Raina León

Meet @rainaleon Raina León is a teacher, writer, artist, curator, scholar, digital archivist, and speaker. You might know her as a founding editor of The Acentos Review, the co-founder of Wild Indigo Poetry Reading Series, the author of black god mother this body, and co-founder of StoryJoy, Inc. with Dr. Norma Thomas. Raina Leon hits the Showcase Stage in partnership with @paintedbrideac on Saturday, June 13th. 📍 West Fairmount Park, Philadelphia 📅 Saturday, June 13 · 1PM – 6PM 🎟 Free — no tickets needed #westparkartsfest #poetlaureate #phillypoet #communityleader #fridayfeature

This could be your time! This goes out to all the youth poets of Philadelphia. The call is out for Youth Poet Laureate! I’d love to work with you! Applications are due in July.

new article with @globalphiladelphia just posted! I had a wonderful conversation with Madi Costigan. In it, I mention the Painted Bride (so thankful to Tashia Rayon for connecting me, guiding me in the neighborhood, so beautifully asking questions and sharing her own arts practice and community work wisdom!) and Wild Indigo Poetry and Imperfect Gallery among so so so very many other communities and beloveds. So grateful too to brilliant one Jeannine A. Cook connecting me and just generally inspiring me on the daily! @itsmetheyfollow /news/global-conversation-philadelphia-poet-laureate-raina-j-leon-phd.

new art from the abstract oil painting class starts out today’s reel. today we did some acrylic pours as the foundations for our work. i ended up going a bit floral/botanical. @fleisherart it was a FULL day with open hours with the #PoetLaureate @freelibrary at Parkway Central, then lunch with my high school librarian and mentor, Mrs. Carol Tulba of @west_catholic days, then a visit to @cobbscreeklibrary to dream into teen programming for the fall, then off to SW to see off my niece going to her 8th grade dance (and the surprise of seeing my uncle and cousin from Jamaica!), and then a quick dinner with my husband before art class and home to find sleeping babies (my mother is an absolute wonder!) Tomorrow, I think I get to … nope, no rest for the weary.

What is this life?!?! with @wildseedliberationland Since 2022, Brooklyn’s own Mahogany L. Browne—a prolific writer and avid advocate for public art—has held the role of Lincoln Center’s inaugural Poet-in-Residence. Browne has written works of fiction, stage plays and critical essays, edited six anthologies, and authored another half-dozen poetry collections. For her ever-expanding Seen, Sound, Scribe series, Browne curates thought-provoking evenings of spoken word, spirited conversation, poetry, and presentations of new work, presenting major poets and emerging voices on the New York literary scene. Featured Artists include: Laura K Chung (Astrologer) Idris Goodwin (YA Author/Playwright) DJ Belinda Becker Radha Blank (Actress, Filmmaker) Raina Leon (Philly Poet Laureate) (That’s me!). So grateful to @mobrowne The Doctor for the opportunity to be in conversation with her, who I admire and have admired for years and years and years.

June is just around the corner. We going to be outside! So excited to be a part of this community festival (with new poems, particularly about meeting the community matriarch, Mrs. Callalilly Cousar.

what a day! i learned so much from the @monument_lab summit, the school of monumaking, and even got to see beloved friend, Arisa White, who is doing the most incredible temporary installation in Portland, Maine that highlights its sanctuary city status. Every time I talk to her, I come away inspired. From the morning and afternoon sessions, I got my first, “write a poem for me” requests from Mr. Elijah Muhammad, one of the crew on security, who shared so beloved history with me on Black poets like Sonia Sanchez, Nikki Giovanni, and Gil Scott Heron. He was on it! I owe him a better poem … I’ve got ideas. After that, I got a quick bite before going to a reading at @celiabookshop which began with poems from three poets, Elijah, Mariam, and Foster. They were so good! I was feverishly writing down their lines. So honored to have been able to share some poems with them, , in progress, one from Boogeyman Dawn, and a few from black god mother this body. Books sold out so that’s great! And I got to answer some questions on craft and publishing from an attending student….. and I re-met a poet who I met 3 years ago in the class of Moriel Rothman-Zecher @swarthmorecollege What a treat!!!! I’ve never signed a book for the same person twice over a three year span. Hoping to see them a third time so I can sign again (and maybe read with them next time)!

So excited to read with this wonderful poetry lineup TOMORROW, Wed. May 5, at 7 pm, at Fergie's Pub. Philly friends, hope to see you there! Details: /event/wednesday-may-6-2026-7pm-live/

Less than two weeks until Joel Dias-Porter and Olga Livshin read at Wild Indigo! @djreneg8d and @olgalivshin For the third time, we’ll be offering ASL interpretation. Please spread the word! Sunday, May 17, 5-7 pm Young American Hard Cider & Tasting Room 6350 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia $5 donation - more if you can! Get your tickets in advance here: https://bit.ly/25wildindigo26 Poets will have books for sale. Co-sponsored by the progressive organization Reclaim Philadelphia, who will be sharing out about this important election season, and by our fabulous venue, Young American Hard Cider. With support from the Tommy Raskin Memorial Fund for People & Animals. Featured poets: Joel Dias-Porter (aka DJ Renegade) is originally from Pittsburgh, PA & resides in South Jersey. The 1998 & 1999 Haiku Slam Champion, his poems have been published in POETRY, Mead, Best American Poetry 2014, Callaloo, Asahi Shimbun, Ploughshares, the New York Times, & the anthologies, Short Fuse, Role Call, Def Poetry Jam, 360 Degrees of Black Poetry, Slam (The Book), Poetry Nation, Beyond the Frontier, and Catch a Fire. Olga Livshin’s poetry recently appears in Poetry, The Southern Review, Ploughshares, and other journals. She is the author of A Life Replaced: Poems with Translations from Anna Akhmatova and Vladimir Gandelsman (2019) and co-translator of Lyudmyla Khersonska’s Today Is a Different War (2023). In the early days of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Livshin co-organized “Voices for Ukraine,” an online reading of Ukrainian poets and their translators, attended by over 800 people.

i found a picture that is kind of important. 2017. i had no idea that one day i would follow in the footsteps of #SoniaSanchez as #poetlaureate of a city called Philadelphia.

Join us for a vibrant evening hosted by Dilruba Ahmed and Sham-e-Ali Nayeem, featuring readings from Raina J. León and Swarthmore College students. Poetry, light snacks, music—and yes, dancing is encouraged 💃 Mingle with local writers, grab a signed book, and stay awhile. Tickets are $5 online or at the door. RSVP on our website! #celiabookshop #independentbookstore #swarthmorepa #swarthmorecollege #poetryreading

#Preciosa is one of those songs by @marcanthony that energizes, transforms, strengthens the boricua heart. In a year when I’ve seen more and more folks returning to Puerto Rico, sharing histories, stories, visions of the future that come from our unique cultural ways of knowing and our generational innovation, resolve, resilience, defiant hope in action, and our love. This is the fifth and final year of Letras Boricuas. Beloveds, apply! As a Letras Boricuas Fellow 2025, I encourage all boricua/diasporican writers with literary work in the genres of Poetry, Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Spoken Word, and Playwriting to apply to Letras Boricuas 2026. This is the fifth and final year to be one of the 24 writers selected. Apply for the Letras Boricuas Fellowship 2026! For more information: