He took up his duties of Poet Laureate this fall by opening Hispanic Heritage Month at the Library of Congress with a reading of one of his works. Mr. Herrera succeeds Charles Wright as the 21st Poet Laureate and joins a long line of distinguished poets who have served in the position. including the late Philip Levine who was a Fresno native and former professor at the California State University. Fresno. Mr. Herrera was previously appointed as California Poet Laureate by Governor Jerry Brown and served from 20122015. Born in Fowler. California in 1948 to migrant farmworker parents. Mr. Herrera spent his early life living in tents and trailers with his family throughout the San Joaquin Valley and the Salinas Valley following the seasonal crops.