew. She hopes to inspire people to write for fun, not just for excellence.

Agbaroji is recording a spoken word poetry and music album in the SOCH studio. Having a project with a goal motivates her writing. "I make the time between classes, while I'm eating dinner, sometimes in my bed at 3 a.m.," she said. She is eager for people to hear her work. This is a new kind of motivation for her, driven by urgency and excitement for her first official project.

Her first year at Harvard was a "balancing act." She juggled academics, social life, and her role as National Youth Poet Laureate. She missed some events, like Yardfest, because she was giving a TED Talk. But she also made amazing memories, like meeting President Joe Biden at the White House.

Agbaroji started writing poetry at 14 during the pandemic. She often wrote about social and political issues, fighting inequality. Recently, she has started writing more personal pieces. "I'm giving my work space to be about me: 'Salome had a bad day today, let's write about that,'" she explained. She is growing as an artist by exploring this broader range of topics.

On campus, Agbaroji captains Omo Naija, Harvard’s African dance troupe, and is in the Signet Society. She is inspired by rappers like Kendrick Lamar, Noname, and Tierra Whack. Agbaroji, who also sings, now combines poetry and music. She was hesitant at first, believing poetry should stand alone. "Poets also know that rules are meant to be broken," she said. She is glad she challenged herself to blend these art forms.

Alyssa Gaines '26: A Return to Writing

Last summer, Alyssa Gaines, the 2022-2023 National Youth Poet Laureate, realized she couldn't live without writing. This might seem obvious for someone who has competed in poetry since age eight. But after her first year as National Youth Poet Laureate, Gaines took a two-year break. She explored other interests through a joint concentration in Social Studies and History of Art and Architecture.

An internship at Macmillan Publishers brought her back to writing. "I was around books all day long, and I was like, 'OK, this is the thing I love,'" Gaines said. She declared a secondary in English. "I realized that I love writing, and I don't see a life without it." She believes poetry is always part of how she sees the world.

Gaines remembers her first year as a time of growth. On weekends, she traveled to perform poetry at events like Bloomberg Philanthropy’s Earthshot Prize. Despite being National Youth Poet Laureate, she felt impostor syndrome at Harvard. She felt pressure to pursue a practical career, even if it wasn't her passion.

"I felt like the stakes were super high," Gaines recalled. She didn't feel confident enough to bet on herself as a writer. Being at Harvard and seeing others pursue their passions helped her learn that it's okay to do the same.

This year, she is fully back to creative writing. She writes whenever she can: between study sessions, in the dining hall, or even in class. Her recent work explores maritime navigation, the transatlantic slave trade, migration, and memory. Her poems have a rhythm and alliteration from her years of spoken word performance.

Gaines serves on the art board of the Harvard Advocate and the JFK Jr. Forum Committee at the IOP. She has also been co-director of the Black Arts Collective and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. She is inspired by poets like June Jordan, Sonia Sanchez, Frank Bidart, Reginald Dwayne Betts, and Tracy K. Smith.

"I think it took some time for me to get back to writing poems," Gaines said. She is still discovering and learning how her artistry can develop.