Meet Worcester's New Poet Laureate: Oliver de la Paz

WORCESTER, MA — Worcester named its newest Poet Laureate this week, turning to Holy Cross professor Oliver de la Paz for literary support over a two-year term.

Originally from the Philippines and the Pacific Northwest, de la Paz is now well known among Worcester's flourishing poetry scene. Over the next two years, he'll create new works about Worcester and help special occasions and honor people in the city.

His first act as laureate will be to appear at Worcester City Manager Eric Batista’s swearing-in ceremony on Friday. But de la Paz will have his own ceremony coming up where he will receive a ceremonial medal by local artist Pam Farren.

Worcester Patch asked de la Paz about how he got interested in poetry and where he finds inspiration in the city. Here's what he had to say:

Are you originally from Worcester, and if not, how did you wind up here?

I’m not originally from Worcester. I was actually raised in eastern Oregon, on the Idaho-Oregon border. But before that, my family moved all around the U.S. from east to west after we had immigrated from the Philippines. I ended up in Worcester when I was offered a teaching position at the College of the Holy Cross. Prior to teaching at Holy Cross, I taught at Western Washington University and then before that I had taught at Utica University in Utica, NY. I’ve lived in central Massachusetts for six going on seven years.

How did you discover poetry? Did you come to it as a young person, or later in life?

When my parents immigrated from the Philippines, one of the first things they did was subscribe to "Readers’ Digest." Back in the 70s, one of the deals with the "Readers’ Digest" subscription was a selection of books from the catalog. My parents chose Robert Penn Warren’s "Selected Poems" because the buzz at the time was Penn Warren’s book, "All the President’s Men," but of course that book wasn’t offered, so they chose the next best thing. At any rate, this was a book I’d always go to when I was a kid because it was so different from all the other books they had. My discovery of poetry came from my experimentation on a typewriter in imitation of the Penn Warren work.

As Worcester's Poet Laureate, are you going to write new poems about the city? How are you going to do that? Where do you find inspiration?

Part of my charge as Poet Laureate is to create poems for occasions that occur in the city. For example, my predecessor, Juan Matos, crafted a poem that honored Officer [Manny] Familia, the police officer who drowned while trying to save boys who were in distress in a pond at Green Hill Park. He also wrote poems for other city-oriented occasions. One of the things that I like to do is visit the vibrant art scene and museum scene around Worcester. I also take inspiration from the natural beauty of the region and I plan to celebrate our proximity to the natural landscape while also celebrating the urban landscape.

Do you think Worcester has a good poetry scene? Frank O'Hara and Elizabeth Bishop are from here, so that seems like a good foundation.

Worcester has a great poetry scene with a strong community of writers. The Worcester County Poetry Association has been a vital organization that has supported young writers. There’s also a really great open-mic culture like The Dirty Gerund poetry night held at Ralph’s Rock Diner. There are also several independent book stores that host readings like Bedlam Book Café, Root and Press, and Tidepool Bookshop. So the interest and the venues are there. I think my role as Laureate may be to further collaborate with these venues in the promotion of more poetry and the art that is being made in the community. And indeed, O’Hara, Bishop, Kunitz, and Christopher Gilbert were poets who are from or who had lived in Worcester. There’s poetic history here, and I hope to connect our wider community to recognize those remarkable writers.

Are there any places in or around Worcester where you like to write? Any recommendations for a place to be creative?

I’m a big fan of what’s called “Ekphrastic Poetry”— that’s poetry that is influenced or inspired by visual works of art. So naturally, the Worcester Art Museum is a great place to start. I also have to say that my writing process actually begins with reading, so my first recommendation is to take a trip to the local library. Encounters with art begets more art.

Find out more about de la Paz and his work on his personal website.