Santa Cruz Public Libraries and Farnaz Fatemi, former Santa Cruz County Poet Laureate, in partnership with Urban Word, are excited to announce that Finn Maxwell was selected as the 2025-2026 Santa Cruz County Youth Poet Laureate. Maxwell was chosen from the 2025-26 cohort of finalists for Santa Cruz County Youth Poet Laureate which included Sylvi Kayser of Aptos High School, Mason Leopold of San Lorenzo Valley High School, Noemi Romero of Pajaro Valley High School and Xander Shulman of Santa Cruz High School.
The celebration took place at Samper Recital Hall, Cabrillo College on Thursday, April 17 at 7:00 pm. The program, hosted by Farnaz Fatemi, included readings from each of the finalists and from the outgoing, inaugural cohort of poets, including Dina Lusztig Noyes, 2024-25 Youth Poet Laureate.
Finn Maxwell is a junior at San Lorenzo Valley High School. He writes short stories and poems, often inspired by his Boulder Creek home. His work has been recognized by the Scholastic Writing Awards and the Iowa Young Writers Studio and is present in The Malu Zine, The Blue Marble Review, and The Incandescent Review. When he isn’t writing, he spends his time painting and practicing photography.
Maxwell will serve a one-year term as Youth Poet Laureate and will act as an advocate and county ambassador for poetry, social action and civic engagement. He will champion his own poetic practice while encouraging peers through readings, workshops and appearances at events throughout the county.