First Friday & Youth Poetry Reading

Join us for an evening with some of Santa Fe’s best young poets in celebration of our exhibition Marsden Hartley: Adventurer in the Arts. This program is organized in collaboration with The Witter Bynner Foundation for Poetry and will feature original works read by two Santa Fe Youth Poet Laureates and four Santa Fe Youth Poets Laureate Finalists.

Joycelyn Shroulote was the 2024-2025 Santa Fe Youth Poet Laureate. She is a graduate of New Mexico School for the Arts and is a youth activist, skateboarder, and multimedia artist from Ohkay Owingeh, Hopi Tribe, and Navajo Nation. She works with non-profit organizations, including Tewa Women United, Three Sisters Collective, and Moving Arts Española. She creates poetry, photography, murals and zine curation.

Maiya Brock, the 2025-2025 Santa Fe Youth Poet Laureate is a student at New Mexico School for the Arts. She is a queer and soft-spoken introvert who writes to elevate her voice and put her art into the world. Her work has been published in several anthologies. Maiya holds the title of 2024-25 Poetry Slam Champion at her school, and has received honorable mentions in the Scholastic Writing Awards, the Aldo Leopold Essay Contest, and the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest. Maiya was the youngest speaker to date at Creative Mornings Santa Fe, where she performed her poetry and discussed her writing process. 

Amelia Balwit, was a finalist for the Santa Fe Youth Poet Laureate and a student at Santa Fe High School. Her poetry is shaped by her experiences and her community, which is the heart of who she is. Amelia founded the Readers and Writers Club at her school. She also serves on the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Board, which advises the city on issues that impact Santa Fe’s youth.

Willow Koseoglu, was a finalist for the Santa Fe Youth Poet Laureate and a student at The Academy for Technology and the Classics. She is the president of the Model UN club and the founder and president of the Human Rights club. She has a social media account that focuses on positive mental health and spreading love through kind and affirming poetry. She is a member of the Honor Society and the State Track and Field Championship team at her school.

Aiden Pollon was a finalist for the Santa Fe Youth Poet Laureate and a student at New Mexico School for the Arts. Aiden is half Jewish and half Arab and likes to explore the differences between his identities and the tethers that he holds to both. His work has been published in two anthologies and he serves on the yearbook club at his school. 

Victor Vega-Pacheco was a finalist for the Santa Fe Youth Poet Laureate and a student at Capital High School. Besides writing poetry he also likes to draw and enjoys a good New Mexican sunset! He works as a landscaper alongside his father when he is not in school. Victor has faced some adversities and trauma in his youth and uses poetry to heal. He is excited to share his talent with his family and his community.

First Friday museum hours run from 5:00-7:00pm.