Be Heard Final Bout

Poets from across the state have competed in SEVEN preliminary bouts, a youth writing conference, and more! All in an effort to make their way to onto the 2026 Be Heard Cohort, representing youth voice in Minnesota throughout the year. Get here; support the next generation of poets!

The Be Heard MN youth poetry slam series (Be Heard) is an annual series that seeks to identify a cohort of six teen poets with Minnesota addresses to represent youth voice through public performance, commissioned works, panel discussions, and more while simultaneously receiving mentorship in writing, performance, and publication from some of Minnesota’s premiere spoken word artists.

Be Heard alumnae have gone on to receive full-tuition scholarships for college, fellowships, grants, publication opportunities, and more. Past coaches have included Crescent Moon, Danez Smith, Hieu Minh Nguyen, Khary Jackson, and more.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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