Nation's First Hispanic Poet Laureate is Retired UCR Prof

Photo courtesy of UC Riverside

A recently retired UC Riverside professor was named the nation’s 21st Poet Laureate on Wednesday.

Juan Felipe Herrera, who is the first Hispanic poet to serve in the position, was previously named California’s Poet Laureate in 2012.

Herrera is the author of 28 books of poetry, young adult novels and collections for children. He worked as a professor in University of California, Riverside’s Creative Writing Department from 2005 until recently.

“I see in Herrera’s poems the work of an American original -- work that takes the sublimity and largesse of ‘Leaves of Grass’ and expands upon it,” said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington.

“His poems engage in a serious sense of play -- in language and in image -- that I feel gives them enduring power,” Billington said. “I see how they champion voices, traditions and histories, as well as a cultural perspective, which is a vital part of our larger American identity.”

Herrera is the second Poet Laureate with a connection to UCR, following UCR graduate Billy Collins, who served as Poet Laureate from 2001 to 2003.

Herrera will participate in the Library of Congress National Book Festival on Sept. 5. His inaugural reading as Poet Laureate will take place on Sept. 15.

-- City News Service