S A T O R I
Member
About-
Finn Maxwell - Youth Poet Laureate
Finalists - Sylvi Kayser - Mason Leopold - Xander Schulman
Artist Statement
Please welcome four members of the Santa Cruz County Youth Poet Laureate cohort for 2025-26. From various corners of Santa Cruz County, these four poets offer fresh, urgent, and creative insights into the worlds they inhabit. Their poems speak to issues which matter to so many of us, reflecting passion and heartbreak; fear for the earth, its inhabitants, and the environment; a curiosity about the community of individuals with which they reside; and above all, a belief in poetry, story and song to offer us all portals for change.
Finn Maxwell, Youth Poet Laureate. San Lorenzo Valley High School
Finn Maxwell is a junior in high school. He writes short stories and poems, often taking inspiration from his home in Boulder Creek. Finn's work has been recognized by the Scholastic Writing Awards and the Iowa Young Writers Studio and is present in The Malu Zine, The Blue Marble Review, and The Incandescent Review. When he isn’t writing, he spends his time painting and practicing photography.
Sylvi Kayser, Finalist. Aptos High School
Sylvi Kayser is an avid writer and poet focused on expression of self. Her work is a reflection of identity, her mind, and humanity as a whole. She has been writing all her life and discovered a love for poetry in eighth grade. Through their work, Sylvi wishes to cultivate spaces of understanding and hope.
Mason Leopold, Finalist. San Lorenzo Valley High School
Mason Leopold really loves the spot where life in the Valley, environmental celebration, and artistic language intersect. They hang out here a lot, writing pieces about human and ecological relationships through a sensitive, personal lens.
Xander Shulman, Finalist. Santa Cruz High School
Xander Shulman is a musically-driven poet who emphasizes the rhythmic and artistic liberties of his writing. He's a jazz drummer who plays for several groups, namely his band, Gma's Place (@gmajams), at local events and gigs, as well as a bagpiper in Santa Cruz Pipes and Drums, under the performative instruction of Jay Salter, who also has provided poetry guidance. He wants to bring the sound of his music into the thought of his writing, using poetry as a medium to address modern uncertainties in an unfiltered voice.