On April 8, 2025, Mayor Jerry Dyer appointed Fresno poet, Aideed Medina, Fresno’s seventh Poet Laureate. Medina was honored at City Hall with a Proclamation during Fresno City Council’s April 10th meeting and recited an original poem for Fresno following the proclamation. The appointment serves as a highlight of National Poetry Month.
 
Aideed Medina is Pushcart Prize-nominated poet, award-winning spoken word artist and playwright, and is the author of 31 Hummingbird: A Suite of Poems (Editorial Xingao, 2023) and Segmented Bodies (Prickly Pear Press, 2024). Her poetry and prose have been featured in many publications, including Fresno State’s Club Austral Literary Magazine, Chicano Writers and Artists Association Journal, La Bloga, Poets Responding, Split This Rock, and Nueva York Poetry Review, among many others, as well as in compositions for the 559 Mural Project and Fresno Grand Opera’s Opera Remix.
 
“Drawing inspiration from her family’s experiences and the broader farmworker movement, Aideed Medina’s poetry captures the resilience, struggles, and hopes of those who have long been the economic backbone of our region,” said nominator, California State Senator Anna Caballero. “Through her work, she pays homage to the labor and sacrifices of farmworkers while giving voice to their enduring spirit and contributions to our community.”
 
“In my poetry practice, the poet attempts to create and share in service and for the community's enjoyment,” said Medina. “In this spirit, I hope to serve as Fresno's Poet Laureate. Flor y Canto, Flower Song for the people, with love.”
 
Medina succeeds Joseph Rios (2023-2025) as Poet Laureate and joins former Fresno Poets Laureate, James Tyner (2013-2015), Lee Herrick (2015-2017 and California’s current Poet Laureate), Bryan Medina (2017-2019), Marisol Baca (2019-2021), and Megan Bohigian (2021-2023).