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John Struloeff Named as Malibu Poet Laureate


John StruloeffOn October 12, 2020, Malibu City Council named Seaver College associate professor of creative writing and English John Struloeff as Malibu’s Poet Laureate. Struloeff will serve as the City's Malibu Poet Laureate. He is preceded by Malibu Poets Laureate Ellen Reich and Ricardo Means Ybarra and will serve through June 1, 2021.

“During these extraordinarily challenging times, poetry can serve as a soothing, healing, understanding voice of the community, so I welcome and congratulate Dr. Struloeff and look forward to seeing his work,” shares Malibu Mayor Mikke Pierson. 

Struloeff, who has been involved in the Malibu Poet Laureate program since its inception, is eager to continue his involvement in the community in a different capacity. As the Poet Laureate, he will be responsible for hosting and developing community programming such as the virtual Caffeinated Verse events on October 24 and December 12 and virtual poetry workshops. 

“We need poetry and art more than ever right now,” Struloeff shared when discussing how his own writing and creativity was impacted since the beginning of the pandemic. One of the things he is most looking forward to in the position is reconnecting with the Malibu community even if it is done through virtual events. 

Struloeff is the author of a poetry collection, The Man I Was Supposed to Be, and a forthcoming book of poems about Albert Einstein, The Work of a Genius. He is also the recipient of a number of literary awards, including the Stegner Fellowship from Stanford University, an NEA Literature Fellowship, a Sozopol Fiction Fellowship from the Elizabeth Kostova Foundation (Bulgaria) and the Tennessee Williams Scholarship from the Sewanee Writers' Conference. Additionally, Struloeff's work has been published in The Atlantic, The Southern Review, The Literary Review, and more than fifty other literary magazines and anthologies. 

To learn more about events offered by the Malibu Poet Laureate Program, visit the Malibu Arts and Culture website.