Published by  | | |  | A Q&A with national youth poet laureate Alexandra Huỳnh | | For Alexandra Huỳnh, life these days is anything but ordinary. The 19-year-old poet and California native began her college career in the fall, when the world was deep into the second year of the pandemic. While attending English and engineering classes at Stanford University, she's been balancing her duties as the national youth poet laureate, a position famously first held by Amanda Gorman, whose recitation at the Inauguration a year ago captured the nation. Huỳnh is the fifth person to hold the national youth poet laureate title. The position, which is sponsored by Urban Word NYC, celebrates young poets across the United States both for their artistic excellence and commitment to civic engagement and social justice. Working with local literary and arts organizations across the country, the program identifies promising young poets eager to affect change in their communities. The program celebrates youth poet laureates at the city level, and then each spring a panel of poets and writers selects one national laureate from the pool. | |  | | We caught up with Huỳnh while she was back home in Sacramento for winter break. She spoke about finding her voice, widening the platform of the youth poet laureate, and finding hope in 2022. Q: Are there specific things that you're thinking about with your role that you're getting behind or that you want to shine a light on? A: It's really important for me to advocate for spaces for youth where they can learn how to articulate their lived experiences and feel very safe in doing so. There's no shortage in the amount of genius that is in our young people, just a shortage of spaces for them to speak out their truth. And I stand by that. As the national youth poet laureate, it can feel sometimes like I'm put in this position where I'm supposed to have the answers to everything or I'm supposed to be the voice for our generation. But we can make a greater impact when we open up the stage to as many voices as possible. I just want to make sure that I am directing people's attention to other incredible young people just as much as I'm taking up space in the spotlight. | | | | | Three need-to-know stories | | | (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post) | 01.Thousands of antiabortion demonstrators gathered in Washington on Friday for the March for Life rally, which coincided with the 49th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. As the future of the landmark ruling hangs in the balance at the U.S. Supreme Court, demonstrators feel their call may finally be answered to overturn the 1973 precedent that legalized abortion. We asked readers about their memories of that time. Here's what they told us. 02.Zara Rutherford, 19, became the youngest woman to fly around the world solo when she touched down in western Belgium last week, completing a more than 32,000-mile journey spanning five continents. The British-Belgian aviator, who used her gap year after high school to break the record, also became the first woman to circumnavigate the globe in a microlight aircraft. 03.Four months after Gabby Petito went missing while on a cross-country road trip with her fiance, the FBI says all evidence points to her partner as the sole culprit, including a notebook found with his body. The FBI said the notebook contained "written statements by Mr. Laundrie claiming responsibility for Ms. Petito's death." | | | | | | | | Lusia Harris. (Tony Krausz/The Delta Democrat-Times/AP) | | Women's basketball legend Lusia Harris died last week at the age of 66. She was the first Black woman inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. She also won a silver medal at the 1976 Olympic Games, scoring the first points in Olympic women's basketball history. And she was the first and, so far, only woman officially drafted by an NBA team. She was "the GOAT you never heard of," as Shaquille O'Neal described her last month. The word "pioneer" is being used to appreciate Harris's athletic accomplishments, but that doesn't capture the full scope of her life and achievements at a time when sports options for women were extremely limited. "She will be remembered for her charity, for her achievements both on and off the court, and the light she brought to her community," her family said in a statement, "… and to women who play basketball around the world." | | | | | But before we part, some recs | | Hannah GoodMultiplatform editor, The LilyWhat's brightening up my apartment:I put a suncatcher and a disco ball in my window so they cast light and rainbows all over. It brings me a bit of joy as the evening sun comes in — a welcome contrast to the dread I usually feel at early winter sunsets! How I'm simplifying my makeup routine:This tinted balm from Axiology, a woman-owned, zero-waste makeup brand, is the perfect multi-purpose makeup product. The strawberry is my perfect shade of red, and I love that the packaging is recyclable or compostable. What I'm drinking instead of alcohol:I'm trying Dry January this year, which means I'm on the hunt for the perfect after-work mocktail. So far my favorite is lavendar kombucha in a thrifted coup glass (the vessel matters!), but send me your recs on Instagram Stories today. | | | | |
