Alyssa Gaines

Alyssa Gaines is the 2022 Youth Poet Laureate of the United States, a program of Urban Word. She also serves as the Midwest Regional Ambassador and the Inaugural Youth Poet Laureate of Indianapolis, a program sponsored by Voices Corp. She and her work have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, NPR, Ms. Magazine, at The Kennedy Center, Library of Congress, and with Katie Couric Media. She has worked in her community to increase fine arts access alongside local youth writing organizations, facilitating workshops and developing courses to intentionally bring in more diverse students. This fall, Alyssa is at Harvard University where she is a first-year student.