The Santa Monica City Council has affirmed Jay Baldwin as the city's second poet laureate for a two-year appointment.
Born and raised in Santa Monica, Baldwin serves as the school librarian at a Santa Monica elementary school and is completing a master's degree in library science. Baldwin has competed in slam poetry events across the West Coast, performed in storytelling shows including The Moth and is a longtime participant in Pride Poets, a collective of LGBTQ+ poets who bring poetry into public spaces through custom typewriter-written poems.
Identifying as queer and nonbinary, Baldwin's work is informed by an understanding of libraries and poetry as intersecting sites of activism and communal engagement. Baldwin succeeds inaugural poet laureate Anne Carmack, who served since 2024.
"Our city continues to build a vibrant cultural future, and welcoming our second poet laureate is an important part of that commitment," Mayor Caroline Torosis said. "Poetry has the power to bring people together, spark meaningful conversations and highlight the many diverse voices that shape our community."
The public can meet Baldwin at several National Poetry Month and Arts, Culture and Creativity Month events in April:
On April 11 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., "The Opening Page, Meet Your Poet Laureate" reception will be held at the MLK Jr. Auditorium and Central Courtyard at the Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd. On April 14 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Baldwin will read a proclamation at the City Council meeting at City Hall, 1685 Main St. On April 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Baldwin will appear at the 12th Annual Arts and Literacy Festival at Virginia Avenue Park, 2200 Virginia Ave.
The poet laureate receives a $10,000 honorarium for the two-year appointment. For more information, visit santamonica.gov/library. For more information about the Poet Laureate program, visit https://www.santamonica.gov/programs/poet-laureate
Edited by SMDP Staff