GLENDALE — The City of Glendale and the Library, Arts & Culture Department are pleased to announce the appointment of Tina Demirdjian as Glendale’s next Poet Laureate. Demirdjian’s appointment will begin in September, the position serves as an ambassador for Glendale’s rich culture and diversity, promoting the art of poetry.

As Poet Laureate, Demirdjian will develop workshops that engage community members of all ages and abilities in poetry writing, performance, and poetry appreciation. Demirdjian, a Glendale resident, says she is passionate about creating impact and strengthening communities through poetry, art, story, and the power of finding common ground, “Sometimes I change people’s minds: about themselves, about poetry and about each other.”

Demirdjian says she wants to be a bridge to amplify voices from the community, acknowledging the diversity of our city and highlighting the abundance of opportunities for experiencing poetry throughout its environs, “the potential of where and how poetry can be amplified in Glendale is an open field through installations in businesses and institutions which become transmitters of these voices.”

“We are excited to welcome Tina Demirdjian as Glendale’s next Poet Laureate,” said Library Director Lessa Pelayo-Lozada. “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.”

Tina Demirdjian is the recipient of numerous grants, including two from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, the Durfee ARC grant, and the California Council for the Humanities. She is the author of “IMPRINT,” her first poetry collection, and a contributor to “Birthmark: A Bilingual Anthology of Armenian-American Poetry” and recently anthologized in “Remain In Light: Visions Of Homeland And Diaspora” by UC Regents.

Her work has appeared in Moria, High Performance, Texas Observer, The Midwest Poetry Review, and she has performed throughout Los Angeles. She is the owner of POETRY CONSULTS and is a facilitator, team-builder, and producer of events. Through her experience in schools, museums, libraries, She is also a Board Member of Brand Associates that supports the rich array of cultural, arts, and educational programming at the Brand Library & Art Center. In collaboration with art historian Valerie Taylor, she co-created ARTful Conversations at Brand Gallery to bridge community members with writing poetry using art in the exhibits as inspiration.and companies for 30 years she believes in the power of building and sustaining partnerships.

Demirdjian’s mission as a poet, educator, businesswoman, and culture bearer is to continue to engage and empower all communities to write, edit, and recite poetry using their experiences, observations, and connections to the past as a means to lead in their lives.

Glendale’s Poet Laureate Program began in 2023 after a grass roots call from the public. Tina Demirdjian succeeds Glendale’s first Poet Laureate, Raffi Joe Wartanian after three years of increasingly building an audience of attendance at Poetry Workshops through the library and publishing submitted poems to the Library, Arts & Culture’s annual poetry publication, Jewel City Anthology. Wartanian will hold his final Poetry Workshop in his role as Poet Laureate with the City of Glendale in September, while launching the third volume of Jewel City Anthology.

Learn more about Library, Arts & Culture’s Poet Laureate program as well as upcoming workshops online.

Founded in 1907, the Glendale Library, Arts & Culture Department includes eight neighborhood libraries including the Brand Library & Art Center, a regional visual arts and music library and performance venue housed in the historic 1904 mansion of Glendale pioneer Leslie C. Brand, and the Central Library, a 93,000 square foot center for individuals and groups to convene, collaborate and create.

The department also serves as the chief liaison to the Glendale Arts and Culture Commission which works to continually transform Glendale into an ever-evolving arts destination. Glendale Library Arts & Culture is supported in part through the efforts of the Glendale Library Arts & Culture Trust. For more information visit the website, or contact Library, Arts & Culture at (818) 548-2021 or via email at LibraryInfo@GlendaleCA.gov.

Known as the “Jewel City,” Glendale is the fourth largest city of Los Angeles County. With a population of almost 200,000, Glendale is a thriving cosmopolitan city that is rich in history, culturally diverse, and offers nearly 50 public parks & facilities, with easy access to a municipal airport. It is the home to a vibrant business community, with major companies in healthcare, entertainment, manufacturing, retail, and banking. For more information visit the website or follow on social media @MyGlendale.

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