California's New Poet Laureate: Dana Gioia Monday, January 11, 2016 | Sacramento, CA Listen / download audio Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin. Governor Jerry Brown appointed California native Dana Gioia the state's poet laureate this past December. Gioia is an award-winning poet and the former chairman for the National Endowment for the Arts. In 2003, he compiled the anthology "California Poetry: From Gold Rush to the Present." Gioia also has a new book coming out in March titled, "99 Poems, New and Selected."