18 year-old Emily O'Neill is from Waterford and is a member of The Lit Young Writers Festival Committee. In July 2019, Emily participated in a WE ARE THE POETS masterclass with John Cummins that was hosted by the Rhyme Rag Ensemble in Kilkenny. This collaboration between young poets in neighbouring counties saw young writers from Kilkenny participate in The Lit Festival in Waterford in November 2019.  You can watch highlights of We Are The Poets at The Lit here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Axtuwht-arc

Orla is a young poet from County Kilkenny, who has been writing poetry for as long as she can remember. She is a member of the Rhyme Rag Ensemble.  In 2019,  Sarah Crossan's We Are The Poets project collaborated with Rhyme Rag and Kilkenny Arts Office in developing a showcase event of young poets who performed live as part of Kilkenny Arts Festival in the tower of Kilkenny Castle.  These young poets worked with We Are The Poets facilitator and performance poet John Cummins in a masterclass that prepared them for the event.

Annie Clarke is 16 years-old and comes from Tiernascragh in County Galway. She took part in a #WEARETHEPOETS intergenerational project that saw older members of the community share stories with transition year students from Portumna Community College. The teenagers wrote poems inspired by these stories during a poetry masterclass with Colm Keegan. The poems were exhibited in the local school and public library. This project was part of the Shorelines Festival 2019. Here’s a short highlights video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylpP5mVtX9E

Evie Rutherford is 14 years-old and comes from Newtownards. Evie is a student at Strathearn School in Belfast. She participated in a #WEARETHEPOETS workshop facilitated by writer Myra Zepf that used sound as inspiration. Speaking about ‘Granda Raimie’, Evie says: ‘My poem is about my dad losing his dad and being able to let him go peacefully surrounded by family’.

Taylor Whelan is 14 years-old and comes from Dublin. She is a second year student at Rosary College in Crumlin. Her poem ‘Free My Style’ was written during WRaPParound 2019, of which Laureate Sarah Crossan was Ambassador. WRaPParound is a Poetry Ireland and JCSP Library Project initiative that provides poetry and spoken word workshops to children in Irish secondary schools. Laureate na nÓg is proud to be associated with the project.

Aoife Coyle is 11 years-old and comes from Ballybofey in County Donegal. Aoife participated in a #WEARETHEPOETS workshop with local writer Denise Blake.  In partnership with Read DL 2020, Laureate na nÓg provided creative writing workshops to primary school children across the county.  The young poets were due to perform their work at a special live event at Balor Arts Centre in March 2020. Sadly, that event had to be cancelled because of COVID19. We are delighted to have Aoife on the Poetry Jukebox representing Donegal and its wealth of young poets. 

Joe Reidy is a teenage poet from County Mayo.  He participated in a series of #WEARETHEPOETS workshops with poet Alice Kinsella last year. He read this poem at a live event featuring Sarah Crossan and Colm Keegan at the Linenhall Arts Centre in November 2019.  Joe has also been featured reading his poetry on Midwest Radio. Watch a highlights video of the #WEARETHEPOETS project at Linenhall here: https://youtu.be/HvD6XgeNuAU

Ruairí is a student at Coláiste Ghobnait on Inis Oírr, one of the Aran Islands.  Earlier this year he participated in  #WEARETHEPOETS workshops facilitated by local poet Jackie MacDonncha. Cá bhfuil muid ag dul? is one in a series of poems Ruairí composed during the workshops. 

Paola Di Stallo is a 17 year-old poet who is originally from Italy. Her poem Beast was written during #WEARETHEPOETS workshops facilitated by poet Alice Kinsella in partnership with the Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar, Co Mayo.  Paola describes her poem as  'a brief insight of the worse aspect of the human nature, and it aims to leave the reader the space and the time for free interpretation.'

Patrick Ó Dómhnaill is a young poet from the Aran Islands in Co. Galway.  He is a pupil at Coláiste Ghobnait on Inis Oírr. His poem An tOileán was written during #WEARETHEPOETS workshops facilitated by local writer Jackie MacDonnncha.