Stephanie Yun. Photo by Moya Fotografix

Stephanie Yun has been selected as Oakland’s first Youth Poet Laureate.
She will receive the honor during the Life is Living Festival, a public event that will take place at DeFremery Park, 1651 Adeline Street at noon on Saturday, Oct. 13.
Yun was the winner from among seven finalists in a competition that began on April 1. The contest was hosted by the Oakland Public Library’s Teen Services Department, in partnership with Youth Speaks, the country’s leading nonprofit presenter of spoken word performance, education and youth development programs.
As the winner, she will receive a $5,000 scholarship and the opportunity to officially represent the Oakland Community through poetry, media and public appearances.
Yun is a lifelong Oakland resident and a recent graduate of Skyline High School. At 18, she is a fixture in the Bay Area poetry scene. She is a well-known slam poet on local and national stages, a mentor to fellow youth and a published writer.
According to California poet laureate Juan Felipe Herrera, a judge in this inaugural competition, Yun is “A breakthrough poet.”
Yun will also appear with Herrera, California’s statewide poet laureate, during the Flor y Canto festival at 5:30 p.m., Saturday, September 15 at Brava Theater, 2781 24th St. in San Francisco.