Antonio López
Antonio López of East Palo Alto is San Mateo County’s 2025-2027 Poet Laureate.
López is a poetician at the intersections of the arts, policy, and social change. He is the son of immigrants from Michoacán, México who moved to East Palo Alto in the 1980s. The first in his family to graduate from college, he holds degrees from Duke University, Rutgers-Newark, and the University of Oxford as a 2018 Marshall Scholar. His poetry and essays have appeared in numerous publications, anthologies and podcasts including Poetry Foundation, Latino Poetry: The Library of America Anthology, The Slowdown, Poetry Daily, among others.His first book of poetry, Gentefication,was selected by Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Gregory Pardlo for the 2019 Levis Prize in Poetry published by Four Way Books.
Antonio served his hometown as a councilmember and mayor for the City of East Palo Alto. From 2021-2023, he worked as field representative for the California State Senate. He serves on the board of several nonprofits, including El Concilio of San Mateo County, Mannakin Dance Theater, the Catalino Tapia Scholarship Fund, among others. He is currently finishing his PhD in the Modern Thought and Literature program at Stanford University. Antonio also serves as the Associate Director for Research and Advocacy for the coast side organization Ayudando Latinos a Soñar (ALAS).
Antonio could not be more excited to serve as San Mateo County’s next Poet Laureate. “It is with deep gratitude and steadfast hope that I step into this role as Poet Laureate,” López said. “I believe poetry is not only a mirror—it is a tool for justice, a call to empathy, and a bridge between communities. In every verse, we find the possibility to reflect our shared resilience, to honor the beauty of our differences, and to uplift the voices too often left unheard. San Mateo County is rich with stories of strength, struggle, and triumph. My commitment is to ensure poetry becomes a platform where all our narratives are seen, felt, and celebrated. May this journey draw us closer—one poem, one truth, one heart at a time.”
On May 5, 2025, the Office of Arts and Culture hosted a celebration of the 5th San Mateo County Poet Laureate, Antonio López, and the important role poetry plays in our community to uplift and give voice to all. Click here to view the video of the program.
Read the San Mateo Daily Journal article, Combining Poetry and Politics.
Read the press release about the Poet Laureate.
Read the poem "County of My Name"
About the San Mateo County Poet Laureate Program
On April 23, 2013, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors approved the establishment of the post of San Mateo County Poet Laureate to elevate and celebrate the literary arts and their roles in public life.
Upon recommendation of the San Mateo County Poet Laureate Advisory Committee, co-chaired by San Mateo County Supervisors Warren Slocum and Carole Groom, the Board of Supervisors appointed Caroline Goodwin as its first Poet Laureate in October 2013. The Poet Laureate program is staffed by the Office of Arts and Culture.
The Poet Laureate serves a two-year term and acts as an ambassador and advocate for poetry, literature and the arts; contributes to San Mateo County’s poetry and literary legacy through public readings and participation in civic events; and leads a community project to make poetry more accessible to people in their everyday lives. The Poet Laureate is responsible for elevating poetry in our community, educating the public about the value of creative expression, inspiring diverse voices to emerge, creating new points of connection among residents in our county, and increasing access to our cultural resources. The Poet Laureate will create and lead a series of programs in the community.
Past Poet Laureates include Jorge Argueta, Aileen Cassinetto, Lisa Rosenberg, and Caroline Goodwin. Learn more about the poets and their projects here.