WRITING and POETRY
Jen Cheng (she/ella/kir) is the fifth West Hollywood City Poet Laureate (2023-2026) and author of Braided Spaces. She is a Poet Laureate Fellow with the Academy of American Poets with her project for high school students “Feng Shui Poetry in the Parks” which integrates eco-education with wellness and poetry. Cheng is a 2026 Macondista, a California Arts Council Fellow, and a Tin House Writers Workshop alumni. She was named one of the Top 50 LGBTQ+ Impact Leaders by LA Magazine (2025). Cheng’s writing is published in Passengers Journal, Colossus:Current, Altadena Poetry Review, and elsewhere.
As a teaching artist, Cheng has worked with diverse students at UCLA Extension, Hammer Museum, Poetry Society of New York, Los Angeles LGBT Center, The Loft Literary Center, and at various libraries and community venues. Beyond poetry and writing, she also works as a ghostwriter and strategy coach for authors and organizations.
As a multidisciplinary artist, her documentary short film HOLDING COURT: Sapphic Voices was selected for the 2026 International Poetry Film Festival. She has performed at NYC Poetry Festival, Grand Performances, and grassroots events. Cheng is the creator and facilitator of Palabras Literary Salon, a BIPOC-centered series. She designed the interactive pop-up sculpture, Poetry Scrabble, for audiences to create a collaborative poem. Online at JenCvoice.com or on social media @JenCvoice.
MUSIC and VOICE
Jen co-wrote and co-produced the song, “Found,” with artist Shiah Luna. They had the opportunity to perform a preview of it at WeHo Pride 2023. Take a listen on Spotify or other listening platforms. She also taught a songwriting class with TransLounge and shared the zine with the students to inspire their writing with prompts on self-reflection. Jen is also the composer of the soundtrack for filmmaker Zoë Hodge’s short film Persuasion. You can take a listen on the music on Jen’s Soundcloud links.
Jen is a songwriter who has studied at the Songwriting School of Los Angeles and was also part of a Songwriting Retreat in Ojai. She also was a student of Mark Salzburg’s Musical Theater writing class and Mark Winkler’s Lyrics class. Jen likes to write and perform musical parodies, if you need a custom song.
As a singer, she has sung with choirs in SF Bay Area, New York City, and Los Angeles. She has also sung with an A Capella group, Headnotes, at University of Michigan.
As an instrumentalist, she is a pianist, violinist, violist. A recent project was a 4-hand piano arrangement excerpt of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, Allegretto.
As a voice artist, she has studied at Kalmenson and taken ADR/Looping workshops with Johnny Gidcomb and Lynneanne Zager. Jen speaks fluently in Cantonese Chinese and Spanish. She also has studied French and can sing and learn pronunciation in many languages.
FILM + MEDIA
Jen is the writer and co-producer of a short film, “Shadow of Love” (queer Asian American drama) premiered in 2020 with LGBTQ and Asian film festivals internationally. She is also the writer/director a narrative music video. She currently has several other TV/film projects in development, including a multicultural coming-of-age story for young people and a children’s book series. She has taken various writing classes with excellent teachers such as Keith Giglio (comedy screenwriting) and Mark Saltzman (musical theater). She has been a member of Women of Color Unite, Women in Film, and the LA Guild of Puppetry.
IMPROV + COMEDY
She has studied comedy improv at the Groundlings, Second City, the Ruby LA, ioWest, and the Asian American improv group Cold Tofu. She was selected for competitive scholarships at the Groundlings and Upright Citizens Brigade. As a standup comedian, she has performed at open mic events such as the Dare to Flair Queer Open Mic and Gorgeous Ladies of Comedy, and was a featured comedian with FredTalks in Santa Monica and part the 2019 Queer Comedy Festival at the Ruby LA.
Photo credit: NJP Photography
JEN CHENG 