Vijaya Sundaram (she, her, hers):
Vijaya Sundaram is the current Poet Laureate (2023-2025) for the City of Medford, Massachusetts.  Her first collection of poems titled Fractured Lens was published in 2023 by Červená Barva Press.  Originally from India, she lived in Arlington, MA, for ten years, and has been living in Medford since 2001.  She has written short stories, plays and a short novel (not yet published).  She is also a guitarist, sitarist, songwriter, singer, amateur digital artist, and educator.  Her poetry and short pieces have appeared in publications like The Rising Phoenix Press, the Stardust Review, and TELL Magazine, among others. In her role as Poet Laureate of Medford, MA, she has been a featured poet at various poetry events in Boston (Hyde Park and Charlestown), as well as in Cambridge, Newton, Arlington, and Medford. She also read at official events, such as the Medford Mayoral inauguration in January 2024, Black History Month celebrations both in 2024 and 2025, Medford’s Pride Flag day, Haiti Flag celebration, Juneteenth, and at the District Court of Somerville’s Cultural Awareness Week. 

Vijaya’s statement about poetry: Poetry, to my mind, is the clarion call that urges us to see both the fullness and barrenness of life along with its joys and griefs; to experience the world with empathy and love; to create new landscapes and stories in distilled language, and to share our experiences in words that might be able to evoke those same experiences in others.