Local Students in the Running for Oakland Youth Poet Laureate

The eight finalists in Oakland's Youth Poet Laureate competition include students from Oakland Technical Hgh School, Holy Names High School, the Oakland School for the Arts, the Head Royce School and Berkeley High School, according to a city announcement.

The winner will be announced on Friday, Aug. 2, in a public ceremony at I-SEEED, 1625 Clay St., Suite 600, Oakland. The program begins at 6:30 p.m. All finalists will perform before the winner is named.

The winner, who will receive a $5,000 scholarship, will be determined by a panel of celebrity judges, including California’s Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera, Oakland-born poet and playwright Chinaka Hodge, performer Raphael Cohen and current Youth Poet Laureate Stephanie Yun, who won the competition in 2012.

Oakland Indie Award Winner Jazz Monique Hudson will serve as master of ceremonies for the Aug. 2 event.

• Olivia Hoffman, 16, Oakland School for the Arts
• Maya Bello, 16, Holy Names High School
• Obasi Davis, 17, Berkeley High School
• Robert Paige, 18, Oakland Technical High School
• Mina Jameson, 15, Oakland School for the Arts
• Francesca Paris, 16, Head-Royce School
• Cindy Huey, 17, Oakland Technical High School
• Kai Smith, 15, Oakland School for the Arts