Melida Rodas

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Poet Laureate of Jersey City            2025-2026

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Poet I Multidisciplinary  Artist I Educator I  Curator I Writer 

• ​Jersey City City Poetry Festival  -  Founder 

• Greenville Arts Crossroads - Co-Founder 

• Infinite Therapy Solutions - Education & Community Engagement Coordinator

• Dodge Poetry Festival - School Coordinator 2018

• ​The New York Poetry Festival - Poetry Group Coordinator 2024

• Jersey City Arts & Culture Trust Fund Committee - Ward A 2023-2025 

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I work and play here:  

Jersey City I Central America I Asbury Park I New York 

In 2024 Rodas was bestowed the title Poet Laureate for the City of Jersey City, by the Jersey City Arts Council and the municipality.  She will serve a two year term, 2025-2026, as an ambassador for poetry and advocate for the literary arts.

Born in Guatemala, Melida works as a technical writer, consultant and marketing strategist. She is a fierce advocate for equality & social justice, especially with regard to affordable housing, education and the arts.

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Rodas has over twenty years of experience as an educator focused on empowering students through history education, literacy and the arts. Her teaching methods embrace a wide range of literature that reflects the varied experiences of all students, fostering a classroom atmosphere that promotes open dialogue, mindfulness, and introspection. This NJCU alumna cultivates a passion for memoir and is a past Dodge Poetry Festival School Coordinator. She is set to serve as a judge in the upcoming Dr. Martin Luther King Youth Oratory Contest and The New Jersey Poetry Out Loud youth poetry competition.

Rodas’ leadership inspires students to see themselves as artists, critical thinkers, and engaged citizens of the world. Her devotion has earned her numerous awards and accolades, including The Jersey City’s Office of Cultural Affairs Woman of Action Award and induction into The Bayonne High School Hall of Fame in 2025. She made history as Jersey City's First Inaugural Poet in 2013 and has been featured in anthologies alongside notable authors and lyricists such as Walt Whitman, Martin Espada, Bruce Springsteen, Woodie Guthrie, and Ezra Pound. Her writings on the immigrant experience have garnered recognition from SaveEllisIsland.org and have been published widely by publishing houses including Oxford University Press, Pearson Press, and The Feminist Press.

Melida is committed to arts advocacy and community engagement, serving on The Jersey City Arts and Culture Trust Fund Committee, a governing body that emphasizes diversity, equity, and inclusionary practices in art and culture planning. In this role, she champions arts organizations and creatives that enrich our cultural landscape and overall well-being, while also creating more opportunities for youth arts education.

In 2024 this multidisciplinary artist, founded JCPOFEST, a poetry festival that advocates for climate justice and explores the interconnection between the art of poetry and various other forms of self-expression. With this holistic approach, Rodas endeavors to illuminate the tapestry of human connection that transcends the boundaries of individual mediums.

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Her wish is to create the groundwork for healthier and happier communities for generations to come.

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Fine Arts and Education

New Jersey City University, Jersey City, NJ

Photography, Sculpture, Multimedia Projects,

Teachers Certification Grades K-12

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NJCU Memoir / Writing

Under the Direction of Edvige Giunta

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Master Poets Program

Under the Direction of Marie Ponsot 

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Poet House, New York, NY

Poetry, Literature