Daniel Somtochukwu Umemezie, an 18-year-old Nigerian-American poet, has been named the 2026-2027 U.S. National Youth Poet Laureate, earning one of the country’s top honours for young poets.
Umemezie, from Cedar Falls, Iowa, becomes the 10th National Youth Poet Laureate after being selected from hundreds of young writers and youth poets laureate from across the United States.
His poetry draws heavily on his Nigerian upbringing, exploring themes of identity, memory, migration, heritage and the experience of navigating life between Nigerian and American cultures.
According to the National Youth Poet Laureate programme, Umemezie wants to use his tenure to promote multilingual and diasporic poetry, as well as poetry as a tool for political participation, self-expression and social change.
His journey to the national title began in Iowa. He previously served as the Cedar Valley Youth Poet Laureate and was the 2025-2026 Iowa Student Poet Ambassador before advancing through the national competition.
Umemezie grew up in Nigeria and moved to the United States with his family at the age of 13. His experiences adjusting to a new culture later became an important source of inspiration for his poetry. PBS reported that poetry became a way for him to connect his Nigerian roots with his life in America.
Beyond poetry, Umemezie has explored several creative interests, including music, drawing, painting and architecture. He has also revealed plans to study aerospace engineering at Iowa State University rather than pursue creative writing as his main university course.
He follows notable young poets who have held the national title, including Amanda Gorman, the inaugural National Youth Poet Laureate, and Salome Agbaroji, the Nigerian-American poet who served as National Youth Poet Laureate in 2023-2024.
Umemezie’s achievement has also received recognition beyond the poetry community. In June 2026, his achievement was acknowledged in the U.S. Congressional Record, with his Nigerian childhood and poetry highlighted as key parts of his story.
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