Pranavi Vedula is a senior at Phillips Exeter Academy. She is a New Hampshire Teen Poet Laureate. Her poetry has been recognized by the University of New Hampshire, Smith College, the Pulitzer Center, and the National Student Poets Program, the nation’s highest honor for youth poets. She is the recipient of both a national gold and a national American Voices medal from the Scholastic Writing Awards. She is also an alumna of the renowned Kenyon Review Young Writers’ Workshop and a former editorial intern for the Academy of American Poets. When not writing, Pranavi enjoys blasting French rap music, reading linguistics journals, and goofing around with her friends.

Hazel Tompkins is a senior who attends Hanover High school. Hazel is a New Hampshire Teen Poet Laureate. She started writing poetry as a journaling method and has continued to write to cultivate her skills, express herself, and to connect with others. Hazel has published her work in literary magazines throughout her high school career.. While Hazel loves poetry she also enjoys leading her schools Model United Nations club, attending her book club, and playing basketball!

Ava Spaulding is a senior who attends Phillips Exeter Academy. She is a New Hampshire Teen Poet Laureate. Poetry has allowed her to express her creative spirit and love of nature since elementary school. Her work has been recognized by multiple local contests and anthologies. When Ava is not writing (or creating another form of art), you can find her nose-deep in science journals, competing on her school’s crew team, drinking tea, hiking with her chocolate lab (Charley), or daydreaming about her future.

Abigail Sears is a senior at Phillips Exeter Academy and is excited to serve as a Youth Poet Laureate of New Hampshire. Her work has been recognized in multiple contests as well as anthologies. She is a Freedom to Read Ambassador at PEN America and works with the Library of Congress, mentoring interns and preparing for each year’s National Book Festival in Washington DC. Abigail also helps run her school's poetry club. In her free time, she enjoys baking with friends, reading, discovering new bookstores, and studying foreign languages.

Chloé Lind is a Sophomore at Phillips Exeter Academy from Charleston, South Carolina. Her poetry has been recognized by the Poetic Power organization as well as being published in their anthology. She received first prize in the John Estey Student Writing Competition hosted by the American Writers Museum of Chicago, as well as the Lamont Younger Poets Prize in 2024. Her work has been recognized by the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers in the Scholastic Writing Competition and has been published in several local and school anthologies and magazines. She is also an alumna of the Smith Creative Writing Workshop. When not writing, Chloé enjoys playing squash on her school’s team, refining her photography skills and walking her black Labrador, Gatsby (literary reference).

Shayla Gerkin is a senior who attends Exeter High School. She is a New Hampshire Teen Poet Laureate. Poetry, to her, is about self-expression and is motivated to advocate the freedom of poetry for teens. Her poetry has been recognized by University of New Hampshire, anthologies, Slam Poetry Zines, and local libraries. She leads a Poetry Team and newspaper at Exeter High School. When not writing, Shayla spends her time working at the Brentwood Library, reading thriller books, playing with her cat Karma, and making daily trips to Dunkin’ Donuts for a nice iced coffee.

Sophie Yu (she/her) is a junior at Phillips Exeter Academy and a member of the NH Teen Poet Laureate Team. She is a published author of two poetry collections titled “My Universe” and “Obsidian” and was a winner of the 2023 Lamont Younger Poets Prize at her academy. She is an alumnus of the Sewanee Young Writers Conference and the Juniper Institute for Young Writers program. Furthermore, her work has also been featured in various anthologies and recognized by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards both regionally and nationally. In her free time she loves to listen to music, cafe-hop, and scrapbook.

Catherine Manley is a sophomore at Phillips Exeter Academy. Her writing has been recognized by various contests and anthologies around the world. These include the Dreams Come True International Writing Competition where she published two poems, the Lamont Poetry 2024 Chapbook, as well as local zines and magazines. Additionally, she is a recipient of the 2024 Lamont Younger Poets Prize and works with multiple poetry clubs on campus. When not writing, Catherine enjoys volunteering with various organizations, playing in orchestras and bands, and studying foreign languages.

Jimmy Pappas received an MA in English literature from Rivier University. Published in over 100 journals, he moderates weekly Zoom events called A Conversation with Jimmy and Friends. His poem "Bobby's Story" was one of ten finalists in the 2017 Rattle Poetry Contest and won the 2018 Readers Choice Award. It is included in his first book Scream Wounds, a collection of poems based on veterans' stories. He was the winner of the 2019 Rattle chapbook contest for Falling off the Empire State Building. His interview with editor Tim Green is on Rattlecast #34.