The City of West Hollywood is taking applications for its next Drag Laureate. The deadline’s Wednesday. Applications are due May 6 by 5 p.m. That leaves just 48 hours.
The City’s also accepting applications for its next Poet Laureate, with a deadline of May 13 at 5 p.m. Both positions pay annual honoraria and run three-year terms starting this year.
Drag Laureate
The Drag Laureate serves as a City ambassador, attends roughly 15 events a year, promotes drag culture and partnerships with local businesses, and produces an annual community event.
Pickle has held the title since July 2023. She’s the program’s inaugural laureate, installed at West Hollywood Park on International Drag Day. The City pays the Drag Laureate $12,500 a year in honorarium plus a $2,500 stipend to produce an annual drag history event, totaling $15,000 a year.
The new term runs July 2026 to June 2029.
Professional drag performers — kings and queens — living in the LA County region with strong ties to West Hollywood are eligible. Candidates need demonstrated knowledge of drag history, strong public-speaking skills, and a track record producing events for diverse audiences.
Poet Laureate
The Poet Laureate leads workshops, reads at community events, and writes an original poem celebrating West Hollywood each year. The City established the program in 2014. It’s developed national standing: every eligible City Poet Laureate’s been accepted into the Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship program. Similar to the Drag Laureate, the Poet Laureate will receive an annual stipend of $15,000 a year, which includes a $2,500 honorarium for hosting event they produce.
Current Poet Laureate Jen Cheng is the fifth to hold the title and the first Asian American to serve in the role. She’s also the City’s first BIPOC Poet Laureate. The Academy named her a 2025 Laureate Fellow and awarded her a $50,000 fellowship for her Feng Shui Poetry in the Parks project, a collaboration with Bravo Medical Magnet High School.
The new term runs October 2026 through October 2029.
Poets with a strong record of artistic achievement, community engagement, and a meaningful connection to West Hollywood are encouraged to apply. Full details and applications for both positions are on the City’s Artist Opportunities webpage at weho.org.
For the Drag Laureate, contact Rebecca Ehemann at (323) 848-6846 or rehemann@weho.org. For the Poet Laureate, contact Mike Che at (323) 848-6377 or mche@weho.org.
