Phylisha Villanueva

Phylisha Villanueva is a Belizean-American poet, author, and educator whose work explores identity, resilience, and mysticism. Born in the Bronx and raised in Yonkers, her storytelling is deeply informed by her Belizean heritage and shaped by her experiences navigating womanhood, motherhood, and survival.

She co-founded The Yonkers Writing Group and The Mirror Project, and launched Literary Lituation, a resource for all things music and poetry in Westchester County. Villanueva is also a proud member of the Jazz and Poetry Choir Collective and the international women’s poetry collective Tesoro.

In January 2024, she was appointed Westchester County’s second Poet Laureate, becoming the first woman of color to hold the title. In this role, she has continued her work as a teaching artist with ArtsWestchester, hosted open mics at Bethany Arts Center, led poetry workshops at the Westchester County Correctional Facility, and co-curated an exhibition with the Hudson River Museum, where she collaborated with fellow writers to bring fresh perspectives to the museum’s archives and collection.

At the historic swearing-in of Deputy County Executive Ken Jenkins—the first African American to serve in that position—Villanueva read her poem “Hope for Us is a Deep Current.” She has also shared her work at the Nuyorican Poets Café, New York University, John Jay College, Pace University, St Francis College, the Hudson Valley Writers Center, Rockefeller Brothers Fund’s Pocantico Center, and the Bahá’í Center.