The Bronx Poet Laureate
The Bronx Poet Laureate promotes the inclusion of and passion for poetry across the Bronx, looking to inspire a new generation of writers and poets, and to educate Bronx residents about the history of poetry in our borough. The Poet Laureate serves as an ambassador for poetry and creative expression in the Bronx, committed to upholding and growing the borough's literary community.
The Bronx Poet Laureate
In The News
“Literacy is tethered to our survival and the poets have always been survivors and storytellers. They serve as the voice of movements past and yet to come. It’s been an honor to know and grow with some of the greatest writers in the world and I’d be remiss if I didn’t demand the best for my borough! The Bronx Poet Laureate will be tasked with promoting and exemplifying a love and appreciation for reading and writing poetry. This is a chance for folks to honor our borough & it’s living writers,” states Marsh on the inaugural position.” - Roya Marsh, co-founder of The Bronx Poet Laureate Position
About Kay Bell — Bronx Poet Laureate 2023-25
Kay Bell is an Educator, Storyteller and music enthusiast. Her poetry aims to weave the language of activism with the voice of the marginalized to confront and interrogate literary spaces of oppression. For her, writing works as a birthing floor for healing, invention, and reimagination— where the poetic voice is responsible for both blessing and bruising the inquiring reader. Through writings such as “Work Sonnet,” & “Watching You Sleep” Kay continues to give rise to poetics that challenge societal norms, promote empathy, and inspires change. Currently, she works as an Academic Advisor and Adjunct Professor at the City College of New York and can be found nurturing her plants and her two sons, in the heart of the South Bronx.
Website: iamkaybell.com
Instagram: @poetesskay
Facebook: I Am Kay Bell
About Haydil Henriquez - Inaugural Bronx Poet Laureate, 2021-2023
Born ya-i-dil; daughter of diligent Dominican parents, raised in the solemn concrete of the South Bronx. A daydreamer, auntie poet—a purveyor of the forgotten dialects of the working class. Haydil’s words unleashes mirages our warriors dreamed we’d live.
Haydil Henriquez is an arts educator, cultural advocate, youth development program manager and Bronx-bred poet. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology & Education from Swarthmore College in 2014, and has worked with communities across the Diaspora facilitating oral storytelling workshops for youth. Although Haydil does not possess a formal degree in writing, she witnessed the magic of poetry during her formative years in the spoken word community. Her writing challenges ideas of belonging and home, all the while offering a battle cry for liberation. Haydil’s poetry explores the juxtaposition of collective memory and black erasure while creating a platform for a voice in its most transnational nature.
Judges for the 2023 Bronx Poet Laureate
Josué Caceres
Tarana Burke
Advocate of Wordz
Judges for the inaugural 2021 Bronx Poet Laureate
Peggy Robles-Alvarado
Joél Leon
Camonghne Felix