April 8, 2025

For Immediate Release

Redwood City — San Mateo County’s new Poet Laureate, Antonio De Jesús López, cites his upbringing in East Palo Alto as his inspiration.

“I was immersed in Spanish and Spanglish, which shaped my understanding of English as something malleable — like gum, stretching and adhering, collecting the 'lint' of other tongues,” López said. “My peers, those other brown and black voices, and the cultural richness within the Ravenswood City School District were pivotal, too. They provided the bedrock for my creative expression.”

On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors voted to appoint López as County’s fifth Poet Laureate, a position with the mission of “promoting awareness and heightening appreciation of poetry and the spoken word throughout San Mateo County.”

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