Ajala Sen, 17, has been named Long Beach’s 2026 Youth Poet Laureate, the city announced this month.
She will be the city’s fourth youth poet laureate, a prestigious recognition honoring her passion for social change and her ability to illuminate vulnerable truths and needs of the Long Beach community through her literary work, officials said.
Sen, alongside other finalists for this year’s competition, performed during a ceremony at the Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library on Saturday, May 16.
As Youth Poet Laureate, Sen will serve a one-year term and receive a $1,500 scholarship. The YPL, throughout the year, will represent Long Beach’s youth at public events, lead creative workshops, and collaborate with city departments and cultural organizations to promote literary engagement and civic participation, according to a Tuesday, June 9, press release.
“Long Beach is proud to support young artists who use their voices to strengthen community, inspire dialogue, and advocate for change,” Mayor Rex Richardson said in a statement. “Ajala Sen and this year’s Youth Poet Ambassadors represent the creativity, leadership, and vision of the next generation.”
(L-R) West Hollywood Poet Laureate Jen Cheng, Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate Cohort Ruby Giles, Cecelia Rogers, Ajala Sen, Annali Bojorquez, and Kieran Lundy, as well as Anaheim Poet Laureate Camille Hernandez and poet Mike “The Poet” Sonksen. (Photo courtesy of the City of Long Beach)
Long Beach’s 2026 Youth Poet Laureate Ajala Sen. (Photo courtesy of the City of Long Beach)
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(L-R) West Hollywood Poet Laureate Jen Cheng, Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate Cohort Ruby Giles, Cecelia Rogers, Ajala Sen, Annali Bojorquez, and Kieran Lundy, as well as Anaheim Poet Laureate Camille Hernandez and poet Mike “The Poet” Sonksen. (Photo courtesy of the City of Long Beach)
Long Beach established its Youth Poet Laureate program in 2023. Last year, the title went to then 17-year-old Ezequiel Correa.
This year, Sen was named youth poet laureate because of her commitment to uplifting marginalized voices and advocating for underserved communities, officials said. Using poetry and music to inspire connection, political awareness and change, her work reflects the spirit and purpose of the designation.
“I hope to unite the community in such dark, unjust, and uncertain times and show the power the arts have in shaping our future,” Sen said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to getting to know and working with the new LBYPL cohort. It feels like we’re building a strong community through poetry, and I’m excited to see what we can accomplish together.”
Besides selecting Sen as Youth Poet Laureate, the city also announced the four Youth Poet Ambassadors at the May ceremony. The ambassadors are Ruby Giles, 17; Cecelia Rogers, 15; Annali Bojorquez, 17; and Kieran Lundy, 16. Each received a $500 scholarship as well.
Together, the poet laureate and ambassadors will lead the YPL cohort through the rest of the year and into the spring. They will participate in workshops, mentorship opportunities and community engagement activities centered around poetry and the arts, according to a press release. The cohort will also gain professional development experience through collaboration with organizations and artists throughout Long Beach, while preparing work for publications and sharing performances through live readings, video recordings and gallery exhibitions.
“The Youth Poet Laureate program gives young writers a platform to amplify their voices and share stories that matter,” Cathy De Leon, director of the Library, Arts, and Culture Department, said in a statement. “We are excited to support this new cohort as they use poetry to inspire conversation, connection, and community impact.”