Devreaux Baker, a longtime Mendocino County resident and acclaimed poet, has been named the county’s first-ever poet laureate. The honor was bestowed by the Mendocino County Poet Laureate Committee, which reviewed 30 nominations before selecting Baker for the role. While individual cities like Ukiah have appointed poets laureate in the past, Baker is the first to hold the title for the county as a whole.
A poet laureate serves as a literary ambassador, typically for a two-year term, promoting poetry, organizing events, and fostering appreciation for the art form within the community.
Baker’s journey to Mendocino County began in her late teens when she left her home in Texas with her partner. Exploring California’s coast, she immediately felt a deep connection to Mendocino. “When I first arrived, I wondered why I had waited so long to come here,” she recalled. “We traveled north and eventually circled back, pitching a tent at Paul Dimmick Campground. It was a time of youth and believing anything was possible.”
A highly accomplished poet, Baker has published five books and received numerous awards, including the PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Book Award, the Barbara Mandigo Kelly Peace Poetry Award, the Steve Kowit Poetry Prize, and the Willie Morris Award for Southern Poetry. She has also been honored internationally, earning the U.S. Poets in Mexico Award, which led her to Oaxaca to collaborate with Latin American writers.
Beyond writing, Baker has dedicated much of her career to teaching poetry. She worked with young students through the California Poets in the Schools program and produced the “Voyagers” radio program for KZYX Radio under a California Arts Council grant.
As Mendocino County’s poet laureate, Baker will edit Spirit of Place: Mendocino County Women Poets Anthology, a follow-up to the 1999 collection Wood, Water, Air and Fire: The Anthology of Mendocino Women Poets, which she previously helped compile.
In April, Baker will travel to Oxford, Mississippi, to read her poem Blue Requiem at the Thirty-First Oxford Conference for the Book after winning the Willie Morris Award for Southern Poetry. Following that, she will head to San Diego to accept the Steve Kowit Poetry Prize for her poem Body of the Beloved.
Baker has built a successful career not only as a poet but also as a counselor. Holding a master’s degree in counseling from Sonoma State University, she worked with students across Mendocino County before retiring from the Mendocino Unified School District. Reflecting on her time as a school counselor, she recalled how poetry became a meaningful tool for her students.
“When I was working in schools, I started writing poetry with the students I counseled,” she said. “It became an incredible way for them to open up and reflect on their lives. At first, I thought I had to choose between being a counselor or a poet, but a wise mentor told me I could do both.”
For Baker, poetry is a powerful way to connect with others, especially those who feel isolated.
“People often think they’re the only ones going through something difficult,” she explained. “But when they share their story through poetry, someone else will relate. That’s one of the great healing aspects of poetry—it reminds us we’re not alone.”
Baker’s deep connection to nature and her upbringing in rural Texas have strongly influenced her work. Raised on a farm, she developed a lifelong appreciation for the land, which is reflected in her poetry. In her book Hungry Ghosts, she captures the beauty of the natural world. Her poem Let Me Come Back as Water expresses her fascination with nature’s elements:
“Next time around let me come back as water / etched with thunder so autumn trees shake / and scatter their leaves like a hundred canaries / and I am set free in the mouth of some bright yellow storm.”
Her love for the American South also shapes her poetry. In her collection Beyond the Circumstance of Sight, she pays tribute to New Orleans in Spirit of New Orleans, writing:
“I wanted New Orleans to be my dance partner, / My sweet song, my sugar sprinkled on toast, / Or French Cameroon with pearls at her throat, / My man blowing his sax, my wanton, my girl, / My ghost.”
Baker’s award-winning poem Blue Requiem explores the history and cultural significance of blues music. Inspired by her husband, a blues musician, she wrote the piece after years of conversations about the genre’s early pioneers.
“When I read about the contest, I decided to submit my poem,” she said. “I never expected to win. Most times, you don’t—but the process of writing and submitting is what matters. When they told me I had won and would be flown to Mississippi for the conference, it was just the icing on the cake.”
Looking forward to her trip, Baker is eager to meet fellow writers and immerse herself in the region’s musical heritage.
“I’m especially excited to explore The Blues Trail in Oxford,” she said. “It’s going to be an unforgettable experience.”
Related topics: