Boston names Ailin Sha as its fourth Youth Poet Laureate
Boston has selected Ailin Sha as the city’s fourth Youth Poet Laureate, recognizing an 18-year-old writer whose work centers on identity, voice, and belonging.
Ailin attended Boston Latin School and is now a freshman at Harvard University. She grew up in Beijing and moved to Boston at age 11. She lives in Fenway-Kenmore.
Her résumé spans literature, music, and civic leadership. In 2024, Sha was the Massachusetts state champion of Poetry Out Loud. She has earned State Gold Keys and a National Silver Medal from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. She played violin with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras for seven years and served as an alum of the Mayor’s Youth Council and A-VOYCE, a youth leadership program of Asian CDC. She also interned at the Roxbury Defenders branch of Committee for Public Counsel Services.
As Youth Poet Laureate, Sha plans to expand access to poetry for young people across the city. Her proposals include a Youth Poetry Workshop Series at the Boston Public Library and a Poetry Pen Pal Project linking students across Boston Public Schools.
“It’s truly an honor to be named Boston’s fourth Youth Poet Laureate,” Sha said. She added that she hopes to use poetry to connect young people and strengthen access to the arts citywide.
City leaders thanked the selection panel, Boston’s Poet Laureate Porsha Olayiwola, and the many youth poets who applied. The city also recognized Parker Vincent Alva, who has served as Youth Poet Laureate since 2024, partnering with cultural institutions to bring poetry into public spaces, classrooms, and civic conversations.
