Teen poet Elizabeth Hsu is Houston’s new Youth Poet Laureate

Elizabeth Hsu, a student at University of Texas Online High School, has been named the 2023-2024 Houston Youth Poet Laureate, as appointed by Mayor Sylvester Turner.

Hsu’s one-year term officially begins on November 16, 2023, following a commencement ceremony. She becomes the city’s 8^th Youth Poet Laureate, succeeding Ariana Lee, who is now a freshman at Stanford University.

“I’m honored to name Elizabeth as the next Youth Poet Laureate,” said Mayor Turner in a statement. “She is thoughtful and civic-minded, and her poetry reflects Houston’s future, and through her work, she will demonstrate how youth voices continue to shape the story of our city.”

An active member of the youth poetry community, Hsu was a semifinalist and the Texas Representative for the 2023-2024 National Student Poet competition. She is an alumna of the Adroit Journal Summer Mentorship, the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio, the Stanford Humanities Institute, and the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program: Between the Lines.

According to WITS, Hsu merges a love of place and identity into her poetry, and she loves the power of language, her friends and family, and her four cats. In addition to writing, Hsu is a classical singer and a member of the Houston Grand Opera Bauer High School Voice Studio.

at fifteen I feel like I’m barely a human. I’m
fourteen pages of tests and charts, stuck all
together with thumbtacks and flesh and a
broken signature for feet. 

Elizabeth Hsu, from “nothin’ wrong with you,” Cathartic Youth Literary Magazine

Founded in 2016, the Houston Youth Poet Laureate position is an initiative of Writers in the Schools, the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, and Houston Public Library. The program aims to identify young writers and leaders who are committed to civic and community engagement through poetry and performance.

As part of her appointment, Hsu will receive a $1000 scholarship and will work closely with Houston Poet Laureate Aris Kian as her mentor over the next year. Hsu will connect with the community through writing and poetry performance, as well as complete a project that serves Houstonians.

“My project is aimed at increasing youth accessibility to diverse literature and encouraging young people to write poetry, especially in the wake of library conversion and book bans,” said Hsu in a statement.

“Through public readings, workshops, and media outreach, the project aims to ensure access to diverse literature and nurture spaces for learning and exploration,” she said.

Leading up to her appointment by Mayor Turner, Hsu went through an application process, and then a selection process by a diverse group of poets, scholars, literary experts, and community representatives. This year’s committee included poet J. Estanislao Lopez, Raie Crawford of Performing Arts Houston, Rich Levy of Inprint, and Anthony Sutton of the University of Houston.

“Throughout the process, we were blown away by Elizabeth’s poetic talent and her thoughtful engagement with community issues,” said Giuseppe Taurino, WITS Executive Director in a statement. “We’re delighted to welcome another Youth Poet Laureate to the Houston stage.”