5 Latina Poets Who Keep Us Rooted
With International Literacy Day around the corner (September 8), it’s time to showcase some iconic, well-established, and emerging Latina poets. Whether we learned their pieces from social media or at school, what remains the same is the impact these immaculate writers have on us—and because of that, we’re honoring some greats today.
Nothing hits quite the same as good writing. Somehow, these incredible writers have the gift of writing what many of us feel inside on paper. With their hearts on their sleeves, these Latina poets have helped us heal, grow, and continue our life journey.
From the iconic poet Julia de Burgos to the viral TikTok poet Celia Martinez, here are five Latina poets who keep us rooted.
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Julia de Burgos
Puerto Rican poet and journalist Julia de Burgos is an icon. One of our favorite excerpts by her is:
“Puerto Rico depende de tu vida y tu nombre,
colgando en ti van millones de esperanzas
ADVERTISEMENTpara resucitar en lo que nos fue robado
y hacer valer de nuevo el honor de la Patria.
Puerto Rico depends on your life and your name,
resting on you are millions of hopes
to be resurrected in what was stolen from us
and to renew the worth of the Nation’s honor.”
It remains true today.
Franceli Chapman Varela
Afro Latina poet Franceli Chapman Varela is another great to celebrate this month. She recently released her newest book, Between Spaces.
Yesika Salgado
Salvadoran-American poet Yesika Salgado is one of our favorite poets. One of our favorite excerpts by her is:
“I think in English but my tongue is dressed in Spanish. I am always missing a word for something in either language.”
So relatable.
Elizabeth Acevedo
Dominican-American poet Elizabeth Acevedo keeps us rooted. One of our favorite excerpts by her is:
“Momma that tells me to fix my hair, and so many words remain unspoken. Because all I can reply is, “You can’t fix what was never broken.”
So many layers in that phrase alone.
Celia Martinez
Viral Latina poet Celia Martinez is someone to celebrate this month. Did you know the young Mexican-American poet was also a biologist who studied at Yale? Now, she’s a poet powered by her passion, which shows us that she’s not only a “proud Latina in STEM,” but also an incredible writer.
What Latina poet keeps you rooted?
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