BIO
Diana Marie Delgado is a poet and advocate for social justice whose work delves into community, resilience, and the lived experiences of marginalized voices. She has partnered with prominent organizations such as the Clinton Foundation, Coalition for Hispanic Family Services, the University of Arizona Poetry Center, and Hugo House, driving initiatives that amplify underrepresented voices in the arts.
Her first poetry collection, Tracing the Horse, was a New York Times Noteworthy Pick, exploring the coming-of-age of a young Mexican-American woman navigating a family weighted by the complexities of addiction and hardship. Her chapbook, Late-Night Talks with Men I Think I Trust, won the 2018 Center for Book Arts award. Delgado's work has appeared in Ploughshares, Ninth Letter, New York Times Magazine, Colorado Review, and Tin House. Grounded in her experiences growing up Chicana in Southern California’s San Gabriel Valley, her writing often reflects themes of community and personal transformation.
With over a decade of experience in New York City, Delgado remains committed to fostering collaboration within communities of color. She is the editor of the upcoming anthology Like a Hammer: Poets on Mass Incarceration (Haymarket Books, March 2025). She earned a BA in Poetry from UC Riverside after transferring from Mt. San Antonio College and an MFA in Poetry from Columbia University in NYC. Her honors include grants and support from the National Endowment for the Arts, Hedgebrook, UCROSS, and Breadloaf. She is a proud Macondo and CantoMundo fellow.
Photo by Roberto (Bear) Guerra