Long Beach Public Library

Beginning Tuesday, September 27, 2022, Billie Jean King Main Library will temporarily shift service to To-Go only. We anticipate To-Go Service will be in place for approximately two weeks while appropriate staffing levels are addressed and specialized staff training takes place.

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Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate Program

The Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate (YPL) program aims to nurture and celebrate the voices of youth poet-activists through workshops, performances, publication opportunities, community projects, and mentor support.

You could be Long Beach's first Youth Poet Laureate! Are you a poet between the ages of 13 to 18? Are you a future leader who champions community advocacy and aspires to make a social impact that promotes the quality of life in Long Beach? Are you looking for an opportunity that speaks to your passion for activism and your goals for equity and inclusion? If so, we want to hear your voice!

Throughout the program, which launches in September and culminates in April, poet-participants will attend social justice–themed workshops where they will:

  • Learn, create, and engage in dialogue with their peers.
  • Perform in venues throughout the city in an effort to bring poetry to a wider audience.
  • Contribute to their communities through projects that meld art, collaboration, and social action into a civic practice.

The inaugural Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate and five Poet Ambassadors will be named at the program's commencement ceremony and will serve as a cohort, representing literacy, the arts, and advocacy in our community.

Am I eligible to apply?

All applicants must be Long Beach residents between the ages of 13 and 18 as of January 10, 2023, as well as available to serve as Poet Laureate for the program year, May 2023 through April 2024.


When can I apply?

Submissions open January 10, 2023 and close February 21, 2023.


Can LBPL help me prepare my application?

Absolutely! From October until the application deadline, the Library will host "Poet Hours" (available in person and via Zoom) on select Thursdays from 5:00 – 6:00 PM. Visit the Program Calendar or LBPL Event Calendar to check when the next session is.


When do we find out who won?

Finalists will be notified via email by March 31, 2023. The Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate and five Poet Ambassadors will be announced at the Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate commencement ceremony, which will take place on the third week of April. Date and time are TBD.


I have more questions. Who can I contact?

Please contact Kiana Martin at kiana.martin@lbpl.org or Fiorella Casella at fiorella.casella@lbpl.org, or call the Library at (562) 570-6657.

Please note that calendar events are subject to change.

2022

October

Make a Difference Through Personal Responsibility

How can we enact change in our communities? By writing poetry! Taught by Kiana Shaley Martin.


A Hop, Skip, and a Jump – Moving From Pain to Poetry

Join poet Ja'net Danielo in this generative workshop!


Poet Hours

Stop by to discuss your poems, portfolio, or Youth Poet Laureate application. Held on select Thursdays from 5:00 – 6:00 PM. Meetings are available in person or via Zoom (Zoom Meeting ID: 864 500 9885).

  • October 6
  • October 27
November

Make a Difference Through Government Responsibility

Poets will discuss the government's responsibility to their citizens, and our responsibility to our communities. Taught by Tony Wallin-Sato.


Poetry x Art (Topic TBD)

Join us in this interdisciplinary, generative workshop! Taught by a Long Beach Arts Council Fellow.


Poetry x Art (Topic TBD)

Join us in this interdisciplinary, generative workshop! Taught by a Long Beach Arts Council Fellow.


Poet Hours

Stop by to discuss your poems, portfolio, or Youth Poet Laureate application. Held on select Thursdays from 5:00 – 6:00 PM. Meetings are available in person or via Zoom (Zoom Meeting ID: 864 500 9885).

  • November 17
December

The Social Responsibility of the Poet

Taught by poet, community organizer, and founder of the Los Angeles Poet Society, Jessica Wilson-Cardenas.


Writing Your Family History

Young poets will explore their family history through poetry and myth. Taught by poet Nancy Lynée Woo.


Poet Hours

Stop by to discuss your poems, portfolio, or Youth Poet Laureate application. Held on select Thursdays from 5:00 – 6:00 PM. Meetings are available in person or via Zoom (Zoom Meeting ID: 864 500 9885).

  • December 15
  • December 22

2023

January

Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate applications open

  • Tuesday, January 10

On Performance

Taught by poet and stand-up comedian Jacaline Intravaia.


Trusting Your Ideas to Take You Along

Taught by filmmaker and journalist Pamela K. Johnson.


Poet Hours

Stop by to discuss your poems, portfolio, or Youth Poet Laureate application. Held on select Thursdays from 5:00 – 6:00 PM. Meetings are available in person or via Zoom (Zoom Meeting ID: 864 500 9885).

  • January 5
  • January 19
  • January 26
February

Presenting Yourself: Portfolio and CV

Instructor TBD.


Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate applications close

  • Tuesday, Februrary 21

Poet Hours

Stop by to discuss your poems, portfolio, or Youth Poet Laureate application. Held on select Thursdays from 5:00 – 6:00 PM. Meetings are available in person or via Zoom (Zoom Meeting ID: 864 500 9885).

  • February 2
  • February 9
  • February 16
  • February 23

The YPL Program is administered through a collaboration between the Long Beach Public Library and the Arts Council for Long Beach, with support from Urban Word. Funding for this citywide program is provided by the City of Long Beach.

Urban Word.Arts Council for Long Beach.Long Beach Public Library.