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Fresno State alumna Megan Anderson Bohigian has been named the City of Fresno’s fifth poet laureate, serving as the city’s literary ambassador.
Mayor Jerry Dyer swore-in Bohigian on Thursday, April 22 as part of a Fresno City Hall virtual ceremony. She becomes the University’s third alumni selected for the role, all from the College of Arts and Humanities.
Bohigian — an educator who has taught writing to people of all ages, from Fresno Unified to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute — will serve a two-year term beginning immediately.
An alumna of Fresno’s McLane High School, Bohigian earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theater, with an emphasis in playwriting, from the California Institute of the Arts. She earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing from Fresno State in 2006. Bohigian is the author of two poetry collections: “Sightlines,” published in 2013 by Tourane Poetry Press; and the chapbook “Vanishing Point,” published in 2018 by The Orchard Street Press.
Her poems have appeared in journals including the Atticus Review, Comstock Review, Quiet Diamonds, and Hot Metal Press. Her poem “Sweeping: El lógico de la escoba,” published in Whiskey Island Magazine, was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She is anthologized in the book “Shadowed: Unheard Voices,” published in 2014 by The Press at California State University, Fresno. Bohigian curates the long-running Respite by the River summer series at the San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust, which brings together Central Valley authors and musicians for community performances.
Dr. Honora Chapman, interim dean of Fresno State’s College of Arts and Humanities, praised Bohigian’s contributions to the local arts scene.
“Megan has inspired students of all ages during her teaching career, embodying Fresno State’s mission to produce bold leaders who give back to the community,” Chapman said. “Infused with keenly observed details of our Valley, Megan’s poetry inspires us all to respect this land where we live and to embrace the beauty of artistic expression. We look forward to her students becoming poets laureate, too.”
The College of Arts and Humanities at Fresno State 