“Writing was the place that felt safe, as though I could try and voice the myriad of experiences I was having all at once,” she said.

What started as a self-expression tool morphed into an appreciation for the written word as she studied English, playwriting and poetry at multiple institutions and participated in workshops.

As an enrolled student in Penn State University’s dual-title PhD program in English literature and African American and Diaspora Studies, she’s also the State College Borough’s inaugural poet laureate since fall 2025, working on creative writing with area students and adults.

She said writing and poetry events can bring community members closer together while making education accessible to the masses.

State College’s inaugural poet laureate Carmin Wong is seen teaching a writing workshop for schoolchildren Courtesy photo

“It has its own agency, and we can use it as a resource and a tool to better understand each other,” she said.

Born in Georgetown, Guyana, Wong and her family immigrated to New York City in 2000 when she was 4 years old, as her parents were in search of a better educational experience for their children.

Her father was a saw operator, while her mother worked in health care to support their young family in a new country. They lived in a Caribbean household with their three daughters speaking English and other varieties of the language.

Having a first-generation immigrant experience taught her to be self-sufficient, nurturing and present for each other, she said, and she still feels grateful for those lessons.

With an interest in writing, Wong began to explore literature and poetry while attending Boys and Girls High School in Brooklyn, where educators and her eldest sister, Charmin Wong, guided her toward writing programs, such as the Girls Write Now nonprofit organization, which partners adult female writers with girls attending New York City public schools.

Wong

Hearing about the program, Charmin said that she suggested it to her younger sister, who at the time was writing in her free time. Wong eventually returned to the program years later as a mentor to help female writers in high school.

“She’s a writing activist,” Charmin said with a laugh.

Finding her voice

Being mentored in the Girls Write Now program propelled Wong to pursue English language and literature at Howard University in 2014, where she said she felt inspired by African American writers, such as Toni Morrison and Zora Neale Hurston, who had walked the halls before her.

“And there was something I delighted in about knowing that I wanted to be in those spaces,” she said, adding that she was fortunate to attend a college that continues its own successful reputation today.

State College Borough’s poet laureate, Carmin Wong, gives a keynote speech in April 2026 at the Paul Robeson Legacy Awards. Courtesy photo

While studying poetry in the classroom, she also participated in numerous youth poetry slams, exploring both the analytical and performance sides of the medium.

“I was interested in how come in the classrooms, their (poetry) is taught separately,” she said. “I have both experiences. I have published works and at the time I was on a stage constantly, and that’s how I ventured into the theatre department at Howard University.”

She didn’t expect to get a minor in playwriting from the Chadwick Boseman College of Fine Arts, but she said she became inspired in the literary section of theater after reading a play written by a contemporary Black writer.

As a result, her first monologue, “3 Generations” — centered around the voices of Black women from three generations exploring their own womanhood and sexuality — was selected to represent the Woolly Mammoth Theatre in Washington, D.C., in the 2018 Women’s Voices Theatre Festival.

Seeing the work she and others had written performed on stage gave Wong a new feeling of inspiration.

“I remember feeling that I could do this for the rest of my life,” she said. “I don’t know what this is, but whatever this is, I want it.”

After graduation, she worked as a summer editorial intern at HarperCollins Publishing before attending the University of New Orleans for a master of fine arts degree in creative writing.

She said she had a challenging experience transitioning from a historically Black university to a predominantly white institution, where many students didn’t have the same experiences she did, and they made her feel that difference.

Overcoming challenges, she became the associate poetry editor for the Bayou Magazine, a literary magazine with a national circulation, and connected with supportive faculty members who encouraged her to apply to some doctoral programs, including Penn State University.

Wanting to pursue a dual degree in both English and African American studies, she packed her bags and moved to Centre County in 2021, which she said was an entirely new experience, considering the landscape.

Inspiring young poets

While working on her doctoral degree, Wong first became involved with the community through organizing a monthly mic series at the art gallery and teaching creative writing to incarcerated students and formerly incarcerated individuals at Centre County’s Correctional Facility.

Wilson Kwamogi Okello, poet and associate professor of education at Penn State, described Wong as an “architect of community.”

“She is a thoughtful builder, a curator, somebody who takes being with people seriously,” he said, adding that she does a wonderful job in bringing art into the community.

Wong said she resonated with residents over the five years she’s been in State College, as she’s formed connections with those in the community who’ve lived there for generations.

“It offers me the opportunity to learn more about kinship and the need, desires and the closeness of community, and I think that’s been reciprocated back to me,” she said.

State College Borough recognized Wong’s name over the years because she participated in community groups, including the borough’s racial equity advisory committee.

“People were noticing the work, and that began to develop into a series of conversations about what could be next,” she said, adding that Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Director Chiluvya Zulu spoke with Wong about bringing poetry into the borough.

In June 2025, the borough created a two-year poet laureate position and appointed Wong to the role, beginning her work in fall 2025.

As poet laureate, she’s partnered with local libraries and area schools to host community writing workshops. Most recently, she held a lunch and learn session on April 20 with State College Area High School students.

“I think that it’s important that young people know there is a path forward for them in this,” she said.

She also spreads her love for reading and writing onto her 8-year-old niece, Charmin’s daughter, by buying her children’s books.

“It’s more than writing and reading, she’s getting them involved and interactive,” Charmin said. “If I had a teacher like her, I would be more into school.”

With one more year to go as poet laureate, Wong hopes to participate in more educational and accessible programs, such as bringing a TEDx series to Centre County.

“Building spaces where poetry is felt and seen and read, and doing all of these things brings people together and shares their practices,” she said. “For us to be able to have community showcases to teach each other and make language accessible to each other.”

Okello said that Wong has laid the foundation of what comes next for the borough of State College’s poet laureate position.

“She’s really provided a vision for what the position can be, but most importantly, what poetry can look like in public places in State College and surrounding areas,” he said.

Mirror Staff Writer Colette Costlow is at 814-946-7414.

The Wong file

Name: Carmin Wong

Age: 30

Hometown: Jamaica, Queens, New York

Family: Parents, Claxton and Raywattie Wong; sisters, Charmin, 31, and Channelle, 27

Education: Boys and Girls High School (2014); Bachelor of Arts degree from Howard University (2018); Master of Fine Arts from the University of New Orleans (2020); and currently enrolled in a Doctor of Philosophy program at Penn State University (2021-present)