The California Poet Laureate is the

poet laureate A poet laureate (plural: poets laureate) is a poet officially appointed by a government or conferring institution, typically expected to compose poems for special events and occasions. Albertino Mussato of Padua and Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) ...

for the state of

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. In 2001, Governor

Gray Davis Joseph Graham "Gray" Davis Jr. (born December 26, 1942) is an American attorney and former politician who served as the 37th governor of California from 1999 to 2003. In 2003, only a few months into his second term, Davis was recalled and remov ...

created the official position. Each poet laureate for the State of California is appointed by the

Governor of California The governor of California is the head of government of the U.S. state of California. The governor is the commander-in-chief of the California National Guard and the California State Guard. Established in the Constitution of California, the g ...

for a term of two years and must be confirmed by the senate. Previous to Governor Davis' action in creating the position, the title was unofficial and the position was held for life. The program is run by the

California Arts Council The California Arts Council is a state agency based in Sacramento, United States. Its eight council members are appointed by the Governor and the state Legislature. The agency's mission is to advance California through arts, culture and creativi ...

Poets laureate

Grave_marker_of_California_poet_laureate_Gordon_W

* Ina Donna Coolbrith, appointed on June 30, 1915. Held the title until her death in 1928. * Henry Meade Bland, 1929–1931 *

John Steven McGroarty John Steven McGroarty (August 20, 1862 – August 7, 1944) was a poet, ''Los Angeles Times'' columnist, and author who also served two terms as a United States Democratic Party, Democratic Congressman from California from 1935 to 1939. __TOC_ ...

, 1933–1944 * Gordon W. Norris, 1953–1961 * Charles B. Garrigus, 1966–2000 *

Quincy Troupe Quincy Thomas Troupe, Jr. (born July 22, 1939) is an American poet, editor, journalist and professor emeritus at the University of California, San Diego, in La Jolla, California. He is best known as the biographer of Miles Davis, the jazz music ...

, June 11, 2002 – October 2002. *

Al Young Albert James Young (May 31, 1939 – April 17, 2021) was an American poet, novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and professor. He was named Poet Laureate of California by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger from 2005 to 2008. Young's many books includ ...

, May 12, 2005 – 2008 *

Carol Muske-Dukes Carol Muske-Dukes (born 1945 in St. Paul, Minnesota) is an American poet, novelist, essayist, critic, and professor, and the former poet laureate of California (2008–2011). Her most recent book of poetry, ''Sparrow'' (Random House, 2003), chron ...

, November 14, 2008 – 2011 *

Juan Felipe Herrera Juan Felipe Herrera (born in December 27, 1948) is an American poet, performer, writer, cartoonist, teacher, and activist. Herrera was the 21st United States Poet Laureate from 2015 to 2017. Herrera's experiences as the child of migrant farmers ...

, March 21, 2012 – 2014 *

Dana Gioia Michael Dana Gioia (; born December 24, 1950) is an American poet, literary critic, literary translator, and essayist. Since the early 1980s, Gioia has been considered part of the literary movements within American poetry known as New Formalis ...

, December 4, 2015 – 2018

References

External links

California Poet Laureate website

California Poets Laureate at Library of Congress
Lists of poets California culture American poetry awards American Poets Laureate {{California-stub

Poets laureate

See also

References

External links