West Hollywood Marks National Poetry Month with Events and Honors in April

The City of West Hollywood will commemorate National Poetry Month this April through a series of initiatives, including street pole banners showcasing poets’ work, a WeHo Reads virtual event with inaugural poet Richard Blanco, and a unique Poetry Scrabble workshop led by Jen Cheng, the current West Hollywood City Poet Laureate.

Established in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets, National Poetry Month stands as the world’s largest literary celebration, engaging millions of readers, educators, librarians, booksellers, curators, publishers, and poets in recognizing poetry’s vital role in society.

From March 28 to April 22, 2025, more than 50 living poets will be spotlighted via street pole banners along Santa Monica Boulevard, featuring excerpts of their poetry. Each year, the City Poet Laureate selects two poets for special recognition. This year’s honorees are KB Brookins and Teresa Mei Chuc.

KB Brookins, a Black queer and trans writer, educator, and cultural worker from Texas, has earned accolades for works like the chapbook How To Identify Yourself with a Wound, winner of the Saguaro Poetry Prize, and the debut collection Freedom House, recipient of the American Library Association’s Barbara Gittings Literature Award. Their memoir Pretty secured the Great Lakes Colleges Association New Writers Award.

Teresa Mei Chuc, born in Sài Gòn, Việt Nam, and raised in Pasadena and Altadena, California, served as Altadena Poet Laureate and has been Pasadena’s Rose Poet since 2016. Author of Invisible Light and Red Thread, her latest chapbook, Incidental Takes, appeared in 2023. She teaches English in public schools and contributes to literary boards like Beyond Baroque.

On April 7, 2025, at 6 p.m., during the West Hollywood City Council’s regular meeting, Jen Cheng will unveil a new poem, Eternity, and accept a National Poetry Month proclamation. The event will stream on the City’s WeHoTV YouTube channel, with the poem’s text available below.

A virtual WeHo Reads event on April 16, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., will feature poets Richard Blanco and Kim Dower discussing poetry’s power to bridge identity, culture, and human experience. Cheng will kick off the session with a reading. Free to attend, the event requires an RSVP at www.weho.org/wehoreads.

Richard Blanco, chosen as the fifth Presidential Inaugural Poet by Barack Obama, received a National Humanities Medal for works like How to Love a Country, which explore belonging and diversity. Kim Dower, a former West Hollywood City Poet Laureate, is known for collections like What She Wants, blending humor with themes of memory and loss.

On April 19, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Cheng will host a poetry workshop and interactive art installation, Poetry Scrabble, at the West Hollywood Library Community Meeting Room (625 N. San Vicente Boulevard). Open to all, this word-magnet activity encourages creative expression, followed by a light reception from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. RSVP at go.weho.org/poet.

Also in April, the Greenway Arts Alliance, backed by a West Hollywood arts grant, will host the 9th Annual LA Get Down Festival at Greenway Court Theatre (544 N. Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles). The festival has historically offered open mics, workshops, and performances. Details and tickets are available at https://greenwaycourttheatre.org/2025-la-get-down/.

Since launching its City Poet Laureate program in 2014, West Hollywood has observed National Poetry Month annually starting in 2015. The laureate champions the city’s literary scene and spearheads poetry-related efforts, including this month-long celebration.