Tess Taylor, El Cerrito’s Poet Laureate, was honored with a grant from the Academy of American Poets as part of the 2024 Poet Laureate Fellows program. The Academy’s Poet Laureate Fellowships recognize laureates’ literary excellence while enabling them to undertake meaningful and innovative projects that enrich the lives of community members, including youth, through responsive and interactive poetry activities.
Through this grant, Tess Taylor is mentoring students at El Cerrito High School’s new literary magazine, connecting local writers and editors of larger regional literary magazines with El Cerrito High School students, and helping the magazine create an event where all contributors can celebrate. As part of her Poet Laureate Project, she is bringing local Bay Area authors to offer writing workshops at Harding, Fairmont, Washington, and Nystrom, helping students at each location access poetry. You can look at their profiles of the teaching HERE!
This year through May is packed with a full schedule, including public-facing literary programming, in-class teaching, free and sliding-scale poetry classes in the afterschool programs, teaching artists in classrooms, and guest artist visits.
Taylor also created The Poet Laureate Legacy Fund, managed by the El Cerrito Community Foundation, to help seed teaching artists in schools and continue building rich literary programs in schools and libraries. We encourage you to show your support for the El Cerrito Poet Laureate Legacy Fund! To be eligible for a tax deduction, these funds are managed by the El Cerrito Community Foundation, represented by Greg Lyman.
past POET LAUREATE events
may 2 & 3, 2025 | el cerrito, ca First-Ever El Cerrito Youth Poetry Festival
Join Tess Taylor, El Cerrito's Poet Laureate, for the inaugural El Cerrito Youth Poetry Festival in collaboration with El Cerrito High School and Harding Elementary. The event kicks off on May 2nd at 5:30 p.m. at the ECHS Library with live performances by Poetically Speakin', The Gaucho Review, and a Student Open Mic. Teachers will also take the stage, making for an evening full of poetry, games, pizza, donuts, and fun. On May 3rd, head to Harding Elementary from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for a Poetry Carnival featuring intergenerational poetry, music, word games, and even the chance to read a poem live on the radio. This exciting weekend celebrates the power of poetry across generations!
MAY 2, 5:30—8:00PM: EL CERRITO HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARY
MAY 3, 10:00am—2:00PM: HARDING ELEMENTARY
MARCH 2025 TEACH-IN for ECHS students: Lunchtime mentorship Tess and 14 Hills magazine staff, lunch meeting with El Cerrito High School (ECHS) literary magazine staff
MARCH 15, 2025 | EL CERRITO COMMUNITY CENTER, GARDEN ROOM (7007 Moeser Lane) PUBLIC, 4:30—6:00PM Intergenerational Poetry Workshop with Tongo Eisen-Martin
MARCH 15, 2025 | EL CERRITO COMMUNITY CENTER, GARDEN ROOM (7007 Moeser Lane) PUBLIC, 6:30—8:00PM Bay Area All-Star Reading with Maw Shein Win, Bob Hass, Tongo Eisen-Martin, and Brenda Hillman
february 8, 2025 | EL CERRITO COMMUNITY CENTER, GARDEN ROOM (7007 Moeser Lane) PUBLIC, 4:30—6:00PM Place and Placemaking in Poetry and Photography a conversation with Ishmael Reed and Lewis Watts about writing and imagining El Cerrito/Richmond in art
DECEMBER 12, 2024 ECHS literary magazine & African American poetry club staff field trip to San Francisco literary offices at Believer Magazine and The Grotto
NOVEMBER 13, 2024 | HARDING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AUDITORIUM 5:30pm—7:00PM BAY AREA VOICES a conversation about novels, the poems, and WRITING FOR YOUNG ADULTS with Shanthi SekAran and Vanessa Hua
OCTOBER 16, 2024 for ECHS students: Lunchtime mentorship Tess and poet Blaise Zerega, of Alta Magazine, lunch meeting with ECHS literary magazine staff
September 11, 2024 for ECHS students: Lunchtime mentorship Tess and poet Alan Charazo, of KQED, lunch meeting with El Cerrito High School (ECHS) literary magazine staff
