Juan Felipe Herrera, multifaceted artist and son of a migrant worker, has been named America's first Latino Poet Laureate.

Strongly influenced by his experience as a campesino and the Chicano Movement, Herrera made a career of capturing the experience of multicultural life in America, producing writing and art that has widened the scope of what it means to be a poet in America.

His career began with the 1974 publication of "Rebozos of Love," and led to his appointment as poet laureate of California from 2012 to 2014, and the Library of Congress' 21st Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry, for 2015-2016.

"I see in Herrera's poems the work of an American original -- work that takes the sublimity and largesse of 'Leaves of Grass' and expands upon it," Librarian of Congress James H. Billington said, according to a statement. "His poems engage in a serious sense of play-in language and in image-that I feel gives them enduring power. I see how they champion voices, traditions and histories, as well as a cultural perspective, which is a vital part of our larger American identity."

The Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, frequently referred to as the United States Poet Laureate, serves as the nation's official poet, receiving an annual $35,000 annual stipend. Each laureate brings something new to the position, all of which involve initiating poetry projects that broaden the audience of poetry: encouraging students toward the arts; launching initiatives to publicize poetry in unexpected places; drawing writers together to explore the origin of art forms; and distributing poetry throughout high schools.

"This is a mega-honor for me, for my family and my parents who came up north before and after the Mexican Revolution of 1910 -- the honor is bigger than me," said Herrera, who has yet to reveal his likely actions during his turn as Poet Laureate. "I want to take everything I have in me, weave it, merge it with the beauty that is in the Library of Congress, all the resources, the guidance of the staff and departments, and launch it with the heart-shaped dreams of the people. It is a miracle of many of us coming together."

Herrera is the author of 28 books, including 10 collections of poetry, and several YA novels, collections for children and a picture book showcasing inspirational Hispanic/Latino heroes, "Portraits of Hispanic American Heroes." His latest book, published in 2013, is titled "Senegal Taxi."

The award-winning poet once served as the chair of the Chicano and Latin American Studies Department at California State University, Fresno and he held the Tomas Rivera Endowed Chair in the Creative Writing Department at the University of California, Riverside. Presently, he's a visiting professor in the Department of American Ethnic Studies at the University of Washington, Seattle.

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