Please join us in celebrating the launch of the 2025/26 Seattle Youth Poet Laureate Ahsenti Alfedil’s chapbook. Published by Poetry Northwest Editions,this is the eleventh edition of the Seattle Youth Poet Laureate series. Ahsenti Alfedil will read from the collection alongside other talented poets. After the reading, copies of the chapbook will be available for purchase.
This event is free and open to the public.
Ahsenti Alfedil is a first-generation American of Ethio-Sudanese descent and a student at the Bush School. A multidisciplinary Piscean, she moves fluidly between poetry, acrylic/oil painting, and movement—always led by curiosity and feeling. When not overwhelmed by her academic workload, she finds joy in braiding hair, spending hours adorning herself and loved ones in henna, skating to her favorite playlists, and research as a leisure activity. As a writer, Ahsenti turns most often to poetry. Her work shows resistance to categorization because she follows her intrigue; the fleeting moments that spark inspiration to create. Through her writing, she hopes to make space for those navigating layered identities, vulnerability, and for stories that make people feel seen in their most intricate and unspoken parts.
About SAL’s Youth Poetry Fellowship (YPF):
The Youth Poetry Fellowship serves a cohort of young writers committed to poetry, performance, civic and community engagement, education, and equity across the Puget Sound region. Over the course of the school year, fellows meet regularly for workshops with the Youth Poetry Fellowship mentors. Fellows also have numerous public opportunities to share their voices, leadership, and love of Seattle throughout the course of the year. One of the fellows serves as the Youth Poet Laureate and writes a poetry collection published by Poetry NW Editions.