AIDEED MEDINA APPOINTED CITY OF FRESNO’S NEWEST POET LAUREATE 

Fresno, California. April 8, 2025. Mayor Jerry Dyer appoints Fresno poet, Aideed Medina, Fresno’s seventh Poet Laureate. Medina will be honored at City Hall with a Proclamation during Fresno City Council’s April 10th meeting at 9:00am. She will recite an original poem for Fresno following the proclamation. The appointment serves as a highlight of National Poetry Month.
 
Aideed Medina is Pushcart Prize-nominated poet, award-winning spoken word artist and playwright, and is the author of 31 Hummingbird: A Suite of Poems (Editorial Xingao, 2023) and Segmented Bodies (Prickly Pear Press, 2024). Her poetry and prose have been featured in many publications, including Fresno State’s Club Austral Literary Magazine, Chicano Writers and Artists Association Journal, La Bloga, Poets Responding, Split This Rock, and Nueva York Poetry Review, among many others, as well as in compositions for the 559 Mural Project and Fresno Grand Opera’s Opera Remix.
 
“Drawing inspiration from her family’s experiences and the broader farmworker movement, Aideed Medina’s poetry captures the resilience, struggles, and hopes of those who have long been the economic backbone of our region,” said nominator, California State Senator Anna Caballero. “Through her work, she pays homage to the labor and sacrifices of farmworkers while giving voice to their enduring spirit and contributions to our community.”
 
“In my poetry practice, the poet attempts to create and share in service and for the community's enjoyment,” said Medina. “In this spirit, I hope to serve as Fresno's Poet Laureate. Flor y Canto, Flower Song for the people, with love.”
 
The City of Fresno Poet Laureate program was established by Resolution of the City Council in 2012 to promote and extend the city’s significant literary culture. The Poet Laureate for the City of Fresno is an honorary position. Medina will serve a two-year term, commencing in April 2025 and ending March 2027. 
 
The City of Fresno Poet Laureate is selected by a city-appointed selection committee. The committee reviews nominations and evaluates them according to guidelines established by Fresno City Council resolution. For general information about the program, please see Fresno Arts Council’s website.
 
Medina succeeds Joseph Rios (2023-2025) as Poet Laureate and joins former Fresno Poets Laureate, James Tyner (2013-2015), Lee Herrick (2015-2017 and California’s current Poet Laureate), Bryan Medina (2017-2019), Marisol Baca (2019-2021), and Megan Bohigian (2021-2023). 
 
The public is invited to join the Fresno Arts Council in recognizing and celebrating Medina’s appointment at a reception at the Fresno Arts Council gallery Thursday, April 10th at 5:30pm. The gallery is located at 1245 Van Ness, Fresno, CA 93721.
 
Please direct questions to Program Manager, Andrea Mele, at andrea@fresnoartscouncil.org.