California's poet laureate better have AAA.

Almost every state in America has its own poet laureate, an individual usually given the position for a year or two in hopes they'll inspire its citizens to embrace literary art and possibly even dabble in poetry themselves.

Most poet laureates coast while on the job, barely doing anything during their term. You know that coworker you have that drives you up a wall? Sort of like that. Case in point, can you name your state's poet laureate? Exactly.

Dana Gioia is California's poet laureate, though, and he's not resting. He's determined to visit all 58 counties in the state during his term and hold events in each. In case you haven't noticed, California is quite large, so zig-zagging isn't quite that easy.

"I’ll put 1,000 miles a week on my car, easily," Gioia told KPBS radio. "I’ve gone through two sets of tires."

So far, Gioia has visited 41 counties, with his favorite question and answer event happening in the bustling metropolis  tiny town of Downieville, population 282. The town's school closed down for the event, and 51 students read original poems and peppered Gioia with random questions, like when his birthday was.

"That's one of the things I'm trying to do as poet laureate is bring arts and poetry to communities in a public forum," Gioia told the radio station. "People like it."

Let's just hope he likes AAA and has good cell service.



photo: http://capoetlaureate.net/