L.A.'s First Poet Laureate Named at Central Library

Public Relations Office, Library Administration,
Poet Laureate in Group Photo

City Librarian John F. Szabo welcomed Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to the Central Library on Friday, December 7, for a press conference at which the Mayor named Eloise Klein Healy, the first Poet Laureate of Los Angeles.

"As the arts and culture capital of the world, Los Angeles’ 4 million residents and 26 million annual visitors deserve a Poet Laureate to elegantly express the beauty of our city in words," Mayor Villaraigosa said. "While each of the nominees demonstrated a command of the written word, Eloise Klein Healy’s work highlighted the truly innovative and imaginative nature of our City’s literary genius. I am proud to have her serve as the Ambassador to our City’s vibrant poetry and literary culture."

Healy is an accomplished poet, professor, and editor. She has been a major presence in the L.A. poetry scene for the past three decades. Healy has authored seven poetry books, including The Islands Project: Poems for Sappho (2007), which was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award in Poetry and the Publishing Triangle’s Audre Lorde Lesbian Poetry Prize. Her newest book of poetry is A Wild Surmise: New and Selected Poems & Recordings .

As Poet Laureate, Healy will author poetry, promote Angeleno writers, and speak about the transformative qualities of poetry and the written word. She will serve a two-year term ending in 2014 and receive a $10,000 annual grant from the Department of Cultural Affairs.


 

 

 

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