Juan Felipe Herrera, Penn State’s 2016 Dickinson Lecturer, is the 21st Poet Laureate of the United States (2015-2017) and is the first Latino to hold the position. From 2012-2014, Herrera served as California State Poet Laureate. Herrera has published many collections of poetry, and is a recipient of the PEN/Beyond Margins Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. His novel in verse, Crashboomlove, received the Americas Award. He has written books of prose for children, one of which was adapted into a musical for young audiences in New York City. Herrera is also a performance artist and activist on behalf of migrant and indigenous communities and at-risk youth.