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Former Bishop’s student named NYC Youth Poet Laureate
Former Bishop’s student named NYC Youth Poet Laureate
She became the youngest competitor to win the First Citizens Bank National Poetry Slam Championship in 2017 and she’s now been named NYC’s 2019 Youth Poet Laureate.
Meet 19-year-old Camryn Bruno, a poetess and writer who raises consciousness on social issues affecting youth via the spoken word artform.
Though she was born in Queens, New York, Bruno called Tobago home for many years.
It was during her time on the sister isle that she developed a love for spoken word and ultimately what inspired her winning piece Politics Bite – a clarion call for citizens to vote.
Drawing on the idea that politicians are dogs, the 19-year-old penned the piece, likening animals to a system of persistent inequality, corruption and politics.
The freshman at York College of The City University of New York, in an interview with QNS following the announcement in November says she is excited to have gotten an opportunity to “speak for and to youth around New York City.”
She added that it is always an “amazing, refreshing and motivating” experience to see the impact her words have on the youth.
As a young female, she says she is always looking for opportunities to help young women around the world. She hopes to work as a teaching artist in the future.
Bruno was first introduced to poetry through a community development workshop which she says allowed her to practice spoken word and gave her the push that she needed.
The teenager attended the Bishop’s High School in Tobago and was a participant in the school’s poetry slam each year until she graduated. She returned to New York earlier this year to attend York College, where she is is currently majoring in communications technology.
Also under her belt is the Ms. Tobago Heritage Personality Competition and a number of National Literary Youth Awards.
She is also the 2015 recipient of the Zelma A. Cowie Award for Civic Mindedness.
During her time in Tobago, she was a temporary tour member with The 2 Cents Movement.
To learn more about the talented young poetess, visit her website at camrynbruno.com