Worcester Poet Laureate Appointment

WORCESTER, Mass. – City Manager Eric D. Batista, Mayor Joseph M. Petty, the Worcester City Council, and the City’s Cultural Development Division have announced the appointment of Oliver de la Paz as the City of Worcester’s next Poet Laureate.

The award-winning poet and literary educator will serve from January 2023 to December 2025. De la Paz is the author of several published works, including The Boy in the Labyrinth (2019), Post Subject: A Fable (2014), Requiem for the Orchard (2010), Furious Lullaby (2007), and Names Above Houses (2001).

De la Paz’s first official appearance as Worcester’s Poet Laureate will be at City Manager Eric D. Batista’s Swearing-In Ceremony on Friday, Jan. 6 in the Levi Lincoln Chamber at City Hall beginning at 4 p.m. A formal event to recognize de la Paz will be announced at a later date, where he will be presented with a ceremonial medal created by local metal artist Pam Farren.