Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate

The program is designed to support and uplift youth poets in their development as writers, while providing resources and opportunities for growth and public service. The program components include:

• Mentorship from professional poets in the community.
• Monthly feedback workshops for them to share and comment on each other’s work, facilitated by an experienced poet-teacher.
• Monthly craft lessons taught by professionals in the fields of the literary arts, writing, publishing, public speaking, etc.
• Weekly email prompts.
• Professional development opportunities, such as support with headshots and professional bios, sending work out for publication, and applying for grants.
• Opportunities to read or showcase their work at local community events.
• Option to design and implement a service project of their choice.
• Support from our Social Impact Partner, Long Beach Forward, and Historical Partner, Rancho Los Alamitos.
• Publication in a Long Beach Public Library digital anthology at the end of the service year.
• A featured showcase reading sponsored by the library near the end of the service year.
• Other opportunities as they arise throughout the year!

While many of the opportunities that arise throughout the year may be optional, the Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate cohort is required to complete the following as part of their service contract:

• Attend a majority of the regularly scheduled monthly (craft and feedback) workshops.
• Submit work for publication in the Library's LBYPL anthology.
• Participate in the final showcase reading at the end of the service year.

In addition, the Youth Poet Laureate is required to:

• Participate in the National Youth Poet Laureate program, including attending all required meetings.
• Be available for opportunities that specifically request the Laureate’s involvement, such as special City- or Library-sponsored events.

Participants in this program can expect to build strong and meaningful relationships with each other as a part of their literary community, as well as relationships with other organizations throughout the broader literary and activist communities.

• Writing shows promise and may engage with literary techniques and complex subject matter.
• A well-rounded individual involved in their community and school.
• Someone who is interested in uplifting their community with a desire to make an impact/change.
• Demonstrates leadership and willingness to be an active supporter of others.
• Someone who is able to be an active participant in the program workshops, conversations, and events throughout the year.
• Someone who is eager to share their perspectives about the world and community around them through poetry.
• Someone with a passion for writing, poetry, and the literary arts.
• Someone open to learning and growing as a writer in the program, including being mentored by a poet in the community.
• Able to dedicate time outside of program activities to write, revise, and practice.
• Willingness to do public speaking in front of audiences.
• Someone who may be excited to design a service project to benefit their community.
• Clear and responsive communicator who is attentive to program coordinators and requests.

• Applications open: November 14, 2026
• Applications close: February 27, 2027
• Finalists notified: by April 2027
• Finals ceremony: May 22, 2027
• Program year: May 2027-April 2028

• Applicants must be between the ages of 13-18 as of February 27, 2027.
• Applicants must live in the City of Long Beach and must reside in Long Beach during the program year (May 2027-April 2028).
• Applicants must be able to commit to fulfilling the requirements of the program, including attending a majority of meetings, performing in the end of year showcase reading, and submitting works to be published in the LBYPL anthology.

1. Completed LBYPL application responses filled in on the application page, including demographic information and five short-answer narrative questions (1,500-character limit for each).
2. Curriculum Vitae (CV) no longer than four pages, highlighting literary and civic accomplishments and activities. Please use a standard font like Times New Roman in size 12-point font with 1-inch margins.
3. Third-person biographical statement no longer than 100 words.
4. Portfolio of five of your best poems, totaling no more than ten pages.
   • Please start each poem on a new page and number your pages.
   • Please use a standard font like Times New Roman in size 12-point font with 1-inch margins.
   • Format with single spacing and a break between stanzas unless your formatting requires otherwise.
   • If you submit more than 5 poems or 10 pages, additional pages will not be reviewed.
   • If selected as a finalist, you will be asked to read a selection of your poems at the Finals Ceremony.

If you need to submit an application in physical paper format instead of online, download a PDF of the application and use one of the following submission methods:

1. Email your PDFs (application, bio, CV, portfolio) to LS-YPL@longbeach.gov.
2. Hand deliver your application packet to the Billie Jean King Main Library Teen Services Department by Saturday, February 27, 2027.
3. Mail your application packet to Billie Jean King Main Library, 200 W. Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90802 (ATTN: Xochi Salas, Teen Services). If mailing, must be postmarked by Saturday, February 27, 2027.

Please review the provided documents as helpful models to create your own application materials.

• Curriculum Vitae (CV) Template (.docx)
• 100-Word Bio Template (.docx)
• Portfolio Template (.docx)

We’re here to help and support you every step of the way!

We will be hosting three LBYPL Application Info Sessions and Workshops during this application season. The sessions will be held at the Billie Jean King Main Library in the Teen Lounge (2nd Floor). Reserve your spot by emailing LS-YPL@longbeach.gov. Walk-ins welcome.

• Session 1: Saturday, December 12, 2026 from 12:30–2:00 PM
• Session 2: Saturday, January 23, 2027 from 12:30–2:00 PM
• Session 3: Stay tuned for the date and time of our final info session!

During these sessions, we’ll:

• Participate in a creative writing workshop
• Walk through the LBYPL application process
• Share more information about the LBYPL program
• Answer any questions you may have

Sessions are open to middle and high school students and their guardians and educators. We encourage you to join us, get your questions answered, and feel supported throughout the application process.

Free parking available by request. Supplies will be provided. Light refreshments included.

