"New Youth Poet Laureate Gupta is an Indian American born and raised in San Francisco, who says he inherited a love of writing from his dad. His poem "They Say Grief Arrives in an Instant but I Watched You Leave for Months" is about losing his father."
"The book's array of perspectives includes imaginative explorations of ancestry and belonging from Mei Chung and Katelyn Wong. Gupta and Paloma Francesca Carrubba explore the impacts of a racist and misogynistic external world on individual internal lives. McCulloch and Zofia Mosur do battle with existential dread using their own words. Ava Perez and Claribel Caamal Amodei write of the terror and trepidation of living under the threat of ICE. Fittingly, the collection also contains lyrical odes to San Francisco itself from Tika Zahiki and Aleksanda "Sasha" Miller."
""San Francisco's future is being written right now by the next generation of San Franciscans and these extraordinary young poets. Their voices are bold and reflect the creativity of our city. I'm proud that we are celebrating this talent.""
Karan Gupta, a 17-year-old Indian American born and raised in San Francisco, was named Youth Poet Laureate. His poem "They Say Grief Arrives in an Instant but I Watched You Leave for Months" addresses the loss of his father. The published collection presents diverse perspectives including ancestry, belonging, racism, misogyny, existential dread, and fears of ICE, and contains odes to San Francisco. Gupta and Vice Youth Poet Laureate Aisha Rae McCulloch will serve as cultural ambassadors through civic engagement and public readings. All program participants will appear at Youth Speaks' Annual Teen Poetry Slam, livestreamed on Youth Speaks' YouTube channel. The collection is available at 826 Valencia locations and online beginning Jan. 26, 2026.
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