National Poetry Month: BMCC Community Members Who Have Served as Poet Laureates

April is National Poetry month. Launched by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996, National Poetry Month celebrates poets’ integral role in the country’s culture and the belief that poetry matters. Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) is home to a number of poetry experts and offers poetry courses. Not only that, several BMCC faculty, students and alumni have been appointed as poet laureates throughout New York.

Alumna Phylisha Villanueva: Westchester Poet Laureate

BMCC alumna Phylisha Villanueva (Communications and Media Studies, 2015) was named Westchester County’s new poet laureate in 2024 according to a report from Arts Westchester. In her new role, the Belizean-American poet, author and cultural activist intends to conduct ekphrastic writing workshops, a style of writing that responds to visual art, creating a unique dialogue between the two art forms. She will also organize poetry slams and other open mic events in Westchester County. After BMCC, Villanueva completed a Bachelor of Science in Creative Writing degree at Empire State University, SUNY in 2023 is currently earning a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at St. Francis College.

Student Stephanie Pacheco: NYC Youth Poet Laureate 

Writing and Literature major Stephanie Pacheco is the 2023 New York City Youth Poet Laureate and a member of the 2022 New York City Youth Slam Team. Hailing from The Bronx, she has been a leading organizer and strategist with several activist organizations such as the Healing Centered Schools Task Force, working to mobilize youth across the city against educational injustice. Her advocacy and poetry have been highlighted by “The New York Times,” The Today Show, NPR, “The Daily News,’ CBS, and other publications. She is a recipient of the 2021 Princeton Prize in Race Relations and has performed her poetry at multiple landmarks such as The Schomburg Center and The Apollo Theater, as well as the New York State Capitol and Federal Hall.

English Professor Marguerite Maria Rivas: First Poet Laureate of Staten Island 

In 2019, English Professor Marguerite Maria Rivas was named Staten Island’s first ever poet laureate.  Rivas’ poetry, both lyric and long-form, is largely based on the culture, history and natural environment of Staten Island. Her work has been widely published in journals, anthologies and in a best-selling college textbook. She is also the author of two full-length collections of poems. In her book, “Tell No One: Poems of Witness,” she reflects on the kinship and the resiliency of Staten Islanders in the aftermath of September 11, 2001. Rivas’ poem “Witness,” is included in the National September 11th Museum’s online collection, along with two others.

Speech, Communications and Theatre Arts Professor Golda Solomon: Yonker’s First Poet Laureate 

In February 2022, Golda Solomon, Adjunct Associate Professor in the Speech, Communications and Theatre Arts Department at BMCC — and who teaches at BMCC’s CUNY in The Heights (CITH) campus — was named the first poet laureate of the City of Yonkers by Mayor Mike Spano. Professor Solomon’s poetry collections include “Flatbush Cowgirl” and “Medicine Woman of Jazz.” Her CDs include “Po’Jazz: Takin’ It to the Hollow,” “First Sets,” “Jazz Riffs” and “We Are.”  Professor Solomon is a founding member of The Jazz & Poetry Choir Collective, and a creator of Poetry in Partnership with Jazz, or Po’Jazz. Her work has been supported by funding from Poets & Writers and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Yonkers Initiative. She has collaborated on events with The Science Barge, which is docked in Yonkers, and plans to expand these activities through her role as poet laureate, a volunteer position that lasts two years.