Michael Wyly, a 23 year English Professor at Solano Community College, officially became Fairfield’s fourth Poet Laureate at the Fairfield City Council Meeting held on January 21, 2025. City Clerk Karen Rees administered the Oath Of Office to Wyly during the meeting and was awarded a proclamation that officially started his two-year term taking over from the previous Poet Laureate Suzanne Bruce whose term ended at the end of 2024. Wyly’s term will last from January 1, 2025 to December 24, 2027.
There have been three previous Poet Laureates in the history of Fairfield starting with Juanita J. Martin in 2010, followed after a eight year break by Bonnie DiMichele in 2020, and then by Bruce in 2022. The position of Poet Laureate is all-volunteer, and the recipient participates in various civic events that emphasize the written arts In Fairfield throughout the entire calendar year.
Wyly graduated from California State Long Beach, where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Composition and a Masters in Creative Writing, where he also taught as a graduate student. After uprooting his life and moving to Paris to work for American news organizations, Wyly applied to Solano Community College in the summer of 2002 for an open English teaching position. Wyly was hired for the position to teach in the fall of that year.
Over the last 23 years, Wyly has taught Creative Writing, Mythology, English I and English II and is currently the faculty advisor to the Suisun Valley Review, Solano College’s literary magazine. According to the magazine itself, The Solano Valley Review, founded in 1981, offers a diverse collection of the prose and art submitted by Solano Community College’s student body.
With his diverse background regarding writing, Wyly applied to become the Poet Laureate of Fairfield. When asked what he wanted to do with his new position of Poet Laureate, Wyly stated that he wanted to continue and further expand the community outreach that Bruce started during her tenure.
The Poet Laureate has many responsibilities for artistic outreach such as going to local events like the Solano Land Trust Hike and Write, poetry mic nights, etc. The Poet Laureate will also present a poem reading during the Christmas tree lighting event in downtown Fairfield later this year. Wyly will also host The Suisun Writer’s Conference that will take place on the Solano Community College campus in Fairfield later this spring.
Wyly witnessed this community outreach first hand as he worked closely with the previous Poet Laureate, Bruce, at those same events during her tenure. Wyly would also like to work beyond the Fairfield city borders with other Poet Laureates in various communities throughout the state of California.
At the February 4, 2025 Fairfield City Council meeting, Wyly presented his first poem as Poet Laureate in honor of Black History Month to both the public and the council. The poem titled “Oh, Who Will Come And Go With Me”, was inspired by one of Solano County’s earliest black settlers, Adam Willis.
Willis was brought to Benicia, California as a slave in 1846 and nine years later gained his freedom. Willis then settled in Suisun City and became known as a “pioneer of pioneers” as he was one of the few African-American settlers in Solano at that time. Wyly’s poem memorializes the experience of Willis.
For those who were unable to attend the February 4th Fairfield City Council meeting, as well as the January 21th meeting, can go to the Fairfield government website or official Youtube and view the reading of the poem through the City Council meeting video archive.
