West Hollywood’s Poet Laureate Jen Chang Celebrates National Poetry Month

The West Hollywood City Council proclaimed April as National Poetry Month, spotlighting fifth City Poet Laureate Jen Chang during a meeting on April 7. Chang, a poet and scholar, accepted the honor, unveiling a new poem and inviting the community to her upcoming “Poetry Scrabble” workshop, set for April 19.

The proclamation, read by Mayor Chelsea Byers, marks a decade-long tradition since the city’s poet laureate program began in 2014. It celebrates poetry’s cultural role, citing the WeHo Reads series and annual street pole banners honoring living poets—chosen this year by Chang as Teresa Mai Chuk and KB Brookins. Chang, inaugurated in 2023, succeeds predecessors like Steven Reigns, who joins her for an April 26 autobiographical poetry event.

Chang addressed the council, expressing gratitude and detailing her April 19 workshop from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the West Hollywood Community Meeting Room. Described as “Dadaesque” and “dynamic,” Poetry Scrabble invites all—regardless of writing experience—to craft a communal poem with word magnets, designed for diverse physical abilities. A reception follows until 2 p.m., free with RSVP at go.weho.org/poet. She also noted two library events: an online session with Richard Blanco and Kim Dower on April 16, and Reigns’ in-person workshop.

Born in New Jersey, Chang holds an MFA and PhD from the University of Virginia and teaches at the University of Texas at Austin. Her poetry collections—The History of Anonymity (2008), Some Say the Lark (2017), and An Authentic Life (2024)—explore selfhood amid nature’s vastness. Critics like Kristina Marie Darling, in a Boston Review critique, praise her debut for blending formal variety with landscapes that probe authenticity. Chang, in a 2008 Critical Mass interview, said she trusts “mystery” over autobiography or narrative, valuing the ambiguity that shapes her lyrical work. Chang co-chairs the advisory board at Kundiman, a non-profit organization that supports Asian American literature.

Chang debuted her poem “Eternity” at the meeting, saying, “Thank you City Council and community members, for helping us celebrate National Poetry Month. And this is the poem I’ve written to celebrate our city for this special occasion: ‘Eternity’.”