A Poem Titled "Hope": Mikey Frias at TEDxMonterey

Chosen by a panel that included the California State Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera, Mikey Frias is the first Youth Poet Laureate of Salinas, California, a city known more for producing gang members than poets. In his TEDxMonterey talk, Mikey shares a poem titled "Hope" and his gift for poetry exploding with truth and raw emotion. A philosopher at heart, themes in his poetry reflect a life of abandonment, drug addicted parents and his desire to make a positive difference in the world. He is currently working on the manuscript for his first book of poetry.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)