Oscar Mireles has been appointed poet laureate of the Rotary Club of Madison, the organization announced in a press release Thursday afternoon. Mireles formerly served as the poet laureate for the City of Madison and has been a member of the Downtown Madison Rotary Club for 15 years.
Rotary is a service club with local and global reach whose members meet weekly to develop friendships, learn, and work together to address important humanitarian needs. Charles McLimans, the 112th President of the Rotary Club of Madison, appointed Mireles to the position of poet laureate.
(Photo: Madison Rotary Club)
“Oscar is an esteemed club and community member, as well as a talented artist and poet. Throughout my year as President, I’ve been showcasing the stories of club members through Gratitude Moments,” McLimans said in a statement. “Since we have Oscar in the club, I thought it would also be fun and motivating to hear monthly reflections from a Poet Laureate. We strive to make our club a welcoming, inclusive, and fun environment for all.
“As the longest-standing Latino member among our current members, Oscar’s talent and representation of the Latino community are also important to me and to our club,” he added.
Mireles was the City of Madison’s first Latino poet laureate (2016-2020) and is the longtime executive director/principal of the Omega School for adults seeking to complete their GED/HSED. Mireles’ poetry has been published in over 50 different publications, and he has been writing poetry for the past 35 years. Mireles is the editor of three anthologies titled ‘I Didn’t Know There Were Latinos in Wisconsin.”
The Rotary Club of Madison is one of the top-10 largest in the world of over 36,000 Rotary Clubs. The organization has over 400 members from business, academia, healthcare, and public and community service.
