Petaluma native Bill Vartnaw has been named Sonoma Couty’s seventh poet laureate, and will be honored at 3 p.m.  Jan. 29 at the county’s Santa Rosa Central Library, Third and B Streets.

Vartnaw has been writing poetry for more than 35 years. He founded Taurean Horn Press in 1974, and has published 14 books, including his own “In Concern: For Angels,” in 1984.

The poet laureate is chosen by a committee including representatives from every Sonoma County supervisor district, Sonoma State University, Santa Rosa Junior College, Sebastopol Center for the Arts and the Cultural Arts Council of Sonoma County.

The poet laureate serves for two years, and develops his or her own agenda for promoting poetry and the literary arts countywide. (It’s an unpaid position.)

Past poet laureates f or Sonoma County include: Don Emblem, 2000-2001; David Bromige, 2002-2003; Terry Ehret, 2004-2005; Geri Digiorno, 2006-2007; Mike Tuggle, 2008-2009; Gwynn O’Gara, 2020-2011.