Nancy Woo has worked with the Long Beach Public Library for many years, and since January 2024, has had the pleasure of designing the Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate program and mentoring a cohort of talented poets. She has also led a STEAM summer program, taught poetry to 5th graders with Angels Gate Cultural Center, led an after-school poetry class with the nonprofit Strength-Based Community Change (SBCC), and been a guest teacher to various high school English classes. She is a certified California Poets in the Schools poet-teacher, and in addition to poetry, has taught a smattering of visual art classes. She’s been teaching adult poetry since 2017 through her organization Surprise the Line, as well as in collaboration with other arts organizations.
“I love nurturing young people’s freedom of expression, encouraging their artistic experimentation, and helping them evolve in their craft. Not to mention, working closely in a writing circle develops trust, communication skills, and socio-emotional learning.”