In partnership with Orange County Public Libraries (OCPL) and the National Youth Poet Laureate Program (NYLP) championed by Urban Word, LibroMobile Arts Cooperative (LMAC) celebrates and honors local poets who exhibit a commitment to not just artistic excellence but also civic engagement, youth leadership and social justice.

Join us on August 28th at 3pm PST (in-person & IG Live: @libromobile), at the LibroMobile bookstore in downtown Santa Ana to celebrate the appointment of local poets as Orange County’s first Youth Poet Laureate (OCYPL) and Poet Laureate (OC-PL) by LMAC and OCPL.

About the OC Youth Poet Laureate: Tina Mai, a 16-year-old writer and student residing in Newport Coast, CA, is the first O.C. Youth Poet Laureate in Orange County history. She has received recognition from the Library of Congress, the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the Poetry Society of the UK, Bow Seat, the North Carolina Poetry Society, and the CSLA, among others. Outside of writing, she finds passion in public speaking and computer science, including developing an app to aid writing accessibility through spoken word stories.

About the OC Poet Laureate: Natalie J. Graham, a resident of Buena Park, CA and currently Chair of African American Studies at California State University, Fullerton (CSUF), is the first O.C. Poet Laureate. Graham is an award- winning author and performer who has toured nationally with her collection of poems, Begin with a Failed Body (University of Georgia Press, 2017). Since moving to Orange County in 2013, Natalie has coordinated art-centered community events, workshops, and readings for hundreds of participants.

This event is free and open to the public, for more information email libromobile@gmail.com