Phylisha Villanueva
Artist Statement
I believe poetry needs to be heard, felt, witnessed, alive in the room.
When I perform, I drop into the groove. My breath sets the tempo. My voice finds the pocket. I listen to the hush, the heartbeat, the shift in the room. There's a call-and-response, even in silence. I riff. I ride the wave. I follow the feeling. It's a conjuring improvised, unrepeatable, gone as soon as it lands. I want the audience to feel this alive connection, inspiring them to experience their own moments of spontaneous expression.
My work is improvisational, rooted in my time with the Jazz and Poetry Choir Collective. I came up in collaboration with musicians, with sound and rhythm, so my voice moves like an instrument. I bend lines, stretch time, syncopate meaning. No two performances are the same. Each one is bespoke, tuned to the moment's frequency.
I write poetry, epistles, and slam pieces to cope with what needs holding. The spoken word is how I riot, how I rejoice, how I recharge. It's percussion. It's breath. It's release.
Visual art spaces and ekphrastic writing taught me to see in layers—to hear color, to taste texture, to let images speak back. My work lives in that interplay. It's sensory. It's saturated. It's in conversation. I hope this encourages the audience to see art as a shared space for healing and community building.
I write a poetic memoir that reflects and reimagines my community, its people, its needs, and its intersections. My work moves like a set building, breaking, and returning differently. It's about transformation. About what becomes possible when truth is spoken out loud. I want the audience to feel inspired by the power of their own stories and voices to create change.
I teach writing as a tool for healing, for health, for abundance-sharing, specific practices to help you find your voice and trust its sound.
I don't just write poems; I set a frequency that transforms the space. If you're in the room, you'll feel it-an experience of collective resonance and healing.
Educational Background
2021 AA Communication, CUNY Brough of Manhattan Community College
2023 BS Creative writing, SUNY Empire State University
2027 MFA Poetry, St Francis College
Teaching Artist Experience
2022-2026 Valhalla Correctional Facility Literary Residency
2022-2026 River Arts Summer Camp
2023 Hope House Literary Residency
2022 Mamaroneck Senior Citizen Jewelry Residency
2021 Poet-in-Residence, Yonkers Arts
2023 Yonkers Senior Citizen Jewelry Residency
I believe poetry needs to be heard, felt, witnessed, alive in the room.
When I perform, I drop into the groove. My breath sets the tempo. My voice finds the pocket. I listen to the hush, the heartbeat, the shift in the room. There's a call-and-response, even in silence. I riff. I ride the wave. I follow the feeling. It's a conjuring improvised, unrepeatable, gone as soon as it lands. I want the audience to feel this alive connection, inspiring them to experience their own moments of spontaneous expression.
My work is improvisational, rooted in my time with the Jazz and Poetry Choir Collective. I came up in collaboration with musicians, with sound and rhythm, so my voice moves like an instrument. I bend lines, stretch time, syncopate meaning. No two performances are the same. Each one is bespoke, tuned to the moment's frequency.
I write poetry, epistles, and slam pieces to cope with what needs holding. The spoken word is how I riot, how I rejoice, how I recharge. It's percussion. It's breath. It's release.
Visual art spaces and ekphrastic writing taught me to see in layers—to hear color, to taste texture, to let images speak back. My work lives in that interplay. It's sensory. It's saturated. It's in conversation. I hope this encourages the audience to see art as a shared space for healing and community building.
I write a poetic memoir that reflects and reimagines my community, its people, its needs, and its intersections. My work moves like a set building, breaking, and returning differently. It's about transformation. About what becomes possible when truth is spoken out loud. I want the audience to feel inspired by the power of their own stories and voices to create change.
I teach writing as a tool for healing, for health, for abundance-sharing, specific practices to help you find your voice and trust its sound.
I don't just write poems; I set a frequency that transforms the space. If you're in the room, you'll feel it-an experience of collective resonance and healing.
2021 AA Communication, CUNY Brough of Manhattan Community College
2023 BS Creative writing, SUNY Empire State University
2027 MFA Poetry, St Francis College
Teaching Artist Experience
2022-2026 Valhalla Correctional Facility Literary Residency
2022-2026 River Arts Summer Camp
2023 Hope House Literary Residency
2022 Mamaroneck Senior Citizen Jewelry Residency
2021 Poet-in-Residence, Yonkers Arts
2023 Yonkers Senior Citizen Jewelry Residency
2022-2026 Valhalla Correctional Facility Literary Residency
2022-2026 River Arts Summer Camp
2023 Hope House Literary Residency
2022 Mamaroneck Senior Citizen Jewelry Residency
2021 Poet-in-Residence, Yonkers Arts
2023 Yonkers Senior Citizen Jewelry Residency