Emil Guillermo is the new poet laureate for the City of Ripon.

The announcement was made by Suzanne Fisher of the Ripon Arts League at the Nov. 12 Ripon City Council meeting.

Guillermo was honored to be at the monthly session. His selection to the inaugural honorary position was made possible by a search committee of the Ripon Arts League – Mayor Leo Zuber thanked the group and “is looking forward to seeing Mr. Guillermo in the future.”

The poet laureate position is that of a three-year term, from July 1 through June 3, on even years, with the purpose of presenting original poems at various official functions and occasions.

Guillermo has been a resident of Ripon for the past 20 years. A Harvard graduate, he had career in both print and broadcasting journalism, and is also a commentator and humorist.

He was host of NPR’s All Things Considered from 1989 to 1991.

At the Ripon City Council meeting, Guillermo presented three of his short poems dedicated to Veterans of Ripon as well as others who fought while serving their country.

Back in April, the City of Manteca introduced Tara Rico as its first-ever poet laureate.

She was raised in Manteca and went to Southern California for college, where her passion for poetry blossomed, inspired by her mother’s love for literature – Rico found solace and expression through her writing.

The City of Lathrop, meanwhile, is in search for its first poet laureate.

Like Ripon and Manteca, Lathrop is receiving funding and support from the Library and Literacy Foundation for San Joaquin County in order to establish the program.

“It is our goal to inspire residents, especially our youth, to develop a life-long appreciation of literature, remind the community about the importance of literature and poetry, invest in Lathrop’s human capital and talent, and build its capacity and advocacy for reading and literacy programs,” according to the City of Lathrop on the Nov. 14 social media post.