Jen Cheng is a multi-disciplinary storyteller, weaving her skills as a poet, writer, musician, improvisor, and artist. She helps create your story and amplify under-represented stories. Jen is a community curator and cross-pollinator.
News + Updates
Welcoming Spring Classes and Events
Summer is with virtual readings and a special visit to San Diego County’s Escondido Partnership. Remember you can attend events like Palabras Literary Salon or request a special visit from me at your school or private events. Holiday parties are a good time to hire me for typewriter poetry services as entertainment for your event to be uniquely memorable.
Jen was selected as one of 23 Poets Laureates to a great honor with The Academy of American Poets. The Laureate Fellow project is well under way with Bravo High School students. If you want to support our high school poets, please email to find out when their zine party is!
All event details are updated regularly on the linktr.ee/jencvoice or on social media (now also on BlueSky as @JenCvoice). Please send any questions via email.
Poetry Scrabble: Site-specific collaborative poetry experience
Poetry Scrabble premiered at WeHo Pride Arts Festival 2024, was part of an activation at LA River Arts, and opened the poetry performance I hosted on at Grand Performances. Poetry Scrabble is an interactive community poetry experience, inviting attendees to play with word tiles on a word art sculpture. At each event, attendees create collaborative poems with words celebrating the event. The experience will be curated and hosted by Jen Cheng, resulting in two poems that are site-specific, family-friendly, and engaging all to play with poetry.
If arts organizations or other events have an interest to learn more about Poetry Scrabble, Jen is open to new collaborations and bookings. Please email questions.
Poetry Collection
Order the poetry book, Braided Spaces. See a sample of the collection as Jen shares her feminist transnational poem, Ten Thousand Butterflies, with 2023 Grand Performances in Downtown Los Angeles. Links to the virtual book launch, videos, and praise are on the book page. This book sets a foundation of Jen’s teachings in Feng Shui Poetry writing workshops.
Jen is honored as a 2023 California Arts Council Fellow. More about the fellowship here. You can see more about Jen in the press or find out about upcoming events.
Poet Laureate of West Hollywood
Jen Cheng is the Poet Laureate of West Hollywood for 2023-2026. She is the first queer woman of color in the City’s Poet Laureate program and has a commitment for building bridges across communities. Find her writing workshops at the West Hollywood Library and in the community. Stay tuned for the December 2024 Holiday Poetry Hotline. We loved it so much last year, we are doing it again! New events are updated regularly on her events list or social media (JenCvoice). Learn more about April National Poetry Month in West Hollywood in the news here or more about the poetry billboard. If you want inspiration for creativity, it’s there on the Substack, with behind-the-scenes of what goes into Jen’s poems.
Book Jen for your events
Jen recently performed a poetry set to celebrate International Women’s Day which you can see on her YouTube channel. Book her for your celebration. She tailors her sets for different audiences such as women’s events, queer spaces, or Asian American (AANHPI) celebrations. If you have a special occasion, she loves to write something special for your theme!
Podcast and Radio
On KPFK’s Poet’s Cafe, Jen shares about Palabras, a BIPOC-centered literary salon that she curates and hosts. Listen to the radio show here. On KPFK’s Feminist Magazine interview (Nov 15th, 2023 edition), Jen shares about her book, projects for her Poet Laureateship, and other news.
As a wellness coach, Jen Cheng talks her method of breath work, “music.:breath,” with Liberate Yourself.
Commissions: For unforgettable gifts to your special someone, a custom poem or song is something they will treasure. Jen does private parties and events also. Individual commissions are by appointment.
You can see some of her writing on Instagram @jenCvoice or more dog fun on @jen.and.potato
To contact her, please email JenCvoice at gmail dot com
Please subscribe below to our 1-2x/month newsletter, so you will can find out about special promotions, events, and performances! You might even be the winner of a custom poem.
Photo credits: 1) Photo in slideshow are by photographer Mike Palma 2) Calendar Photo at WeHo Library by Kayte Deioma 3) Poetry Scrabble at Grand Performances photo by Nicolette Jackson-Pownall 4) Poet Laureate photo by Kristina Sado, courtesy of the City of West Hollywood 5) International Women’s Day performance photo by Kayte Deioma 6) Photo of Palabras Literary Salon participants by Jen Cheng.
JEN CHENG 