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.