Madison Reporter

Octavia Ikard has been named the next Madison Youth Poet Laureate. The announcement was made by Madison Poet Laureate Steven Espada Dawson and the Madison Arts Commission, who are inviting the public to attend an opening reception and poetry reading for Ikard.

The event is scheduled for Tuesday, September 16, 2025, at 5:30pm in room 201 of the Madison Municipal Building at 215 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. An elevator is available near the staircase at the Doty Street end of the building.

This event will serve as Ikard’s inaugural reading as Youth Poet Laureate. Other participants include Steven Dawson, Youth Arts Ambassador Dawry Ruiz, and outgoing Youth Poet Laureate Justin Festge Russell. Following the reception, Ikard will read a poem to open the Madison Common Council Meeting.

Octavia Ikard is the fourth person to hold this title in Madison, following previous laureates Madeleine Bohn (2022-2023), Maliha Nu’Man (2023-2024), and Justin Festge Russell (2024-2025).