And that’s a wrap! It was a full house for the 4th Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate Finals Ceremony to usher in the 2026 cohort. Press release coming soon…
Suffice it to say all the poets were phenomenal and @philosophystyle did a great job hosting! Special thanks to our fantastic judges @writercamille@jencvoice@lamikethepoet and none of this would be so well coordinated without @tender.them 🙏🏼
I ❤️ @lbcitylibrary
Stay tuned for the announcement of the next laureate and ambassadors… 🥁
Today is the 4th annual Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate Finals Ceremony! We will hear from 10 of the city’s top teen poets and welcome 5 into the next cohort of youth voices taking on a year of service through poetry!
Come through if you can!
@philosophystyle will be hosting! 🎤
@tender.them is the powerhouse behind the scenes 💪🏼
@movelbforward is our social impact partner 🙌🏼
@rancho_los_alamitos is our new historical partner! 🏘️
@nationalyouthpoetlaureate / @urbanwordnyc is the umbrella org for it all ☂️
@artslb is our local arts partner supporting and uplifting the arts in LB 🖼️
@joinrexrichardson is the Mayor who started the program here 🎉
@lbcitylibrary is the hosting organization 📚
@amycrepeau is the star supervisor of the program 🌟
@lbpl_tag is the teen center at BJK 😎
@ezecorreag is our outgoing 2025 Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate 👋🏼
@jencvoice@writercamille@lamikethepoet are this year’s esteemed judges ✍🏼
And I am your faithful Teen Poetry Mentor ✨
1 pm at Michelle Obama library! 🥳
Eco-Poetry workshop at Cerritos Library, April 1 🌱
Recap! This was such a fun workshop, celebrating two of my favorite things: poetry and nature, since April is both National Poetry Writing Month and Earth Month!
I brought some organic materials as totems for people to choose as inspiration, and by the end, we had a room full of memorable, powerful poems ringing from a deep place—from questioning ocean pollution to recounting the loss of animals in a hometown to highlighting the costs of development to Norse goddesses to the temporality of flowers to the significance of the word “tendrils.”
The beauty of creating art is that it will always be surprising and new. Making art keeps us young, and open-minded, and in the practice of experiencing awe. Each poem was unique to the creator while often resonating in a wider way because we all live in a world marked by late stage capitalism and patriarchy, which ultimately results in the changing face of ecosystems and environments around us.
We can all be citizen scientists and eco-artists; all it takes is cultivating attention to the life around us—an especially important practice at this stage in the human era where dominant culture separates us from the web of life we depend on. We are not separate from nature; we are nature.
I am in Joshua Tree now returning to the magic of the desert, embracing the spaciousness to reflect, clarify, and dream. 🏜️ I definitely want more of this.
Special thanks to the Cerritos Library and all the new and old friends who came through!
Photos 3-4 came from @zeegeedeebee who posted an absolutely incredible and thorough recap of her experience there! Mad props, and great to connect!
(P.S. Those who don’t know should know - I may post photos right away or many moons later, depending on my energy and inclinations. Thus the belated recap 😜 it is what it is! I operate in my own dimension of time 🤓.)
I’m feeling a big gratitude to our arts council. Always but especially because last week I went to my neighborhood community meeting and got to see @artslb present their work in a new setting for me, and as an emotional being, I do not take it for granted that we are so lucky here in Long Beach to have such an incredible arts council.
Rather than just presenting, they brought a standing poster board to jot down ideas from the people at the meeting of what they’d like to see from the arts. True leadership is of service.
The arts council uplifts artists, funds art projects, connects artists, builds community, centers equity, and responds to the needs of the community. Murals, exhibits, crosswalks—most of the art you see around the city is probably supported by the arts council.
And now they are mapping the city’s art and working on restoring public art. And putting together art tours to celebrate Long Beach art during the LA Olympics.
Our arts council is active, responsive, robust, and above all, kind.
As a being guided by intuition, I only post when I feel moved to say something so good thing I had these photos from last year I never posted!
Poll: how has the arts council for Long Beach impacted your life?
It’s April and we have a new Leaders Are Readers feature! @fancifulnance is a local eco-centric poet, teaching artist, and community organizer who mentors teen poets thru @lbcitylibrary ’s Youth Poet Laureate program.
She first came across her recommended book, Last Days by Tamiko Beyer, while she was completing her MFA. “I was writing my thesis about the genre of hopepunk, which posits that hope is the strongest force against the powers of destruction operating today. When apathy is rampant, hope is punk,” says Nancy.
Check out more at the link in our bio! (under “News & Updates”)
Tomorrow at Cerritos Library come out for a free eco-poetry workshop! Writing Eco-Poems for Earth Month
I’ll be bringing some art supplies and collage materials too for some multimedia creativity 😊
Free!!! Start April off strong with your first poem for National Poetry Writing Month while honoring Earth Month too!
#cerritos #cerritoslibrary #ecopoetry #earthmonth
Can you believe it’s almost April, which is National Poetry Writing Month AND Earth Month? I’ll be combining my love for poetry and Mother Earth in this free eco-poetry writing workshop at @cerritos_library on April 1!
Come through! And if you haven’t been to the Cerritos library, this would be the perfect reason to make it over. They have an aquarium 🤩 🐠
So come write with me!
Thank you @katiekemplepoet for this thoughtful review of my book 🙏🏼
It was great to meet some wonderful writers and readers a couple of weeks ago at the Poets INC reading at the beautiful @escondidoartspartnership gallery. Seriously such a truly invigorating reading series. I’ll post photos eventually. But not joking when I say one of the best poetry series I’ve experienced.
And Katie is a poet herself who also runs the Poetry Shop where you can find curated poetry books to buy that isn’t Amazon! Check out @the.poetryshop
Grateful for literary community in these trying times ✨ Poems are fuel for worldbuilding. 🌍
If you’re at AWP in Baltimore this week and looking for a stellar literary event to support and uplift voices FOR immigrant rights, acceptance and love for all people, consider swinging by this book launch for the anthology Butterflies Over Land: Voices and Visions Against Anti-Immigrant Terror
It’s co-edited by Poets Laureate Jen Cheng and Camille Hernandez. And trust me, anything Jen puts together is intentional, thoughtful, and very much worth your choice of how to spend your time.
I know there are a lot of options, but this is a relatively short event with some award-winning writers in a snappy one-hour reading so I would highly recommend! Then pop off to whatever party is next on your itinerary 😉
I have a poem and narrative in the book, and I was planning on being there but a personal matter has kept me home. Much love to all.
And today is the last day to help them reach their goal of 100 preorders! Please consider supporting this grassroots effort 💙
Wokelicious.com
#awp2026 #awpbaltimore #awp2026conferenceandbookfair #awpconference #baltimoremd
✨Calling All Poetry Lovers & Community Care Collaborators✨
Join us in celebrating the work of our 2025-26 Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate cohort 💗 We hope to see you there!
Date: Saturday, March 21st
Time: 2:00-4:00 PM
Location: Meeting Rooms A + B, Billie Jean King Main Library, 200 W Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90802
This event is free & open to the public, but space is limited, so reserve your spot while you can 😊 RSVP: bit.ly/2526LBYPL_PTC
