Next Verse: Voices for Change” Poetry Contest Provides New Yorkers an Outlet to Put Lived Experiences into Words and Inform City Leaders What Public Safety Looks and Sounds Like to Them – and $500 Prizes.
Contest Inspired by the Role Poetry Played in City Employee’s Transformation from Solitary Confinement to City Programs Leader
NEW YORK – The NYC Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice announces the Spring 2026 winners of the Next Verse: Voices for Change poetry initiative designed to amplify the voices of New Yorkers who want a platform to share their lived experiences, build confidence through poetry, and inspire conversations about the meaning of public safety, healing, and belonging across the city. Winners ranged in age from 15 to 61 years old.
Winning poems below; Interviews available upon request
“Public safety is about more than policies — it’s also about creating opportunities for people to be seen, heard, and valued,” said Deanna Logan, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice. “Art has the power to remind us of our shared humanity and we’re proud to celebrate these talented poets and the important conversations their work inspires.”
“Next Verse” was the brainchild of Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice Programs Manager Ian Manuel, who spent nearly two decades in solitary confinement after he shot a woman during a robbery when he was 13. Following a Supreme Court ruling in 2016, Manuel was freed – at the age of 39 – and reconciled with his victim, began a new career running programs with the City of New York, and started sharing how poetry helped him survive during his 26 total years behind bars.
“Poetry saved my life,” Manuel said. “That’s what inspired me to help create MOCJ’s Next Verse poetry contest — to be a conduit for New Yorkers to not only express their creativity but share their ideas about safety and the change they want to see in our city.”
Every Next Verse competition is tailored to uniquely highlight community safety questions or issues. This Spring, MOCJ invited young adult participants between the ages of 13 and 24 to reflect on how safety looks, feels, and smells in the city. Older New Yorkers, over the age of 35, responded to the prompt: “Who benefited when I changed?” — encouraging reflection on personal transformation and rebuilding one’s life.
MOCJ selected three winners whose submissions demonstrated exceptional creativity and authenticity:
Poet: Brianna Rizzo, Age 15, Queens
Winning Poem: Down to the Big Apple’s Core
Brianna is a rising “artivist,” using her creativity to inspire activism, peace, and
community connection – as well as raise tens of thousands of dollars for local organizations. Her poem aims to remind New Yorkers that building a safer city starts with each individual.
Poet: Wilfredo Laracuente, Age 50, Bronx
Winning Poem: Under Conditions Not Meant for Change
Wilfredo is a formerly justice-involved New Yorker who now works to create opportunities in reentry, community integration, and education for other individuals impacted by the criminal legal system. His poetry is inspired by both his lived experience and professional practice.
Poet: Roberto Cepeda, Age 61, Queens
Winning Poem: The Road to Recovery
Roberto spent two decades in and out of Rikers Island, but says words and poetry helped him break the cycle and find healing. His poem details his personal struggles – and successes – during his long road to sobriety.
These winning poems highlight the diverse experiences of New Yorkers. As MOCJ continues with its mission to advance public safety and make NYC’s criminal justice system smaller, safer, and fairer, Next Verse provides space where community members can share their stories in their own words — fostering dialogue across generations. Additional contests, for other age groups, will be announced in the future.
WINNING POEMS
Down to the Big Apple’s Core
By Briana Rizzo
Listen up, this is NYC talking, midnight’s my prime time,
But safety’s something so precious, like yours and mine
Passing a musician in the street and throwing a buck
Watching pigeons eating bread from generosity not just luck
I’m the city that never sleeps, let’s use that midnight spark
To keep these streets secure, from Midtown to Central Park
Safety’s like the subway map, have to know where you’re going
continued ->
Eyes open, aware, with mutual respect flowing
It’s that helping hand, holding a door, or being that watchful eye,
Community strong, building trust as we all pass by
I smell like a million dreams, all cooking at once,
But also, like urgency, you have to dodge the stunts
It’s the clean feeling of looking out for your neighbor
Access to resources, sharing the same labor
Remember I’m the Big Apple, have to keep me from decay,
Safety’s building up from the core, not letting things slip away
Down in the subway, where the trains scream and grind
Investing in neighborhoods, leaving no one behind
So let’s keep my heart beating, my energy high
In this city that never quits beneath the neon sky
Safety’s on us, let’s make it a daily thing
New York strong.
New York smart.
New York tough. but now what do you bring?
Under Conditions Not Meant for Change
By Wilfredo Laracuente
They said I changed.
Like it was sudden.
Like it was clean.
Like it didn’t cost anything.
But change is expensive.
I remember what it sounded like—
4pm.
300 men generating noise that didn’t stop for nobody.
Two hours before a psychology exam.
Twelve pages due.
A ten-year-old typewriter.
One digital line staring back at me.
No backspace for mistakes.
No quiet for thinking.
continued ->
That’s where change started.
It costs relationships built on survival.
It costs an identity that only made sense inside the system.
It costs the version of you that knew how to move in cages
but didn’t know how to breathe in open air.
So let’s ask the question the right way—
Who benefitted when I changed?
My family did.
Not because I came home the same—
but because I came home different,
learning how to be present
in a life that moved on without me.
The Road to Recovery
By Roberto Cepeda
My life was like a runaway train
On a collision course for ruin
Family many times tried to warn me
I thought I knew what I was doing
“//”
Watched people all around me
Drop as if they were flies
And it awakened that reality
That I didn’t want to die
“//”
So I put the drugs down
As hard as it was
Ceased the drinking and addictive thinking
From the smoking I took a pause
“//”
It was a uphill battle everyday
The cravings were really hard
And maintaining my sobriety
Meant always being on guard
“//”
continued ->
I started attending meetings
And programs designed to help me
I knew I had to work with
The hand that life dealt me
“//”
So I stayed focused on staying sober
With little room for doubt
Knew as long as I stuck with it
Things would work themselves out
“//”
The road has been bumpy
But I’ve stuck with it
Look back on all that been done
And proudly say “I did it!”
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What are diversion programs?
- Diversion programs are alternatives to jail and prison that utilize community-based supports to address the underlying issues that lead individuals to engaging in criminal behavior. Programming supports criminally involved individuals, reducing the need for incarceration.
What are transition services?
- Transition services help individuals with criminal justice contact adjust back into community by giving them the tools to live productive and stable lives. Access to supportive services lowers the likelihood that an individual will reoffend.
How does diverting people benefit the community?
- Diverting people away from incarceration helps mitigate the long-term negative impacts of incarceration to individuals and their families, while reducing the likelihood that crime reoccurs – ultimately, ensuring more harm isn’t done to the community.
How do MOCJ programs keep communities safe?
- By addressing the issues that fuel criminal behavior, such as poor mental health and financial insecurity, we reduce the likelihood of re-offense and related harms against communities.
How do these programs ensure accountability?
- Accountability can take many forms including acknowledging and addressing the underlying issues, needs, and/or impact of the offense.
About the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice: MOCJ is New York City’s engine for creating a smaller, safer, and fairer criminal justice system. The agency works to reduce crime and incarceration through innovative solutions to public safety challenges, including vital programs that improve lives, generate community stability, and increase access to the support needed to maintain healthy and safe New York City neighborhoods. Recognizing that public safety cannot be achieved by law enforcement alone, MOCJ moves New York City forward by collaborating with community and institutional stakeholders to improve efficiency, accountability, and fairness in the criminal legal system. For more information, please visit nyc.gov/mocj.