Oakland Mills High School Student Reflects Upon Her Year as Howard County's First Youth Poet Laureate

Though her time as Howard County’s inaugural Youth Poet Laureate is coming to an end, Oakland Mills High School rising senior Mai-Anh Nguyen does not intend to stop writing and creating poetry anytime soon.

Nguyen was appointed to the position by County Executive Calvin Ball in October 2024, having received the unanimous support of a review panel comprising members of the Howard County Poetry & Literature Society (HoCoPoLitSo) and the Howard County Arts Council. Nguyen was recognized for her “demonstrated sophistication, skill, and knowledge of contemporary poetry.”

“During my time as Youth Poet Laureate, I have had the pleasure of speaking to a variety of people. Friends and teachers who had no prior interest in poetry would ask to hear my work, and I'm extremely grateful that that was the case,” said Nguyen. “It's my hope that my poems served as a stepping stone into the vaster world of poetry.”

Tara Hart, Co-Chair of HoCoPoLitSo, explained that Nguyen’s poems stood out among all of the applications for their technical skill and emotional impact, but especially for “her use of vivid sensory details that invite readers into the experience, rather than holding them at arm's length with abstract images or overwrought diction.”

“Mai-Ahn's poetry, and the way she has grown ever more effective in presenting her work to an audience, have a brave vulnerability and confidence that are usually evident much later in a poet's career,” added Hart.

Over the last year, Nguyen has used her new platform to spread poetry in traditional and non-traditional ways. This Spring, she spoke to students at Howard County’s Books in Bloom festival, encouraging them to explore the world of creative writing and expression.

“It is my belief, or simply my hope, that the Youth Poet Laureate program has enabled more widespread access to poetry,” said Nguyen. “Not everyone has to come to a reading or attend an event to cultivate an interest in poetry! Literature and reading as a whole is a wonderful way to grow one's imagination and empathy.”

Hart recalled Nguyen’s delight at a recent poetry reading as she reflected on her experience as Youth Poet Laureate and the incredible response from people her own age expressing a new interest in reading, writing and sharing their own poetry.

“As part of HoCoPoLitSo and as a county resident, I feel tremendously proud that our county has officially recognized the power of creative literary expression to connect and heal our community,” said Hart. “When I see Mai-Ahn sharing her poems and talking about the role of poetry in her life, I feel inspired and enlightened personally and also gratified to see audiences of all ages respond to her with respect, admiration, and their own stories, demonstrating the common threads of human experience that run through the fabric of our differences.”

Nguyen began exploring her creativity at a young age. After falling in love with fantasy books and delving into fantasy writing she tried her hand at poetry to enter a writing competition.

“Snapping together rhymes and metaphors soon became as gratifying to me as writing pages and pages of prose,” said Nguyen.

As Nguyen begins her final year of high school in the Fall and prepares for her future, she hopes to continue writing – ideally even professionally.

“Publishing a book has been a lifelong goal of mine, and I do not intend to give that up.”

The 2025-2026 Howard County Youth Poet Laureate will be announced in September and will serve from September 2025-May 2026.