{"id":178576,"date":"2026-02-15T02:14:17","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T02:14:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/178576\/"},"modified":"2026-02-15T02:14:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T02:14:17","slug":"la-mayor-bass-announces-search-for-new-city-poet-laureate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/178576\/","title":{"rendered":"LA Mayor Bass announces search for new city poet laureate"},"content":{"rendered":"

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass<\/a> has launched a search to find the city\u2019s next poet laureate.<\/p>\n

But rather than take in the views of everyone, she has some very specific caveats for the role, which comes with a $10,00 stipend.<\/p>\n

The winning wordsmith will serve as \u201ccultural ambassador\u201d, but must host \u201cinclusive poetry events,\u201d and focus on \u201creaching neighborhoods that have historically had limited access to expressive writing,\u201d according the job description.<\/p>\n

And they must \u201camplify the voices of diverse communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced that the city is searching for a new poet laureate. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The open-call<\/a> implores \u201cmaster writers\u201d with at least a decade-worth of publications to \u201cstep forward and become that voice\u201d to amplify \u201cthe civic importance of literature, poetry and the spoken word.\u201d<\/p>\n

Part of the laureate\u2019s duties will also be to headline poetry events across the city, particularly those geared towards Angelenos \u201cthat have historically had limited access to expressive writing,\u201d the release said.<\/p>\n

Pockets of LA that were historically deprived of economic opportunity on the basis of race, namely neighborhoods like Compton, Watts and Crenshaw, famously built the West Coast rap and hip hop empires \u2014 which many regard as its own breed of spoken word art.<\/p>\n

The Poet Laureate program is led by the Los Angeles Public Library and the city\u2019s Department of Cultural Affairs. Tada Images \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

Bass said: \u201cLos Angeles thrives when every voice has the opportunity to be heard. The Poet Laureate program ensures that poets from all backgrounds can share their work, engage communities across every neighborhood, and inspire Angelenos of all ages.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThis program is not only about celebrating talent \u2013 it\u2019s about building connections, fostering creativity, and making the arts accessible and inclusive for everyone in our city.\u201d<\/p>\n

The program is run in partnership with the Los Angeles Public Library and the city\u2019s Department of Cultural Affairs.<\/p>\n

Eloise Klein Healy was LA\u2019s inaugural poet laureate in 2012. MediaNews Group via Getty Images<\/p>\n

City Librarian John F. Szabo boasted that the program, which has been collecting dust for four years, \u201cunderscores the Library\u2019s commitment to fostering meaningful cultural exchange through language and storytelling.\u201d<\/p>\n

The inaugural poet laureate, Eloise Klein Healy, held the title from 2012 to 2014 before it was handed off to Luis J. Rodriguez. His term lasted three years before Robin Coste Lewis took over. <\/p>\n

The program took a pause after Lewis\u2019 run fizzled out in 2019. Lynne Thompson was selected to helm the dying program in 2021, but bowed out just one year later.<\/p>\n

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Healy, 83, is best known for her feminist-forward works that hone in on \u201cthe influence of place on people,\u201d according to her Poetry Foundation profile<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Lewis, 62, thrived in a similar realm, with pieces of her work appearing in \u201cThe Harvard Gay & Lesbian Review,\u201d according to Poetry Foundation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Lynne Thompson, the city\u2019s most recent poet laureate, held the title from 2021 to 2022. Getty Images<\/p>\n

In 2021, long after his stint concluded, Rodriguez, 71, launched a short-lived campaign for governor of California. He narrowly secured 124,000 votes in the primary, according to Ballotopedia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Thompson, a lawyer-turned-laureate, leans more into themes like family, nature, and her upbringing as a child of Caribbean immigrants, according to her website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Bass will appoint the winner in April 2026, just in time for National Poetry Month. All applications are due on Feb. 20. <\/p>\n

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