15 Poets Compete To Be Named The 2017 Youth Speaks Grand Slam Champion

SAN FRANCISCO, April 6, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Grand Slam Finals, the culminating event, of the 21st Annual Youth Speaks Teen Poetry Slam will take place on Saturday, April 8, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. at the Nourse Theater in San Francisco. 15 teenage poets will compete to be named the 2017 Youth Speaks Grand Slam Champion. Tickets are available for purchase at http://youthspeaks.org/youth-speaks-teen-poetry-slam/.

15 finalists advanced to the Grand Slam Finals after competing in poetry slams held throughout the Bay Area alongside hundreds of Bay Area poets. This year, three of the finalists are just 13 years old -- the first time we've had so many, so young; truly the next generation can speak for itself. An esteemed panel of judges will select five poets to represent the Bay Area at Youth Speaks' 20th Annual Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival, this year taking place in the Bay Area (July 19-22, 2017).

In 1997, Youth Speaks hosted its first ever poetry slam for teenagers, not knowing that it was only the beginning of what would become a global movement. 21 years later, hundreds of thousands of young people continue to step up to the mics and tell their stories.

Youth Speaks is the country's leading spoken word and literary arts organization for young people, providing direct services to thousands of youth each year, investing in developing a network of educators and nonprofit organizations, presenting a new generation of artistic voices in theater and spoken word, developing national media campaigns, and playing an advocacy role to elevate the voices and stories of young people.

The 2017 Grand Slam Finalists Are:

Briana Leung | 13, San Francisco

Gracia Mwamba | 19, Berkeley/San Lorenzo

Ronald Vinson | 16, Hercules

Sukari Wright | 16, San Pablo

Samuel Getachew | 14, Oakland

Keturah Nobles | 19, San Leandro

Kayla Kitchen | 16, Danville

Daya Levie, | 13, Pacifica

Cameron Sandal | 17, San Francisco

Jayvyn Morthel | 13, South San Francisco

Yujane Chen | 19, Berkeley/Fullerton/Taipei

Brandon Yip | 19, San Francisco

Ronunique Clark | 17, Antioch

Leticia Guzman | 19, Hayward

Jewel Sanchez | 18, Oakland

Press contact: Tara Dorabji, 415-942-4331 or [email protected]
Photos and interview available upon request

SOURCE Youth Speaks