Youth Poetry Project 2026
Teaching Artists in RFV middle schools for week-long intensives
Oct.-Nov., 2026
This fall, Aspen Words is thrilled to once again partner with the Aspen Education Foundation to bring renowned teaching artists and performance poets into Aspen middle school classrooms.
For the fifth year in a row, professional poets will lead a week-long poetry intensive in every English Language Arts classroom at Aspen, inspiring students to explore creativity, self-expression, and the power of language.
The poets will also return to the classrooms at Carbondale and Basalt middle schools. 2026 is the fourth year working with students in Basalt and the third year returning to Carbondale.
The Aspen Words youth poetry project will encompass three weeks of in-classroom instruction – one at each school – and a Student Showcase hosted by Basalt middle school where students from all three schools will perform their original work.
The 2026 Poetry Project Dates
Aspen Middle School: October 19–23
Carbondale Middle School: November 2–6
Basalt Middle School: November 9–13
Student Showcase: November 12
2026 Youth Poetry Project Teaching Artists
Natasha Carrizosa “Natty” is a poet, writer, creative writing teacher, and speaker, and draws inspiration from her childhood and life experiences. Raised as the daughter of a fierce African-American mother and Mexican father, her writing reflects the dichotomy of these two rich cultures. Carrizosa is the author of “mexiafricana,” “heavy light,” and “crown.” With a passion for the arts, she has performed and conducted workshops globally, including in Madrid, Paris, St. Lucia, New York, Chicago, and Houston. Carrizosa’s impact extends to the creation of “Natty Roots & Rhyme,” one of the nation’s most dynamic poetry open mics.
Logan Phillips is a writer, performer and cultural worker, currently serving as Poet Laureate of Tucson, Arizona. He is recipient of a 2026 Poet Laureate Fellowship from the Academy of American Poets and is author of the books “Reckon” (University of Arizona Press, 2026), “Sonoran Strange” (West End Press, 2015), and the ongoing “NoVoGRAFíAS” series (Artspeak Press).
Phillips is known for bilingual readings (English / Spanish), and multimedia performance art pieces, which have been featured at festivals in the US, Mexico, Colombia, the UK and Germany. Holding collaboration as a core creative practice, he has contributed to a wide range of publishing, music, education and community-centered, land-based projects. More at Dirtyverbs.com and @dirtyverbs
Enrique García Naranjo (also known as Q) is a culture worker, writer and recording artist from Tucson, AZ. With 12 years of curating events, facilitating workshops and multi-media performances across the borderlands, Enrique’s has been teaching artist for the University of Arizona Poetry Center’s Writing-the-Community Residency, and the Brave New Voices youth poetry festival; Enrique’s writing has been published by The L.A. Times, PBS NewsHours, Borderlore: Heritage and Culture of U.S. Southwest and Northern Mexico, and more.
Jasminne Mendez is a two time Pura Belpre Honor Award Author and an NAACP Image Award Nominee. She is a Dominican-American poet, playwright and award winning author of several books for children and adults. Including the novels in verse “Aniana del Mar Jumps In” and the YA novel in verse “The Story of My Anger.” Her other books have received prizes from the Texas Institute of Letters, the Writer’s League of Texas and the International Latino Book Awards. She has also had poetry and essays published in numerous journals and anthologies including The Acentos Review, The New England Review, Kenyon Review, Gulf Coast, Poetry Magazine and others. She is an MFA graduate of the Rainier Writing Workshop at Pacific Lutheran University and a University of Houston alumni and her second picture book “We’re Off to Carnaval!” will be released in January 2027. Learn more at www.jasminnemendez.com
