Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Linda Ravenswood . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Linda , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Linda , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Something I really wanted was to be the poet laureate of my town, and I applied to be poet laureate of Los Angeles, West Hollywood, and El Segundo when they had open calls for writers who wanted to advance poetry in community.

Interestingly, I was a finalist several times however ultimately those folks decided to go with other people, which was disappointing, but did not dampen my desire to be an effective community developer in the arts. I’m not sure if maybe it didn’t even inspire me more greatly to bring poetry into community! So, even though I’m not poet laureate, I’m able to represent artists and poets and hopefully bring good work into the community. And I founded the poet laureate position for Glendale, California, which if I was serving as Poet Laureate in a different town, perhaps I might not even’ve thought to do!  And, I’m working to bring a poet laureate program to Burbank, California and Pasadena, California. I also founded the new Long Beach poetry festival in 2023. Lots of work to be made in the arts:))
So even though I don’t hold an office as an official poet in government, I’m still doing my best to try to raise awareness for literature, and to provide platforms for poets, artists, and writers to present their work. I’m always keen to find out when different government offices, cities, and libraries are calling for a new poet laureate around Los Angeles, California, and I’m still excited to throw my hat in the ring to be poet laureate one day.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I’m excited to record poetry, and I’m working with several musicians on a new libretto / book of mine called girls in the desert. Happy National Poetry Month y’all!!! 

Contact Info:

• Website: thelosangelespress.com
• Instagram: @thelosangelespress
• Facebook: Linda Ravenswood

Image Credits
Getty Images