MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Mid-South teen is using her passion for writing to inspire others to be the change they want to see. This White Station senior recently received a prestigious title in the Memphis poetry scene.
“I’m super excited to see you know where I can take this and how many people I can impact,” said Aasritha Butti, White Station High School Senior.
Aasritha Butti has big goals.
At the age of 17, she’s already committed herself to serving others. She’s involved in several clubs at her school.
She works part-time at the after-school math and reading program Kumon. She’s also part of a research lab at the University of Memphis and very involved with her local library.
“Right now, I’m working on a poetry curriculum for the refugee empowerment program,” Butti said.
While it may sound like she has a packed schedule, Butti recently received a new title as the 2025 Memphis Youth Poet Laureate.
“My poem was actually about my grandmother and also my experiences with my summers in India,” Butti said.
According to Homegrown Arts, which is the local art organization that hosted the program for the city of Memphis in partnership with Urban Word, the program recognizes young writers dedicated to social change, community engagement, civic pride, and tolerance.
“My culture, especially in literature, was not as represented, let’s say, like the white male perspective. I think that for young people across the city, it’s so important to see them be represented in not just you know, visual media, but also in literature,” Butti said.
Executive Director for Homegrown Arts, Bria Saulsberry, says the youth poet laureate is someone who uses their poetry and writing to be an advocate and voice for other young people.
She says that for the next year, Butti will write poetry that reflects social issues in the community on behalf of the youth in Memphis and present the pieces at public speaking engagements.
Butti will also partake in civic engagement opportunities.
“She had a really strong sense of who she is,” Saulsberry said. “So, her writing really reflected or gave us a peek into her life and her family. We saw what was important to her by the things she was writing about. The context of her writing is very high-level thinking.”
Saulsberry says a committee of educators, activists, community members, and poetry lovers selected the winner based on their poetry portfolio and resume detailing leadership capabilities and academic achievements.
While Saulsberry did not choose the winner, she says she believes Aasritha was chosen based on her community involvement.
Butti says she wants to use her writing to encourage other young people to be the change they want to see in the community.
“That’s often like drilled into our head from when we’re young, you can do whatever you want to do. You can achieve all of your goals, but until you actually see someone that looks like you, someone who talks like you, someone who dresses like you, actually go there and do it, you kind of feel like detached from that,” Butti said.
As for Butti’s future, even though she wants to pursue a healthcare career, she has no plans to set down her pen.
“I may not do writing as a full-time career, but I never want to stop this idea of encouraging other people to write,” she said.
To learn more about the organization behind the program, visit here.
