April is National Poetry Month\, so come c elebrate with Berkeley's current poet laureates\, Aya de Leó\;n (202 4-25 Berkeley Poet Laureate)\, Anita Marie Jú\;lca (2025 Berkeley Yo uth Poet Laureate) and Adalilly Chu (2025 Berkeley Vice Youth Poet Laureat e). They will be reading and performing their original poetry\, before tak ing part in a community conversation and audience Q&\;A. This program w ill take place at the Central Branch (5th Floor) on Monday\, April 7th at 6pm and is co-sponsored by Berkeley Civic Arts. \;
\nLearn more about the \;Berkeley Poet Laureate \;and \;Berkeley Youth Poet Laureate&nb sp\;programs.
\nABOUT THE POETS
\n2024-2025 Berkeley Poet Laur eate\, \;Aya de Leó\;n \;(she/her/ella) is a poet and the author of ten novels. A graduate of Berkeley High School\, she directs the Poetry for the People program at UC Berkeley. Aya's work h as appeared in various venues\, including Harper&rsquo\;s Bazaar\, Ebony\, Def Poetry\, and she was recently interviewed in the New York Times. In s pring 2022\, she organized an online conference entitled Black Literature vs. the Climate Emergency. \;
\n2025 Berkeley Youth Poet Laureat e\, Anita Marie Jú\;lca is a senior at Berkeley Hig h School. Anita Marie was a new student to Berkeley High just last year\, moving to the Bay Area to take care of her grandmother. An East Coast nati ve\, the Peruvian-American poet grew up primarily between Keene\, New Hamp shire and Queens\, New York\, before moving to Roma Norte\, Mexico City at the age of fifteen. It was while living in Mexico City that Anita Marie f ell in love with poetry\, almost accidentally. While in the depths of girl hood\, trauma\, and searching for a language that transcended the barriers of American English and Mexican Spanish\, she found poetry. In April 2024 \, Anita Marie published Whispers of the Storm: A Tale of Healing\, a book of original poetry and original illustrations for children healing from a buse\, now used by child trauma therapists. She is the president of AWAKE\ , a club advocating against domestic violence\, a member of Berkeley Unifi ed's Sexual Harassment Advisory Committee\, and Co-President of the Sustai nable Fashion Show. Anita Marie Jú\;lca&rsquo\;s poetry explores vio lence\, healing\, and the people around her. She often writes verses shini ng a light on domestic and sexual violence while honoring resilience and s anctuary\, and takes heavy inspiration from her Peruvian\, Mexican\, and N ew-England backgrounds.
\n2025 Berkeley Vice Youth Poet Laureate\, < strong>Adalilly Chu is a junior at Berkeley High School. She has been loving creative writing since she was four. Besides writing in Englis h\, she also writes in Mandarin. She lived in Taiwan for five years and ha s won many Mandarin writing awards there as an elementary schooler. After returning to America for eighth grade\, she faced many challenges with wri ting in English. However\, with the help of people around her\, she began to catch up with their English level in America. This experience led her t o founding the Youth Literacy Project\, a nonprofit that benefits children by helping them learn how to love literature. She is the Executive Direct or alongside Lea Hireche. Youth Literacy Project hosts Reading Buddies at Berkeley Public Library\, an ongoing program since January of 2024. This p rogram does not just impact the families who participate in it but also br ings significance to the volunteer community. When she isn't writing\, Ada lilly enjoys spending time at cafes\, drinking cups of chai\, and searchin g for inspiration for her next story. Other than that\, she loves to make jewelry\, spend time with her family\, and read with her friends. She is a lso a member of the Berkeley High Badminton Team and Berkeley High's Chamb er Orchestra.
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