City of West Hollywood Names Steven Reigns as City Poet

 

Reigns was Installed at a City Council Meeting on Oct. 6;

He Read From His Poem: “Morning, West Hollywood”

 

 

WEST HOLLYWOOD, October 7, 2014 – The City of West Hollywood is pleased to announce the installation of Steven Reigns as “City Poet.” Reigns was presented with a Proclamation by the West Hollywood City Council at an installation ceremony at its regular meeting last night on Monday, October 6, 2014. The meeting took place at the City of West Hollywood’s City Council Chambers/Public Meeting Room at West Hollywood Library. As part of the installation ceremony, Reigns read from his poem: “Morning, West Hollywood.” (Full text of the poem is available atwww.weho.org/arts.)

“Big congratulations to Steven Reigns, an amazing poet and a terrific talent,” said West Hollywood Mayor John D’Amico. “Steven brings another great level of culture and meaning to this city.”

Steven Reigns grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and has lived in the Norma Triangle neighborhood of West Hollywood for more than nine years. His debut poetry collection was published in 2001 and he has since published six chapbooks. He is a six-time recipient of an artist-in-residence grant from the Department of Cultural Affairs of the City of Los Angeles. Reigns organized and taught the first-ever autobiographical poetry workshop for LGBT seniors and edited an anthology of their writings, “My Life is Poetry.” He has taught writing workshops around the country to LGBTQ youth and people living with HIV. His latest poetry collection “Inheritance,” published by Sibling Rivalry Press, came out in 2011.

Reigns, as City Poet, will highlight the City of West Hollywood through the literary arts and, over a period of time, create a new body of literary work that commemorates the diversity and vibrancy of the City. He will also serve as an official ambassador of West Hollywood’s vibrant literary culture, promote poetry in West Hollywood, stimulate the transformative impact of poetry in the local community, and create excitement about the written word. His term as City Poet is two years.

The City of West Hollywood has a strong commitment to fostering reading, literary arts, and books. In October 2011, the City celebrated the grand opening of the new West Hollywood Library, which 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 One City One Pride LGBTQ Arts Festival, held each year in June, features a variety of literary events each year during Pride month. The City supports several community book clubs such as Women And Books and the Lambda Literary Book Club. In September 2014, the City hosted “WeHo Reads,” a community reading celebration at West Hollywood Park and Library.

For more information about the City of West Hollywood’s City Poet, please visitwww.weho.org/arts or call (323) 848-6377. For people who are deaf or hard of hearing, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.