In 2023, Joaquín Zihuatanejo was named an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow. As the founder of the Dallas Youth Poets, Zihuatanejo will continue his work engaging young people in the community by creating a Dallas Poet Laureate Youth Poetry Scholarship for high school juniors and seniors. He will tour schools in traditionally underserved communities, with an emphasis on southern, eastern, and western Dallas, and host writing workshops and youth poetry slams. In addition, Zihuatanejo will create a broadside series that will feature living poets from Dallas and promote the Express Yourself Youth Poetry Anthology in the city.