Have more questions? Contact Xóchi Salas (they/them), Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate Program Coordinator, at LS-YPL@longbeach.gov.

All applicants must be Long Beach residents between the ages of 13 and 18 as of February 27, 2027. Participants must reside in the greater Long Beach area for the entire service year, which runs from May 2027 to April 2028. Therefore, if you are applying in your senior year of high school and are planning to relocate outside of Long Beach for college, you may not be eligible. If you attend a school in Long Beach but reside in another city, you are not eligible.

Submissions open Saturday, November 14, 2026 and close Saturday, February 27, 2027. Late applications will not be accepted. We suggest you prepare your materials early and reach out to us if you have any questions or encounter any technical difficulties.

We will be hosting three LBYPL Application Info Sessions and Workshops this application season. Two of these sessions will be in-person on Saturday, December 12, 2026 and Saturday, January 23, 2027 from 12:30–2:00 PM at the Billie Jean King Main Library (2nd floor in the Teen Lounge). Details for the third information session will be announced.

We are also available to help answer questions by appointment. Library staff can help applicants with technical assistance, such as formatting a CV, but cannot offer feedback on the poetry portfolio.

To sign up for an info session or to schedule an appointment, please email LS-YPL@longbeach.gov.

Please refer to these Literary Bio Instructions for guidance in writing a third-person literary bio or reach out to LS-YPL@longbeach.gov.

Please make sure to submit a bio that does not exceed 100 words for the purposes of this application. This is to ensure fairness and equity among all participants, and to ensure there is space to print the bios of the finalists in the Finals Ceremony program if chosen. Bios longer than 100 words may disqualify your application.

Please do not submit more than 4 pages for your CV. If you have additional accomplishments, we think that is great, but for the purposes of this application, please pick and choose the most relevant activities to highlight for the LBYPL program.

This may include:

• literary activities
• publications
• writing awards
• literary clubs or memberships
• writing recognition of any sort
• social impact or civic leadership
• community leadership
• school roles such as club president
• anything else you think the judges would want to know about your experience with writing and community involvement

Please only submit 5 poems totaling no more than 10 pages. If you are unsure which poems to submit, we recommend asking for feedback from a trusted parent, adult, or teacher to help you choose your strongest work. Please note, library staff are unable to help applicants prepare their poetry portfolio. If you submit more than 5 poems or 10 pages, they will not be reviewed.

We strongly recommend you submit the maximum allowable number of 5 poems. This allows for the judges to get a good sense of your writing. If you don’t have 5 poems, you won’t necessarily be disqualified, but applicants who have not yet written a full 5 poems may not be considered as strongly as those who have.

If, however, you happen to write longer poems and want to submit fewer than 5, you can use your best judgment on which poems to submit, just be sure not to exceed the 10-page limit. And for the purposes of the Finals Ceremony, each poet will have around the same time limit to perform, so a longer poem may need to be excerpted if it doesn’t fit within the time limit.

Application materials will be assessed by 3 judges from the literary community for literary strength and community engagement. They will use a scoring system guided by the National Youth Poet Laureate rubric to evaluate written materials. Then, final scores will be tallied at the end of the performance at the Finals Ceremony.

Finalists will be notified via email once final judging is completed by April 2027. The Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate and four Youth Poet Ambassadors will be announced at the Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate Finals Ceremony, which will take place in mid-May.

If you applied previously but were not selected as a laureate or ambassador and you are still within the age limit, yes, we absolutely encourage you to apply again! Even if you were a finalist in a previous year, if you are still eligible, we would love for you to apply again. Each year, the applicant pool and judges change, and we are sure that you also are continuing to evolve as a writer, so even if you were not accepted into the program in the past, we highly encourage you to apply again.

If you have already served one year as a Youth Poet Ambassador, you can apply again for the chance to serve as the Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate for another year in the program. However, you are not eligible to serve a second year as a LB Youth Poet Ambassador. If you have already been in the program, still please submit an entire application. If you are selected as a finalist, you will be invited to perform at the Finals Ceremony for a chance to become the next Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate. We encourage you to apply again if you are interested in taking on the role of Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate, which comes with some additional responsibilities than a Long Beach Youth Poet Ambassador.

2026-2027

• Youth Poet Laureate: Ajala Sen
• Youth Poet Ambassadors:
• Annali Bojorquez
• Cecelia Rogers
• Kieran Lundy
• Ruby Giles

2025-2026

• Youth Poet Laureate: Ezequiel Correa
• Youth Poet Ambassadors:
  • Adele Odette
  • Eden Gonzalez
  • Macuilquiahuitl Ixeh
  • Maddox Harris

2024-2025

• Youth Poet Laureate: Helena Donato-Sapp
• Youth Poet Ambassadors:
  • Ajala Sen
  • Ezequiel Correa
  • Jorany Chim
  • Liam "Lee" Balmeo
  • Sammantha Martinez
• Against the Storm: Poems of Resistance; Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate 2024-25 Anthology

2023-2024

• Youth Poet Laureate: Claire Beeli
• Youth Poet Ambassadors:
  • Helena Donato-Sapp
  • Kieran Lundy
  • Matilda Iem
  • Sofia Uribe
• Verses on the Horizon: 2023 Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate Cohort Anthology