Which Former Mayor Was Just Named San Mateo County Poet Laureate?

SAN MATEO, CA — The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors voted an East Palo Alto man as the fifth poet laureate Tuesday, according to a news release.

Antonio De Jesús López, is an award-winning poet and author of the poetry collection, “Gentefication.”

Gregory Pardlo, the 2015 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry winner, called it “tender and ironic, earnest and outraged.”

López is the former East Palo Alto mayor and councilmember, currently pursuing a Modern Thought and Literature doctorate at Stanford University.

He credits his East Palo Alto upbringing and time spent at Ronald Edison McNair Academy as inspiration for his poetry.

“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,” López said.

The Board of Supervisors said the poet laureate’s mission is to promote awareness and heighten the appreciation of poetry throughout San Mateo County.

"Antonio is a gifted poet and community leader whose voice as Poet Laureate is one we need in this moment,” said Supervisor Noelia Corzo. “I’m so excited that he will be sharing his gifts in our county to uplift the many voices and lived experiences here through the art of poetry."