Al Young

Al Young, California’s former Poet Laureate and a vintage Bay Area resident, is the author of eight full-length poetry collections, five novels, and many other books. His work has been widely translated and has earned him many honors and awards. In appointing Young as Poet Laureate, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger praised him: “He is an educator and a man with a passion for the Arts. His remarkable talent and sense of mission to bring poetry into the lives of Californians is an inspiration.” Young has taught poetry, fiction writing, and American literature at U.C. Berkeley, U.C. Santa Cruz, U.C. Davis, and numerous other universities around the country.