Jessica Abughattas, Poet Laureate
Jessica Abughattas was born and raised in California. Her debut book, Strip, won the Etel Adnan Poetry Prize and will be published by the University of Arkansas in 2020. She is a Kundiman fellow and a graduate of the Antioch University Los Angeles MFA in Creative Writing program. Her poems appear in Waxwing, The Adroit Journal, Best of the Net 2019, and elsewhere.
Khadija Anderson, Poet Laureate
Born and raised in Altadena, Khadija Anderson has been published extensively online and in print journals and anthologies. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing through Antioch University Los Angeles and her first book of poetry, “History of Butoh” was published in 2012 by Writ Large Press. Her poem “Islam for Americans” was a Pushcart Prize nominee and a chapbook, “Cul-de-sac: an American Childhood” is forthcoming in 2020 from Ethel, a woman-run press. Khadija runs a monthly social justice themed poetry series, Poets & Allies for Resistance, in Pasadena and her work can be found at khadijaanderson.com.