Philly to name Sonia Sanchez first poet laureate

The city that holds down one end of the Walt Whitman Bridge is getting its first poet laureate.

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter will name 77-year-old Sonia Sanchez, a noted poet and teacher, to the post this morning.

Nutter tells The Philadelphia Inquirer Sanchez “exemplifies the role a poet can play in helping to define a city and helping its citizens discover beauty.”

Sanchez, who lives in west Philadelphia, says she has already fielded congratulations from fellow writers Maya Angelou and Toni Morrison. She says people are telling her she’s been the city’s unofficial poet laureate for years.