Westchester Poet Laureate Brings Poetry to the Community

Westchester Poet Laureate Phylisha Villanueva wants to leave no leaf unturned in the county when it comes to creating access to poetry – and a grant from Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF) is helping to make that a reality. The Culpeper Arts & Culture Grant aids artists in their creative processes and in the presentation of their work. This year, the grant was awarded to ArtsWestchester in the amount of $50,000 to support two years of its Poet Laureate initiative, which was launched by ArtsWestchester and Westchester County in 2020. Villanueva is the second recipient and is coming to the end of the first year of her three-year term.

Says Villanueva of the grant: “This support allows me to foster connections and enrich the cultural landscape of our community. I am truly grateful.”

In her role as Poet Laureate, Villanueva is required to develop a project that engages a range of local institutions such as schools, libraries and local businesses to bring poetry into the lives of Westchester County residents. She seems right on track: since her appointment, she held an ekphrastic poetry workshop in Briarcliff, participated in JazzFest White Plains with her Jazz & Poetry Choir Collective, hosted an open mic at Bethany Arts Community, launched a 30-day poetry challenge on Instagram for National Poetry Month and more.

She will continue that mission on October 18, when she performs at the David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center at Pocantico in Tarrytown and again on December 6 in ArtsWestchester’s gallery in White Plains.

On October 18, she will be joined by four other poets for a reading and conversation co-presented by Hudson Valley Writers Center and the Pocantico Center. The poets will discuss “what makes them passionate about writing, reading and presenting poetry to audiences all over the county.” In addition to Villanueva, poets include Westchester Youth Poet Laureate Harmony Hopwood, Greenburgh Youth Poet Laureate Asa Miller and Westchester poets Jared Harél and Nina Robins.

The center’s manager of public programs and residencies, Elly Weisenberg Kelly, explains: “Poetry is a powerful method of creative expression that can connect us. The RBF is excited to support Westchester Poet Laureate Phylisha Villanueva, as well as other Westchester poets, and to present their work through public-facing programming.”

On December 6, a poetry event with Villanueva and a group of finalists who were vying for the Poet Laureate title will take place during ArtsWestchester’s Gallery Nite Out event. Participating poets will present works inspired by “futures,” a theme that aligns with the gallery’s current exhibition, which asked artists what the future of the Hudson Valley would look like in 100 years.