The city of Glendale announced Wednesday it has named poet and artist Tina Demirdijan as the city’s next Poet Laureate, beginning in September.
Demirdijan, a Glendale resident, will serve as an ambassador for the city’s culture and diversity, developing workshops to engage the community in poetry writing, performance and appreciation, according to city officials.
“Sometimes I change people’s minds: about themselves, about poetry and about each other,” Demirdijan said in a statement.
Demirdijan said she hopes to amplify diverse voices from the community and highlight opportunities for the public to encounter poetry in everyday life.
She currently serves on the board of Brand Associates, which supports cultural, arts and educational programming at the Brand Library & Art Center.
“Tina’s work as a poet and artist has brought community members together through her workshops led at Brand Library, in her teaching in our local schools and at gallery spaces where she has exhibited her work; her appointment as our city’s Poet Laureate is an impactful step for the Poet Laureate program,” Library Director Lessa Pelayo-Lozada said.
Demirdijan succeeds Glendale’s first Poet Laureate, Raffi Joe Wartanian, who has served in the position since the program began in 2023.