“One of the great things about poetry is that it is an act of exploration,” says retired Cal Poly creative writing professor Kevin Clark, a former San Luis Obispo County Poet Laureate. “The world is filled with mystery, and poetry is a way to chip away tiny bits into the mystery.”
To 52-year-old Lee Herrick, the recently re-appointed California Poet Laureate, poetry also is a way to spread joy.
“I’m really interested in joy, and I think poetry is closely related to that,” Herrick says.
Herrick, who lives in Fresno, was first appointed to his role in November 2022, and was reappointed by Governor Gavin Newsom in April, making him the first poet laureate to be reappointed in California. He is responsible for delivering keynotes, poetry readings and yearly projects.
“Not every writer is a nice person—most are, but some are not,” Clark says. “He [Herrick] is not only a hell of a good poet, but he’s a great guy,” Clark says.
“As a teacher, poet, and father, Lee writes movingly about his identity as a Californian and encourages others to reflect on what the state means to them,” Governor Gavin Newsom said at the time of Herrick’s initial appointment.
In 2023, Herrick led the “Our California” project, where he invited any Californian, of any age, any background and any level of experience with poetry, to write a poem about their city and what it means to them. Poems came from grade schoolers, authors, and people just interested in poetry—including SLO County residents.
“It’s fun to see people being creative and thinking about their communities,” Herrick says. He also teaches a poetry course at Fresno City College.
Teaching is important to Herrick because that’s how he reconnected with his love for poetry. “I had a great teacher in eighth grade who would talk about poetry, and teachers in high school and college who really accelerated my interest in it,” Herrick says.
Inspired by rap artist A Tribe Called Quest and the wordplay in music by Public Enemy, Herrick began to write poetry of his own in college. He wrote “How Music Stays in the Body” for his Korean mother—that he’s never met. “It’s a love song of sorts for my first mother,” Herrick says. “It is also sort of a love song for adoptees everywhere.”
Poetry also acts as a relationship builder and strengthener, according to Clark. While serving his term as the local Poet Laureate from 2019 to 2022, Clark connected with other poets in the area. “It was really important for me to stay in touch with other poets, and I did,” he says.
Clark and MT Vallarta, another award-winning local poet, were special guests along with Herrick last January at a SLO County Arts Council event in San Luis Obispo honoring the appointment of Caleb Nichols as the county’s newest Poet Laureate.
“It was a wonderful group of readers, and that was really joyful for me to be there as Caleb began his term,” Herrick says.
Herrick will serve as California Poet Laureate until 2027, and will continue to establish connections and build relationships with community members and other poets. He also plans to work on a second statewide project that has been approved by the California Arts Council and the Governor’s office.
“It’s not about ego, but the joy—the joy adjacent to language and discovery,” Herrick says.
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