The Last Poem

At our festival, the last poem of the day is a moment shared between all the participants and audience members present that day. Throughout the entire festival venue, we signal the end of the day with The Last Poem, a moment in which everyone’s attention is shifted towards the final moment of the day. The honor of The Last Poem on the Friday of the festival is reserved for the Youth Poet Laureate of the USA, Salome Agbaroji!

Salome Agbaroji is a Nigerian-American poet, performer and activist. Through her poetry, Agbaroji pushes for social change and community action, focusing on themes of racism, oppression and inclusion as well as femininity, Christianity, home and family. Overcoming the sometimes exclusionary academics of poetry, she has learned that: “you don't have to look a certain way for your words to mean something, for your words to be worthy of a stage for an audience”. Agbaroji’s insightful perspective and lovable eccentricity lend her performances a power that leaves her audience with a lasting impression, food for thought and a hunger for more.
In 2022 Agbaroji was selected as Los Angeles Youth Poet Laureate. As the current National Youth Poet Laureate of the United States, she continues her fight against educational inequity and illiteracy, aiming to ensure that all people have access to the power that lies within their voice and words. She has performed her spoken word poetry at the Golden Globes Pre-Show as well as the NFL Rams Halftime Show and has been honored with awards such as the Scholastic Arts and Writing Award. Agbaroji currently attends Harvard University, studying Government and Political Science.