The City of Rockford, in partnership with the Rockford Area Arts Council and the Rockford Public Library, recently named a new City of Rockford Poet Laureate and Youth Poet.
The City of Rockford announced Lydia Kozlowski as the 2024-2025 Poet Laureate. A talented poet and marketer, Lydia brings a unique perspective to her work, deeply influenced by her heritage as the daughter of Polish immigrants. She views the world through this lens, allowing her poetry to explore themes of identity, language, and cultural connection. As Poet Laureate, Lydia has an exciting vision for amplifying diverse voices in the community. One of her key initiatives will be to curate and showcase poems by local women, incorporating multilingual works, translations, and code-switching to celebrate the richness of language and expression.
Lydia is a published writer whose work has appeared in The Finger Literary Magazine and, most recently, Spoon River Poetry Review. Her poem, Black Out at the White Eagle, will be featured in the forthcoming Rockford Anthology, further cementing her place in the city’s literary landscape. A graduate of Boylan High School, Lydia went on to earn her Bachelor's Degree in English from Lewis University. Her passion for poetry and community engagement will bring fresh energy to Rockford’s literary scene, inspiring others to share their stories and embrace the power of the written word.
The City also announced Autumn Rose Smith as the 2025 Youth Poet. Autumn, a junior at Boylan Catholic High School, has been a passionate writer and creator since childhood. Her love for poetry began at a young age, and by fourth grade, she had already achieved her first publication in Futures, a book by Appelley Publishing. Since then, she has continued to refine her craft, earning recognition and accolades for her work.
At Boylan, Autumn has been twice recognized as Highly Commended in the school's Annual Poetry Contest during her freshman and sophomore years. Her talent and dedication have led to an impressive seven publications through various competitions. Notably, four of her poems have been featured in the Live Poets Society of New Jersey American High School Poets collections—a distinction awarded to only 2% of submissions. With her growing list of achievements, Autumn continues to make her mark as a young poet with a bright future ahead.