Applications for Long Beach’s 2027 Youth Poet Laureate program will open this month – Press Telegram

Long Beach youth will soon be able to apply for the city’s Youth Poet Laureate program.

The Long Beach Public Library, in collaboration with the Arts Council for Long Beach, Long Beach Forward, Rancho Los Alamitos, and with support from Urban Word NYC, has announced the 2027 Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate program.

Each year, the program offers Long Beach youth an opportunity to use poetry, art, and civic engagement to express ideas, connect with the community, and inspire positive change, officials said.

Applications for the 2027 Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate program will be open from Saturday, Nov. 14, to Feb. 28 for those 13 to 18 years old.

“When young people are encouraged to create, question, and imagine, they help all of us see our community in new ways,” Mayor Rex Richardson said in a statement. “The Youth Poet Laureate program celebrates that creativity while giving our youth meaningful opportunities to participate in the civic and cultural life of Long Beach.”

Interested youth must submit a completed application, a curriculum vitae highlighting their civic and social engagement experience, a 100-word biographical statement, and a portfolio of five poems. Complete application requirements, submission guidelines and additional program information are available on the Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate webpage.

Applicants who have questions or would like assistance preparing their application, curriculum vitae or poetry portfolio can email the LB YPL team at LS-YPL@longbeach.gov to schedule a virtual office hour.

Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of local working poets, and finalists will be notified by email after judging is completed in the spring, according to a press release.

Finalists will be invited to share their work at a culminating public event in May, where Long Beach’s fifth youth poet laureate and the new poet ambassadors will be announced. The selected youth poet laureate will receive a $1,500 scholarship, while each poet ambassador will receive a $500 scholarship.

Members of the YPL cohort will also receive mentorship from a local poet as well as opportunities to develop their writing, leadership and community engagement skills, according to the press release. Participants will have access to Long Beach Public Library facilities and staff expertise, take part in writing and craft workshops, receive feedback on their work, and collaborate with local community organizations and members of Long Beach’s literary arts community.

By the end of the program year in April 2028, the YPL cohort will contribute to a citywide literary initiative while developing meaningful connections with community organizations, artists and other partners throughout Long Beach, according to the press release.

“The program provides young people with a platform,” the press release said, “to share their voices, develop their creativity and help shape the future of their communities.”

Ajala Sen, a current junior at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, was named Long Beach’s fourth Youth Poet Laureate at the 2026 ceremony in May. Alongside Sen, four youth poet ambassadors – Ruby Giles, Cecelia Rogers, Annali Bojorquez and Kieran Lundy – have participated in poetry readings, workshops and other events throughout the city under the mentorship of local poet Nancy Woo, according to the press release.

“The Youth Poet Laureate program gives young people more than a stage for their poetry,” Cathy De Leon, Director of Library, Arts, and Culture, said in a statement, “it gives them an opportunity to explore who they are, what they value, and how they want to contribute to Long Beach.

“We are proud to provide a place where young writers can develop their craft,” De Leon added, “while building relationships and finding new ways to engage with their community.”

For more information about the Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate program, visit lbpl.org or call .