A Valley poet who now represents his art on the statewide stage is set to read in February at Merced’s Multicultural Arts Center.
California Poet Laureate Lee Herrick, the first Asian American to serve as the state’s top wordsmith, is scheduled to appear 1 p.m. Feb. 15 at the center, located at 645 W. Main St.
Herrick, who lives in Fresno, will be appearing with respected Merced playwright Dr. Kim McMillon. The event is free to the public.
Born in Daejeon, South Korea, Herrick’s Valley roots run deep. He was adopted as an infant and grew up in Modesto, where he became immersed in literature and art, according to a news release from Newsom’s office.
He teaches at Fresno City College and the MFA program at University of Nevada Reno at Lake Tahoe. He served as Fresno’s poet laureate from 2015 to 2017.
McMillon told the Merced FOCUS that Herrick writes eloquently on the immigrant experience. He has authored four books: “In Praise of Late Wonder: New and Selected Poems,” “Scar and Flower,” “Gardening Secrets of the Dead” and “This Many Miles from Desire.”
“To have someone of his stature come to Merced is so important,” McMillon said, emphasizing how it’s important for artists to tell stories and speak for those who are disenfranchised.
“Particularly those on the margins, and he certainly does that,” McMillon said.
Herrick told The Los Angeles Times that in his role as poet laureate he tries to visit locations that will have impact, including high schools and prisons.
That has included speaking at Valley State Prison in Chowchilla. “It’s always eye-opening,” he said, “but I say it most everywhere I read, the people in prisons are Californians too,” he told LA Times.
Herrick also told LA Times it’s often difficult for him to say “no” when it comes to setting up sites to visit.
“If I weren’t a poet laureate, I might feel inclined to be slightly more selective, but it’s a public position,” he said. “I was appointed by the governor. I had to go through Senate confirmation. I have a hard time saying no to a grade school or a public library, so I accept most invitations. It’s really an honor.”
McMillon, who will appear with Herrick, is a producer and playwright who has written numerous works.
She was a contributor to the anthology “Some Other Blues: New Perspectives on Amiri Baraka” and the editor of Willow Books’ anthology “Black Fire—This Time.”
In 2014 she co-produced the “UC Merced Black Arts Movement Conference: Fifty Years On.”
In addition, she produced, wrote and starred in her one-woman show, “Confessions of a Thespian: When Spirit & Theatre Collide,” which was staged at the Julia Morgan Theatre in Berkeley.