What role does poetry play in shaping our sense of self and our connection to the world? How can poetic expression illuminate identity, belonging, and universal truths? 

Join us for an inspiring National Poetry Month discussion between two celebrated poets whose work explores the intersection of identity, culture, and human connection. This engaging conversation will delve into their creative processes, their perspectives on poetry as a transformative art form, and the ways their experiences have shaped their work. 

The event will feature: 

• Richard Blanco, the fifth Presidential Inaugural Poet, selected by President Obama, and a National Humanities Medal recipient. As a poet, memoirist, and advocate, Blanco’s work—including How To Love a Country and Homeland of My Body—reflects on cultural identity, belonging, and the human spirit, earning him widespread acclaim and recognition as a voice for diversity and justice. 

• Kim Dower, former City Poet Laureate of West Hollywood, whose six acclaimed poetry collections—including her newest, What She Wants, Poems on Obsession, Desire, Despair, Euphoria as well as the bestselling I Wore This Dress Today for You, Mom—are known for blending humor and heartache, memory and loss. Dower’s work has appeared in Ploughshares, Rattle, and O Magazine and is included in major anthologies such as Wide Awake: Poets of Los Angeles and Beyond. 

This dynamic exchange between two literary luminaries will offer insights into the transformative power of poetry and its ability to inspire both personal and collective change. This event is free to attend, and RSVPs are requested at www.weho.org/wehoreads.

WeHo Reads is a literary series presented by the City of West Hollywood. For more information and events, visit www.weho.org/wehoreads. The 2025 season is produced by BookSwell, a literary media company amplifying historically excluded voices. Additional support is provided by Poets & Writers and media partnerships with Book Soup and the Los Angeles Review of Books.