Octavia Ikard named next Madison Youth Poet Laureate

Every day I challenge myself to answer why I write. So far, I can say this: I am the storyteller of my family. I listen to the hearts of the women around me and let their rhythm guide my pencil. I write about my mother walking over glass with her twin sister in the eighties. I write about my grandmother, who raised twelve brothers alone at age eight. I study her feet and hands, and her scrapbooks filled with dreams of who she could have been. I let their anger flow through my words and release it with every performance. My writing shows my love for myself and the Black women around me, including those in Madison. I hope to live long enough to be a story worth telling.

Octavia brings a powerful voice to the page—one that connects personal history to place with striking clarity. Their work blends grief, identity, and family legacy into vivid imagery and lyrical insight. With a sharp sense of language and a brave approach to memory, they embody the spirit of our city’s evolving story. As Madison’s next youth poet laureate, they have the voice and vision to reflect both its beauty and complexities.

We are thrilled to welcome Octavia as Madison’s fourth Youth Poet Laureate. They are a gifted poet who creates because they must. The Youth Poet Laureate program has grown every year, and we look forward to hearing what Octavia has to share. Listen closely, Madison.