PRESS KIT
Melida Rodas
Poet Laureate of Jersey City 2025-2026 I Educator I Multi-disciplinary Artist
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Rodas, an artist from Guatemala, seamlessly intertwines poetry and activism through a diverse array of artistic mediums, including projection mapping and light design. At the upcoming Color and Light Festival, on March 21,22- 2025, Melida's projection design will showcase her writings along with a selection of works from New Jersey poets that she has curated.
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More about the Artist:
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Rodas made history as Jersey City's first Inaugural Poet in 2013 and in 2024 when she was bestowed the title, “Poet Laureate of Jersey City.” Rodas has been featured in anthologies alongside notable authors and lyricists such as Bruce Springsteen, Woodie Guthrie, Walt Whitman, Martin Espada, and Ezra Pound. Her writings on the migrant and American working class experience have garnered recognition from SaveEllisIsland.org and have been published widely by distinguished publishing houses including Oxford University Press, Pearson Press, The Feminist Press, and the revered Sun Magazine. She has presented her essays and poems at conferences, universities, and numerous other venues including Poets House in NYC, and The New York City Poetry Festival as a featured poet and group leader.
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Most recently her multimedia work was featured in Dense Magazine’s - Jersey Art Book Fair, at Mana Contemporary.
Her latest endeavor delves into the realm of climate justice, shedding light on the disproportionate burdens of climate change faced by low-income communities, LGBTQ+ individuals, and communities of color worldwide—those who bear the brunt of a crisis they contributed least to. Her unwavering commitment to social and climate justice weaves together poetry with music, theater, dance, and a myriad of artistic forms. Her life's work also embraces the integration of literary works with technology and film culminating in art installations and immersive experiences designed to galvanize viewers into action. In recognition of her efforts, she has received a myriad of awards and accolades. Her visionary multimedia project, "Words for Change," was graced with a grant award from PROARTS and Sustainable Jersey, a testament to her impactful artistry.
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This journey guided her to serve as Dodge Poetry Festival School Coordinator and to teach ecopoetry as a creative avenue for fostering environmental literacy in schools across the region. At present, she serves as a poet-educator in residence for The Theater and Poetry Project in New Jersey. Embodying the same collaborative spirit that inspired its creation, Rodas founded JCPOFEST, a family-friendly poetry festival that explores the synergy between poetry and various forms of self-expression while advocating for the care of our planet and its inhabitants.
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On March 11th, she will represent Guatemala at Jersey City Theater Center’s Global Gala at White Eagle Hall, accompanied by Cuban violinist Jose Gonzalez. Additionally, Rodas is scheduled to perform her poetry alongside the NJ Symphony on March 27th at a benefit for The York Street Project whose mission is to weave innovative programs that shelter, feed educate, and promote the healing and independence of persons in need, especially women, children and their families.
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Click Here for Paperback Publications!
About Us
Photo by: Zach Mayo
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POET LAUREATE
"We are proud to honor Melida Rodas as Jersey City’s new Poet Laureate, a testament to our commitment to celebrating the arts and fostering creative expression within our community. Through their work, Melida will inspire, unite, and amplify the voices that make our city so vibrant and diverse,"
-Mayor Fulop.
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"The Jersey City Arts Council is thrilled to present Melida Rodas as the next poet laureate. We are confident that Melida will use this position to continue and expand her dedication to innovative projects that promote the art of poetry in the Jersey City community and beyond,"
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- Jersey City Arts Council Board Member Jeff Dessources
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Official Press Release : Click Here
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“The voice,” a former NJCU student and fellow writer used to call Melida—and that says it all. Melida’s voice is an exquisite instrument through which she brings her stories, her vision, and her vatic call to an audience that yearns for that delicate and powerful gift... Her voice was as musical as the exquisite arrangement of words she created on the page. We were smitten and felt blessed to be part of the remarkable space that her voice created. Performance is intrinsic to Melida’s work and her personality. There is something spiritual, transcendent about her work."
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Edvige Giunta, Ph.D.
Scholar, English Professor - New Jersey City University
Editor of "Italian American Writers on New Jersey"
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"Years ago, her artwork and writing were separate. In her work since then, she has learned to bring together her explorations in the visual arts and her writing. In her show, "Elefante," she discovered unique ways to combine ceramics and writing. She told stories with clay, with writing and photographs, with the textures of elephant skin, and words that explored her memories. It was a testament not only to Melida's own artistry, but to her imaginative engagement with the challenge of telling stories in the varied media she has mastered...”
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Ellen Gruber Garvey, Ph.D.
Author, "Writing with Scissors: American Scrapbooks
from the Civil War to the Harlem Renaissance"
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About: Human Nature Project - Projection Mapping Project
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"I found your piece incredibly moving, and the show as a whole had so much soul. I’m a HUGE fan of projection & multimedia - your wall just came to life in this pulsating manner. It felt like a heartbeat. It was intimate and bittersweet and so honest, while still having this whimsical/dream-memory quality. I loved it! "
~ Christine Goodman,
Director - Office of Cultural Affairs
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