In 2013, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors approved the establishment of the post of San Mateo County Poet Laureate to elevate and celebrate the literary arts and their roles in public life. The Poet Laureate serves a two-year term and acts as an ambassador and advocate for poetry, literature and the arts; contributes to San Mateo County’s poetry and literary legacy through public readings and participation in civic events; and leads a community project to make poetry more accessible to people in their everyday lives.
Upon recommendation of the San Mateo County Poet Laureate Advisory Committee, co-chaired by San Mateo County Supervisors Warren Slocum and Carole Groom, the Board of Supervisors appointed Caroline Goodwin as its first Poet Laureate in October 2013. The Poet Laureate program is staffed by the San Mateo County Libraries.
Members of the San Mateo County Poet Laureate Advisory Committee
Warren Slocum
San Mateo County Supervisor, District 4
Carole Groom
San Mateo County Supervisor, District 2
Caroline Goodwin
Former San Mateo County Poet Laureate
Kalamu Chaché
East Palo Alto Poet Laureate
Maryann Moise Derwin
Board Member of the San Mateo County Library JPA Governing Board and Council Member of Portola Valley
Anne-Marie Despain
Director of Library Services for San Mateo County Libraries
Rosemary Ibarra-Garcia
Poet
Robin Rodricks
Chair of the San Mateo County Arts Commission, District 2
Christopher Wachlin
Editor and Publisher of The Stoneslide Corrective and Past President of the San Francisco Peninsula branch of the California Writers Club
Rob Williams
Professor of Language Arts at Skyline College