Santa Monica’s second poet laureate selected, public invited to poetry events this April

March 11, 2026 10:22 AM

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (March 11, 2026) - The Santa Monica City Council affirmed the city's second poet laureate, Jay Baldwin, for a two-year appointment at its Tuesday meeting and the public will have an opportunity to meet Baldwin at National Poetry Month and Arts, Culture and Creativity Month events planned throughout April.

Born and raised in Santa Monica, Baldwin serves as the school librarian at a Santa Monica elementary school and is completing a master's degree in library science.

Baldwin has competed in slam poetry events across the West Coast, performed in storytelling shows including The Moth and is a long-time participant in Pride Poets, a collective of LGBTQ+ poets who bring poetry into public spaces through custom typewriter-written poems for community members. Identifying as queer and nonbinary, Baldwin's work is informed by an understanding of libraries and poetry as intersecting sites of activism and communal engagement.

Baldwin succeeds the city's inaugural poet laureate Anne Carmack, who served since 2024.

As Santa Monica's Poet Laureate, Baldwin's role will include:

• Creating an annual original poem celebrating the city of Santa Monica
• Presenting two annual writing workshops or poetry readings at a Santa Monica public school, the Library, or other community event
• Presenting or participating in local events
• Carrying out activities focused on poetry or literary arts
• Organizing at least one poetry-related event each year as part of both the Library's National Poetry Month and Arts, Culture and Creativity Month programming in April.

This year's National Poetry Month and Arts, Culture and Creativity Month programming will provide the public with multiple opportunities to meet Baldwin at events across the city, including:

• Saturday, April 11, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., The Opening Page, Meet Your Poet Laureate, MLK Jr. Auditorium and Central Courtyard at the Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd. The public is invited to meet Santa Monica's new poet laureate and help craft a community poem at a special reception celebrating the beginning of their two-year term.
• Tuesday, April 14, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Santa Monica City Council Meeting, Council Chambers at City Hall, 1685 Main St. At the Santa Monica City Council meeting, Baldwin will read the proclamation they wrote recognizing April as both Arts Culture, and Creativity Month and National Poetry Month.
• Saturday, April 25, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., as part of the 12th Annual Arts and Literacy Festival, Virginia Avenue Park, 2200 Virginia Ave. Join Santa Monica's new poet laureate at a farm-themed festival, featuring more than 30 community organizations.

"Our city continues to build a vibrant cultural future, and welcoming our second poet laureate is an important part of that commitment," Mayor Caroline Torosis said. "Poetry has the power to bring people together, spark meaningful conversations and highlight the many diverse voices that shape our community. I look forward to seeing how our new poet laureate will inspire residents and deepen our city's cultural life."

"The Poet Laureate program reflects Santa Monica Public Library's role as a creative and civic space for storytelling, dialogue and connection," Director of Library Services Erica Cuyugan said. "We are honored to announce our second poet laureate and are excited for the meaningful, inspiring and community-centered work they will share through poetry across Santa Monica."

The poet laureate receives a $10,000 honorarium for the two-year appointment, supporting their role in advancing the literary arts and community engagement throughout Santa Monica.

The Poet Laureate Review Panel, which is comprised of community members and city of Santa Monica staff, reviews and makes the final selection prior to final confirmation by the city council. Moving forward, Council directed staff to approve the final confirmation without council approval.

To view the council discussion, click here. For more information about the Poet Laureate program, click here. For more information about the Library's programs and events, visit santamonica.gov/library.

Media Contact

Tati Simonian
Public Information Officer
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