Retired UCR Professor Named 1st Hispanic Poet Laureate

RIVERSIDE (CBSLA.com) — A recently retired UC Riverside professor was named Wednesday as the nation's 21st Poet Laureate.

Juan Felipe Herrera, who was previously named California's Poet Laureate in 2012, is the first Hispanic poet to serve in the position, which is appointed by the Librarian of Congress.

Herrera is the author of 28 books of poetry, young adult novels and collections for children. He worked as a professor in UCR'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," Librarian of Congress James H. Billington said on Herrera's appointment.

"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's inaugural reading as Poet Laureate will take place on Sept. 15.

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