Laureates Poetry Contest for Teens

ABOUT

Nicole Tallman serves as the Poet Laureate of Miami-Dade County. Prior to serving as Poet Laureate, she served as the County's Poetry Ambassador for five years. She is the author of five books, including her latest, Dolce Vita/Let There Be a Little Light, and her next, The Velvet Room, is forthcoming in April 2027. Nicole also serves as poetry and interviews editor for South Florida Poetry Journal, an editor and communications advisor for JackLeg Press, and an advisory board member for SWWIM (Supporting Women Writers in Miami). Find her on social media @natallman, and at nicoletallman.com and miamidade.gov/poetry.

Born in Manhattan, New York, to Honduran immigrant parents, Oscar Fuentes —known as The Biscayne Poet—is a Miami-based multidisciplinary artist whose work explores family, memory, and place. He is the author of 13 books, including Relics of the Heart: Stories of My Family (2024), Poetry City (2025), Biscayne Inferno and Other Stories (2025), and Geography of Light (2026). Known for creating poems on vintage typewriters, Oscar was recently featured on the Bravo TV show The Real Housewives of Miami and serves as Poet-in-Residence at the 1 Hotel South Beach, where he writes poems for the public each Saturday. He also serves as Library Art Manager for the Miami-Dade Public Library System, overseeing exhibitions and library art programs. In recognition of his contributions to Miami's literary community, he received the inaugural Miami-Dade Mayoral Poetry Commendation.

Aaron Glickman has worked in South Florida media for nearly 20 years, a time which he has spent documenting a regional transformation that has catapulted Miami into a city of international significance. In 2026, Aaron produced and directed two feature-length documentaries, Poetry City and Summer at Shake-a-Leg. In 2025, he produced and directed Miami Schmatta, which is currently running on South Florida PBS.