Juan Felipe Herrera Appointed For Second Term as Poet Laureate
Acting Librarian of Congress David Mao has appointed Juan Felipe Herrera to serve a second term as the 21st Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry.
“In his first term as Laureate, Juan Felipe Herrera traveled the country championing poetry; he also launched an ambitious project on the Library’s website,” said Mao, who announced the appointment this evening at Herrera’s end-of the-term lecture at the Library of Congress. “We look forward to seeing what Herrera will accomplish in his second term, and we know he will continue to inspire and educate with his warmth, enthusiasm, and creative genius.”
On being appointed to serve a second term, Herrera, who is the first Hispanic poet to serve in the position, said, “Deep gratitude and great joy, and many thank-you’s to the Library. I look forward to continuing my first year’s momentum and sharing the inspiration tsunami given to me in every community that I visit throughout the U.S.A. as Laureate.”
Herrera’s second term will begin Sept. 1. He will follow previous multiyear laureates such as Natasha Trethewey, Kay Ryan, Ted Kooser, and Billy Collins and develop a second-term project. Details about his second-term project will be announced in late summer.
Herrera’s historic first term was noteworthy for his online project, “La Casa de Colores,” which is comprised of two initiatives: “La Familia,” a submission-based epic poem asking for the participation of the general public, and “El Jardín,” a series chronicling his experiences exploring and interacting with the Library’s resources and collections.
The author of 30 books of poetry, novels for young adults and collections for children, Herrera’s most recent work is “Portraits of Hispanic American Heroes” (2014), a picture book showcasing inspiring Hispanic- and Latino-Americans, and “Notes on the Assemblage” (2015), a volume of poems.
Read the Complete Announcement Incl. Brief Bio of Herrera
See Also: Resource Guide on U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera (via LC)

About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.