West Hollywood City Invites Community Members To Participate In Creation Of 2021 Collaborative Poem

Press release from the City of West Hollywood:

January 26, 2021

In anticipation of National Poetry Month in April 2021, the City of West Hollywood joins with its City Poet Laureate, Brian Sonia-Wallace, in inviting community members to participate in the creation of the City’s 2021 community collaborative poem. Residents, visitors, community members, and people around the world who love West Hollywood are invited to submit lines, which will be woven together into a one-of-a-kind curated poem reflecting the uniqueness of West Hollywood.

Submitting a line takes just a few moments using an online submission form: https://bit.ly/shareyourvoice21. Participants are urged not to worry about grammar, punctuation, or spelling, and to remember that “the first thought is the best thought.” There are creative prompts to assist, as well, on the online submission form. The deadline for entries is Friday, February 26, 2021 at 5 p.m.

This year’s poem is a continuation of a project created by former City of West Hollywood Poet Laureate Kim Dower, who crafted two collaborative poems, one of which was animated into a five-minute-long video: “I Sing The Body West Hollywood.” The video may be viewed at http://bit.ly/isingbodyweho.

Each year, the City of West Hollywood celebrates National Poetry Month with a diverse slate of poetry programming. In 2021, the City will celebrate with virtual programming in adherence to COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

Brian Sonia-Wallace is the City of West Hollywood’s fourth City Poet Laureate. West Hollywood’s City Poet Laureate highlights the City of West Hollywood through the literary arts and, over a period of time, creates a new body of literary work that commemorates the diversity and vibrancy of the City. He serves as an official ambassador of West Hollywood’s vibrant literary culture, promoting poetry in West Hollywood, stimulating the transformative impact of poetry in the local community, and creating excitement about the written word.

Sonia-Wallace began his appointment in October 2020 following West Hollywood’s third City Poet Laureate, Charles Flowers (2018-2020). Previous City Poet Laureates include Kim Dower (2016-2018) and Steven Reigns (2014-2016), who was West Hollywood’s inaugural City Poet Laureate and who implemented the City’s annual Poetry Month street banner project, which honors living poets and brings snippets of poetry into the streets of West Hollywood.

The City of West Hollywood has an unwavering commitment to fostering the literary arts. The West Hollywood Library showcases the City’s rich intellectual, literary, and cultural diversity and provides a landmark facility for the community’s passionate commitment to lifelong learning. The City’s Arts Division oversees the WeHo Reads literary series presenting new and noteworthy authors. The City of West Hollywood also supports a Free Little Library grant program and regular Drag Queen Story Hour readings.

The City of West Hollywood has declared a local emergency in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Individuals are advised, at this time, to stay at home as much as possible and limit close interactions to those in your household. When in public for essential needs, community members should maintain your space with social (physical) distancing of at least six feet, and cover your face. Public Health officials recommend that everyone continue to follow physical distancing and infection control directives and wear a clean face covering that securely covers both your nose and mouth when in in public. Additionally, people 65 years old or older and all people of any age with underlying health conditions should remain at home whenever possible; people in these categories should only leave their residences to seek medical care, exercise, or obtain food or other necessities.

West Hollywood City Hall is currently closed to the public and has suspended all in-person transactions. Most public City buildings and facilities remain closed. City Hall remains accessible for business and essential services with transactions to be conducted by phone (323) 848-6400 and via the City’s website at www.weho.org.

This press release was produced by the City of West Hollywood. The views expressed here are the author’s own.