About me
Isaiah Kahn, the 2026 Oakland Youth Poet Laureate, is a sixteen-year-old writer at Oakland School for the Arts. Poetry is his main focus, and what gives him the most confidence. It allows him to not get stuck on small things, at least not by accident—if he ever does, maybe it’s poetic. He can make it something to be happy about. He writes and cares a lot about people, especially his relationships with them. Most of his work encircles either relationships, or their earliest form, impressions. His favorite writings are the ones that take a moment and show you why it matters; focus on a beautiful thing one might otherwise overlook. Oakland’s culture of sharing creativity has allowed him to appreciate many different artforms, which is something he wants to continue capitalizing on. To him, poetry is just beautiful thoughts, and art is just reasons to think beautifully. He’s had so much fun loving poetry. His first ever poetry slam is what he considers the turning point for becoming a better person. Poetry, especially when community is involved, makes him realize that most people are incredible if you look correctly.
