CALLING ALL CREATIVE WRITERS & POETS!

• Are U a Poet?
• Do U live in NYC or Long Island?
• Are U currently in grades 4–12?

Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts is kicking off The Poet in U Scholarship search — and we want U to apply!

WHAT IS THE POET IN U SCHOLARSHIP?

Usdan’s newest scholarship, The Poet in U is a celebration of creativity, self-expression, and voice. Show us your unique voice that exists on and off the page, and you could be selected to receive a full 4-week scholarship (valued at $6,050) including bus transportation to Usdan for the session A in the Summer 2025 Season (June 30 to July 25). 

Along with the official title and a scholarship award, The Poet in U gets both high-level performance and learning opportunities from the Creative Writing teaching artist faculty.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?

Young writers currently in grades 4–12 living in the New York City and Long Island areas are encouraged to apply. The Poet in U Scholarship is open to both new and returning Usdan students.

WHAT ARE THE APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS?

We welcome submissions of all forms of poetry. Each submission should be the original work of an individual artist and must not infringe upon the copyrights, trademarks, rights of privacy, publicity, or other intellectual property or other rights of any person. No collaborative work will be accepted.

HOW TO APPLY

Students are asked to submit a writing portfolio and complete an application through Submittable. Completed applications include:

• Contact information
• A portfolio of 3 poems in a PDF or Word Doc
• Answers to these questions in a brief paragraph: Why would you like to attend Usdan? What would you like to do with what you learn here? 

CRITERIA

The Poet in U scholarship recipients will be selected based on the following criteria:

• Voice: a strong and unique voice through words on and off the page.
• Creativity: a uniquely individual approach and style to your work with a high level of impact on the audience.

WHAT IS THE APPLICATION DEADLINE?

The Poet in U Scholarship applications close Friday, February 28, 2025.

WHAT AMOUNT OF SCHOLARSHIP DO THE POET IN U LAUREATES RECEIVE?

Two Poet in U Laureates will be selected — one in our Junior Division (grades 4–6) and one in our Senior Division (grades 6–12). Both winners will receive a full 4-week scholarship valued at $6,050)to attend Usdan from June 30–July 25, 2025 and major in Spoken Word & Poetry during our 4A Session. Bus transportation is included in the full scholarship. Scholarship winners will also receive:

• The opportunity to join other selected finalists at Usdan for a live reading and celebration on Sunday, April 27, 2025
• Additional opportunities to give readings of their work throughout the year, including at a Usdan Festival during the Summer 2025 Season, and at the Usdan ReUnion Show in September 2025
• A Usdan Creative Writing Department T-shirt

10–12 total applicants will be selected as finalists for the scholarship and will be invited to the live reading and celebration on April 27.

ABOUT THE POET IN U SCHOLARSHIP JUDGES

Daniella Toosie-Watson

Daniella Toosie-Watson (she/they) is a poet, visual artist, and educator. Their first book, What We Do with God (Fall 2025) is forthcoming with Haymarket Books. Daniella was shortlisted for the 2024 Oxford Poetry Prize and has been published in The Atlantic, The Paris Review, Oxford Poetry, Callaloo, Virginia Quarterly Review, Poet Lore, and elsewhere. A profile writer for The Kennedy Center Next 50 and current Visiting Professor at Pratt Institute, they received their MFA from the University of Michigan Helen Zell Writers’ Program where they were awarded a Zell Fellowship and Graduate Hopwood Award. Daniella lives in New York.

Daemond Arrindell

Daemond Arrindell (he/him) is a multi-genre writer, performer and educator. He has taught at  Seattle University,  been a faculty member of  TAT Lab, the Washington State Teaching Artist Training Lab,  and Freehold Theatre, leading poetry & theatre residencies at Washington State’s Monroe Correctional Complex. His work has appeared in  City Arts,  Specter,  Crosscut,  Poetry NorthWest,  Seattle Review of Books and The Pitkin Review.  In 2019, he performed his one-man show, “Frozen Borders,” an exploration in imagery, poetry and emotion regarding the United States’ southern border. In 2022, Daemond earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College. He lives, writes, and teaches in New York City.

Jay Howard

Jay Howard (he/him) is a poet and writer from The Bronx, NY. He truly believes that the lived experience is the ultimate teaching tool and uses poetry as a social forum to foster discourse about love, culture, and identity. He has previously facilitated workshops across NYC with The New York State Office of Children and Family Services, Voices UnBroken, 92nd Street Y, and Teachers & Writers Collaborative. He is the TAP Co-Director for Curricula, Mentorship & Facilitation at Community Word Project and the Education Director at Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts. Howard's work has recently been featured in The Broken Plate, great weather for MEDIA, The Watershed Review, River Mouth Review and The Minnesota Review. He is a recipient of the 2022 Aspen Words Fellowship.