The Puerto Rican Independent Arts Scene has seen a boom in all its facets and literature is no stranger to this. With online services like Createspace and independent publishers like La Impresora, authors of all fields have found platforms that allow them to publish their works. Seeing how many writers are slowly deciding to take power into their hands and take the solo route, it is only fitting that we celebrate young up-and-coming and/or independent poets who are building their path on their own.
(Picture found in the writer’s Facebook page)
Ketsia Ramos is an Afro-Boricua feminist poet whose work has been featured in the Argentine Mujeres en el Tiempo (2015), the poetry book Sueños mágicos entre versos de mi infancia (2016), the magazine Caminos convergentes (2017), the Centro Cultural Carmen Solá de Pereira yearbook (2017), the anthology Humo: 1er Proyecto a Coro, and the project Me dueles patria (2017). Her literature explores themes such as social critique, the female role in society, African heritage, politics, and identity. Aside from poetry, Ramos also works on the field as a spoken word performer and editor while balancing her time as a freelance videographer and photographer.
(Picture found in the writer’s Facebook page)
Carlos A. Colón Ruiz is the San Sebastian-born poet behind the books Entre Mis Demonios (2017) and Los tres corazones del tiempo (2017) and the founder of La Alianza and Editorial Pulpo. He currently studies in the University of Puerto Rico in Aguadilla. In addition, he has been published by magazines from Chile and Mexico, and is presently working on the anthology Lamparas.
(Picture found in the writer’s Facebook page)
Amanda Gabriela Hernández Vélez was born on 1990 in Santurce. She’s a poet and editor who co-founded La Impresora and has worked since 2017 in the Feria de Libros Independientes y Alternativos (FLIA). She has published the books Entre tanto amarillo (2016), El momento de las cosas (2016), Las cosas pequeñas (2017), and Estrategias Atómicas (2018).
(Picture found in the writer’s Facebook page)
Gaddiel Francisco Ruiz Rivera was born on 1991 in Vega Baja and has published the books Via crucis de la otredad (2012), Reptura de agua enchufada en una isla (2015), Remedios crónicos para enfermedades caseras (2016), and y lógica escata (2017). His works have been published in No cierres los ojos: antología de relatos de horror y terror, Hablan sobre Julia: Reflexiones en su centenario, and the magazines Ciudad Puente, Letras de Chile, Retorno, Transtierros, Trasunto, and LL Journal. His poetry has been translated to English for The Wanderer and to Portuguese for Otro páramo. He is also a member of the Junta Editorial de Ediciones Aguadulce, a project that has participated in the Feria Internacional del Libro in La Habana, Cuba, from 2016 to 2018. In addition, he has been an invited poet and editor for Ediciones Aguadulces for Casa Tomada IV Encuentro de Pensamiento y Creación Joven en las Américas in 2017. Though he is a bibliophile, he would burn a library to avoid snow.
(Picture found in the writer’s Facebook page)
Omar Iloy is a poet, spoken word performer, musician, theater artist, and farmer who has self-published the books El Camino de la Rebeldía and El Llamado a la Guasábara. His work explores themes such as politics, identity, love, spiritualism, social critique, and class. Other than his writing, he has been a member of the bands Elefantes de Yaya and the now defunct Blacks en Tela. In addition, he has participated as a theater artist in the groups Lxs de Abajo and Vueltabajo and has collaborated in a variety of film projects namely video performances of his poetry with Producciones Tabaquero.