Merced makes it official and appoints Joyce Dale as the city’s first Poet Laureate

May 22, 2025

By Alma Villegas

After years of being recognized informally as the city’s poet, this week Joyce Dale was finally named Merced’s first poet laureate.
Merced Mayor Matthew Serratto appointed Dale, 73, to the two-year position during the May 5 city council meeting, which coincided with Dale’s birthday.
Since returning 20 years ago to Merced, Dale has recited her words at volunteer events, inauguration ceremonies, holiday gatherings and cultural celebrations.
“The mayor has said I’m the poet laureate, so I sometimes say I’m the poet laureate,” Dale said, reflecting on the fact that she’s previously been unofficially introduced as Merced’s poet laureate by Serratto, Senator Anna Caballero and Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria.

“I didn’t really know anything about a poet laureate until the past few years.
A poet laureate is generally a title conferrred by a government agency to an individual for their commitment to poetry and presence in their community.
For example California has its own poet laureate. Some cities in the Central Valley, like Modesto, Sacramento and Fresno, each have their own official poet laureate. Now, Merced joins that list.

“There’s so much tradition around a poet laureate,” said Kim McMillon, a Merced-based author and playwright who has also been an organizer with San Francisco’s Litquake literary festival.

“It helps a community because a poet laureate can visit schools,” McMillon said. “They can talk to kids about the importance of poetry. They can write poetry with the kids. They can speak about poets and their influences.”

Being Merced’s official poet is a testament to Dale’s literary accomplishments.
Dale has published five poetry anthologies in the past two decades. Among those works, “In Jesus’ Name, Amen” and “Upon These Shoulders” were published in 2008; “Mothers, Daughters, Sisters, Friends” was published in 2012; “Memories of Betrayals” was published in 2018; and “Walk This Way” was published in 2019.
Readers can find Dale’s poetry on her website at Poetically Yours.

Her poetry explores intimate experiences surrounding mother-daughter relationships, family reunions and her Christian-based faith.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she wrote about spending Easter 2020 virtually with her family, and not allowing the coronavirus to “steal all [their] blessings.