Education Matters: Poet laureate prepares to pass the torch

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE) – For the past year, Fresno County's first youth poet laureate has shared her words, calling it an amazing experience. Now, Evy Singh is preparing to pass the torch to the next youth poet. On the campus of Central High School, student Evy Singh is like any 16-year-old high school junior hanging with her friends – but if you put her before a group of people, she captures them with her words. That's because Evy is the first-ever Fresno County Youth Poet Laureate. 'I love pouring my heart out into words I write, into every single word that I saw,' said Evy Singh. 'It's like a palette full of colors; there's so much emotion.' She has spent the past year serving as a Youth Ambassador for the Arts in Fresno County, sharing her love of words with audiences throughout the Central Valley. The first competition was held last November, and after a stiff competitive process, Evy Singh was selected as the winner. The county has now started the process of selecting its next youth poet, and while contestants will need to submit five original pieces, it's not all about writing. 'It is a poetry and community service program, so it's about their poetry as much as it is about their service to their community,' said Aaron Bryan, director of Arts Education at Fresno County Superintendent of Schools. Evy says she hopes to inspire young writers and wants to be a mentor to whoever follows in her footsteps. As far as her plans go, she says she will never stop writing.