U.S. Poet Laureate Emeritus Juan Felipe Herrera launches his latest book, “Flourishing Shadows/Sombras Florecientes: A Chicano Howl” (University of Arizona Press, 2026), at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9, at the Fresno State Library (Ellipse Gallery).
Performing with Herrera will be Benjamin Boone and friends, the Ohuaya Collective and the Chicanx Writers and Artists Association. The launch will engage audience members with participatory poetry and art.
Herrera’s publisher calls the Fowler native’s new book “a lyrical journey through migration, memory and resistance — an urgent address to a nation grappling with its identity. Blending autobiography and Indigenous, Chicanx and Beat traditions, Herrera reclaims language as a tool of compassion and truth.”
This event is part of the English Department’s Fresno Poets’ Series and is co-sponsored by the Department of English and the Fresno State Library.
Admission is free. Parking costs $5 in suggested Lot P1. Details are on the events calendar.
(Story by Jefferson Beavers, courtesy of the Department of English; lead photo of U.S. Poet Laureate Emeritus Juan Felipe Herrera courtesy of BlueFlower Arts.)