City of West Hollywood Celebrates 30th Annual National Poetry Month this April

The City of West Hollywood celebrates National Poetry Month this April with a full month of events and opportunities for community members to experience the power of poetry in everyday life. National Poetry Month is the largest literary celebration in the world, with tens of millions of people marking the important place of poetry in our lives. Launched by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996, this year marks the 30^th anniversary of National Poetry Month. The City of West Hollywood's programs include a WeHo Reads conversation between two poets laureate who are each the first Asian American to serve in their respective positions. There will also be free poetry workshops, a display of street pole banners honoring living poets, and a new poem celebrating West Hollywood.

Poetry offers a space for clarity, reflection, and connection at a moment when many people are navigating fast-paced information, social change, and global uncertainty. Poets draw from lived experience, personal history, and perspectives that reflect specific identities. Poets create art that reminds us of the irreplaceable value of personal expression and the essential role of artists in shaping how humans understand one another.

On Monday, April 6, 2026 at 6 p.m., at its regular City Council meeting, the West Hollywood City Council will proclaim April to be National Poetry Month. West Hollywood City Poet Laureate Jen Cheng will debut a new poem celebrating the City; the poem is called To Wander, To Wonder in West Hollywood. The presentation will be viewable on the City's WeHoTV YouTube Channel. The full text of the poem can be found at the end of this news release.

On Saturday, April 11, 2026, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., at the West Hollywood Library Community Meeting Room, located at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard, West Hollywood City Poet Laureate Jen Cheng, Anaheim Poet Laureate Camille Hernandez, and Glendale Poet Laureate Raffi Wartanian will present A Poetry Reading with Writing Exercises: Poetry as Mapping Kinship and Collective Cultures. In this free workshop, attendees will find new ways of writing poems. This trio of poets laureate will share their poetry on the extended family and culture as a map for seeking understanding and survival. The first half is a poetry reading and the second half will offer attendees writing exercises. This is a free event offered in conjunction with the LA County Library; please RSVP at go.weho.org/poet.

On Wednesday, April 15, 2026, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., as part of the City's WeHo Reads series, there will be a virtual event: WeHo Reads: Poets Laureate Lee Herrick and Jen Cheng. This National Poetry Month discussion features two poets laureate in a conversation on how language can shape identity, spark imagination, and build bridges between cultures and communities. Lee Herrick is the tenth California Poet Laureate and the first Asian American to serve in the role. He is the author of four poetry collections, including In Praise of Late Wonder: New and Selected Poems. Jen Cheng is the fifth West Hollywood City Poet Laureate and the first Asian American to serve in the role. A Poet Laureate Fellow with the Academy of American Poets and a California Arts Council Fellow, she is the author of Braided Spaces and teaches with organizations including The Poetry Society of New York, The Loft Literary Center, and UCLA Extension. This event is free to attend, and RSVPs are requested at www.weho.org/wehoreads.

On Saturday, April 25, 2026, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at the West Hollywood Library Community Meeting Room, located at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard, Inaugural West Hollywood City Poet Laureate Steven Reigns teaches Life Lines: An Autobiographical Poetry Writing Workshop. Reality is more interesting than fiction. In this writing workshop participants will generate new poems based on their life experiences. Please bring a pen/paper or a laptop. This is a free event offered in conjunction with the LA County Library; please RSVP at www.go.weho.org/poetrymonth.

For the entire month of April 2026, the City of West Hollywood will honor more than 50 living poets by featuring selections of their poetry on street pole banners along Santa Monica Boulevard. Each year the West Hollywood City Poet Laureate selects two additional poets to honor. This year's honorees are Kemi Alabi and Kai Cheng Thom.

Kemi Alabi is the author of Against Heaven, selected by Claudia Rankine as winner of the Academy of American Poets First Book Award. Alabi's poems have appeared in The Atlantic, The Nation, Poetry, Boston Review, the Grammy-nominated album Difficult Grace, and elsewhere. Alabi is co-editor of The Echoing Ida Collection, an anthology of Black reproductive justice writing. They've spent over a decade building narrative power for trans and queer bodily autonomy, most recently as the 2024-2025 Feminist in Residence at Northwestern University.

Kai Cheng Thom has published five books, including the novel Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl's Confabulous Memoir, the poetry collection a place called No Homeland, a children's book, From the Stars in The Sky to the Fish in the Sea, I Hope We Choose Love: A Trans Girl's Notes from the End of the World, and Falling Back in Love With Being Human: Letters to Lost Souls.

The City of West Hollywood began its City Poet Laureate program in 2014 and has celebrated National Poetry Month since 2015. The West Hollywood City Poet Laureate serves as an ambassador of West Hollywood's vibrant literary culture and leads the promotion of poetry in the City, including assisting with its annual celebration of National Poetry Month.

For information about the West Hollywood City Poet Laureate program or National Poetry Month activities, please contact Mike Che, the City of West Hollywood's Arts Coordinator, at [email protected] or (323) 848-6377. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing dial 711 or 1-800-735-2929 (TTY) or 1-800-735-2922 (voice) for California Relay Service (CRS) assistance.

For up-to-date information about City of West Hollywood news and events, follow @wehocity on social media, sign-up for news updates at www.weho.org/email, and visit the City's calendar of meetings and events at www.weho.org/calendar. Receive text updates by texting "WeHo" to (323) 848-5000. Read feature articles about people, places, and City events at www.helloweho.com. City Hall programs and services information is available at www.weho.org.

For reporters and members of the media seeking additional information about the City of West Hollywood, please contact the City of West Hollywood's Public Information Officer, Sheri A. Lunn, at (323) 848-6391 or [email protected].

To Wander, To Wonder in West Hollywood

By West Hollywood City Poet Laureate Jen Cheng

Take a wander with me:

our sidewalks don't seem too hot in the summer

with soft shade of the oaks and sycamores

protecting strolls for humans and dogs

plant parents share with buy nothing neighbors

their backyard harvests of lemons, mint, and tomatoes

snack as we amble with a little sweet fruit from

the loquat tree leaning over that corner yard

pick up some news at the nearest pocket park

if you ever need a costume, someone has

vintage necklaces and wacky hats to lend

we get creative beyond halloween,

mending, building, sculpting

making magical memories anytime of year

outsiders might not know

we have rich stories and coveted treasures beyond

pulsing dance clubs and fabulous drag brunches

talk to our humble residents and discover

village people taking care of each other

different and delightful like unexpected flavors of

froyo and ice cream enjoyed along our boulevards

relish the view from our rooftop public pool

where I take our visitors for an awesome view

for deep breaths, wide eyes, and inspiring wonder.