Oakland recently honored its youngest Youth Poet Laureate when it designated 14-year-old resident Cael Dueñas-Lara with the recognition, a sophomore at San Francisco University High School.

“Cael … is an incredibly talented writer, a powerful performer, and a strong leader,” said Sharon McKellar, supervising librarian for teen services at the Oakland Public Library, which runs the laureate program.

McKellar said the program celebrates teen voices and provides them with a platform to reach others.

The award was announced by Oakland At-Large Councilmember Rowena Brown at a live event Friday during which all seven finalists performed.

In addition to being the 2025 Oakland Youth Poet Laureate, Dueñas-Lara is a second-generation Mexican-American, an accomplished dancer, and a passionate advocate for social justice, the library said. The East Oakland resident was born and raised there and shares that writing has allowed him to “strengthen my voice and take back preconceived ideas of myself and others who may share parts of my identity.”

Oakland Youth Poet Laureate Cael Dueñas-Lara reads one of his poems. (Oakland Public Library/YouTube)

“He strives to educate and inspire both his elders and peers through writing and to debunk the dominant narrative of Black and Brown young men living in Oakland which has often been set forth by societal perceptions,” the Oakland Public Library said.

“Oakland is love and I’m excited to love Oakland even more as the Youth Poet Laureate,” said Dueñas-Lara in a statement released by the library on Saturday.

Sehinne Yohannes, 16, was named Oakland’s 2025 Vice Youth Poet Laureate and is a junior at the Social Justice Academy of San Leandro. “It is my duty to be a revolutionary,” one of her poems begins.

“(Dueñas-Lara) strives … to debunk the dominant narrative of Black and Brown young men living in Oakland which has often been set forth by societal perceptions.” Oakland Public Library

Yohannes was honored on stage alongside Dueñas-Lara and the other 2025 Finalists: Lola Christ, an 11th grader at Oakland School for the Arts; Serafina Mackintosh, a sophomore at Oakland School for the Arts; 14-year-old Zara Quiter; Isabel Shen, a 16-year-old student at Head-Royce School in Oakland; and Delilah Young, a freshman at Bishop O’Dowd High School.

The Oakland Youth Poet Laureate program is in its 14th year. Each year, the Oakland Public Library accepts submissions from Oakland writers between the ages of 13 to 18 to be considered for the honor.

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.