DIRECTORS
-
she/her
Co-Director
Iris Cai (she/her) is a junior from the SF Bay Area. Her poetry has been recognized by YoungArts, Poetry Society of America, and the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, and published in or forthcoming from COUNTERCLOCK, Rattle, Neologism Poetry Journal, and elsewhere. Iris is also co-founder and editor-in-chief of Eucalyptus Lit. As a member of YVP, she hopes to support other young writers in finding a community to help each other grow.
-
he/him
Founder & Co-Director
Christopher Schwarting is a young writer from Philadelphia. An alum of the Iowa Young Writers Studio, Kenyon Young Writers Workshops, and Kelly Writers House Workshop for Young Writers, his work has been recognized by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, Rider University, and Ringling College. He was a 2023 mentee in poetry at The Adroit Journal. He is passionate about expanding access to creative writing resources for youth in his community and beyond.
NATIONAL STAFF
YVP’s magic-makers spur community writing projects far and wide.
-
she/her
State Chair, Colorado
Hayden Oh is a young poet and artist from Denver, Colorado. An alumna of the Kenyon Young Writers Workshops and the Sewanee Young Writers Conference, she is the creative writing manager of The Stirling Review, the founder of writing-based mental health projects, the SeePTSD Initiative and The Fig Tree Project, and an intern with non-profit Denver Writes. She hopes to help create communities for young writers and artists struggling with mental health and identity.
-
she/her
State Chair, Washington
Claire Daylo is a student and writer from Washington state. A 2024 mentee in fiction at The Adroit Journal and a prose editor for Hominum Journal, her prose has been recognized by GASHER, the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, and DePaul University. Claire believes that literature changes lives, and as a member of YVP, she hopes to widen access to writing resources for young people.
-
she/her
State Chair, Pennsylvania
Emi Maeda is the 2024-2025 Youth Poet Laureate of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Her work is published or forthcoming in the NY Seikatsu Newspaper, The Eunoia Review, and The Rising Phoenix Review and has been recognized by the Japanese Consulate General, the Lower Merion Library System, and the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. Her work has won prizes in both English and Japanese, and she is a graduate of the Kenyon Young Writers’ Workshop and the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio. She looks forward to connecting with fellow poets and artists.
-
she/her
State Chair, Massachusetts
May Zheng is a young poet from Massachusetts. An alum of the Iowa Young Writers Studio and GrubStreet’s Teen Summer Writing Fellowship, her work has been recognized by Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and Barnes & Noble. As a member of YVP, May hopes to use writing to better understand and uplift other fellow young writers and form a community.
-
she/her
Regional Chair, Washington D.C. Metro
Sophia Lekeufack is a young writer from the D.C. Metropolitan Area. An alum of the Kenyon Young Writers Workshop and a 2024 mentee in poetry at The Adroit Journal, her work has been recognized by Roi Feinaint, the WEIGHT Journal, the Blue Marble Review, and the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. As a member of YVP, Sophia hopes to support a love for writing and literature for the young people in her community.
MEDIA & DESIGN
-
she/her
Head Coordinator, Outreach
Smile Ximai Jiang is a poet from Shenzhen, China, living in Massachusetts. A 2023 poetry mentee of The Adroit Journal’s Summer Mentorship Program, Smile serves as an editor for Polyphony Lit and The Lumiere Review. Her work appears in Peach Mag, Palette Poetry, Rust & Moth, COUNTERCLOCK, diode poetryjournal, and wildness. As a member of YVP, Smile hopes to support other young writers in exploring their craft and identity. She is an incoming undergraduate at Yale University.
-
she/her
Head Coordinator, Graphic Design
Eva Li is a junior from the San Francisco Bay Area. Her artworks have been purchased and displayed by collectors from China, Canada, and US. She is also the co-Editor-in-Chief and designer behind HELM. As the graphic designer for YVP, she hopes to assist YVP in their mission of democratizing writing resources for young writers by visually translating their ideas to the public.