Southwest Philly-raised Raina J. León is the city’s new poet laureate
The city’s latest poet laureate is a Black, Afro Boricuan, multilingual woman born in Upper Darby and raised in Southwest Philly.
Norma Thomas had been keeping a secret since mid-January. At Saturday’s Passing the Pen ceremony, she was ready to shout it from the Central Library rooftop:
“My daughter, Raina León, is the poet laureate of Philadelphia,” Thomas said, chest puffed out and brimming with pride. “She is effervescent, outgoing, and loves the city of Philadelphia.”
Raina J. León, 44, was one of 32 applicants citywide, the largest number of candidates the city has had for the role, said Adam Feldman, the Free Library of Philadelphia department head of art and literature, and a poet laureate governing committee member.
Born in Upper Darby, León is a Black, Afro Boricuan poet, writer, educator, and cultural worker raised in Southwest Philadelphia. She speaks English, Spanish, and Italian, and believes in a world where diversity can strengthen communities.
Still unable to believe her achievement, the University of Southern Maine professor recalled lighting candles nervously, hoping to get the email bearing the news.
“I keep thinking, ‘Maybe this isn’t my time,’” León said. “But, no, DéLana would want me to dream big and to walk on assurance of my voice having a space,” she added, remembering her late friend, the poet DéLana R.A. Dameron, who died in November.
Creating a space where people feel that their voices are welcome is the legacy León wants to leave during her two-year tenure as poet laureate.
The poet laureate is an ambassador for poetry in the city, participating in community engagement, speaking at events, and mentoring the youth poet laureate, Rashawn Dorsey. But what excites León the most is helping Philadelphians see storytelling as a liberating practice.
“Poetry is all around you. Even if you are like, ‘I don’t understand poetry’ — it understands you,” León said. “In these times of great volatility, with attacks on history and attacks on communities, there is a desire to preserve oneself by becoming numb, and poetry says, ‘No, you can’t be numb in life. You can’t be numb and observe the world.’”
The poet laureate role comes with a $5,000 stipend, paid in two installments. But León says she isn’t in it for the money. She wants to provide language access to amplify Philadelphia’s diverse community of voices.
She plans on holding open hours once a month at the Central Library of the Free Library for people to work on writing with her. For those who cannot come in person, León also wants to do online workshops.
More importantly, she wants to work on writing projects across multiple languages, including American Sign Language, to ensure diversity opens doors in Philadelphia.
“It’s like Bad Bunny said during the 'Benito Bowl,' what matters is that we are alive and we should be pouring [love] into one another and caring for one another,” León said. “Only love counters hate, and that is a revolutionary thing that is activating this, something that changes and pushes back on the nihilistic threat.”