In 2026, Michelle Bitting was named an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow. Michelle Bitting will conduct a series of multi-session residencies at designated schools on the west side of Los Angeles with youth affected by the 2025 Palisades-Eaton fires. The residencies will begin in the fall of 2026 and end in the spring of 2027. Guest poets will join Bitting in conducting two major residencies in the fall and two more in the spring. Each residency will culminate in the creation of an anthology of poems written by the students and a reading event. Bitting will help guide young writers discover the light and healing power of poetry.