2025 Annual Convening Speakers

Jen Cheng is the Fifth West Hollywood City Poet Laureate, a Laureate Fellow with the Academy of American Poets, a California Arts Council Fellow, and author of Braided Spaces. She is the creator and facilitator of Palabras Literary Salon, a grassroots series featuring BIPOC poets and writers. Cheng's interactive sculpture, Poetry Scrabble, engages event attendees to create a collaborative poem.  Her Laureate Fellow project, Feng Shui Poetry in the Parks, integrates eco-education with wellness, East-West philosophy, and poetry. With stories for tween audiences, mystery detective fans, and queer love, Jen is a cross-pollinator and community curator. To connect with her, please visit her social media @JenCvoice or www.JenCvoice.com