A New York writer, speaker and poet read her poems on racial justice, feminism and awareness of privilege to an AACC audience on March 15.

As part of AACC’s Women’s History Month observance, Melania Luisa Marte gave students and faculty members in the audience the opportunity to write and read their own poems to the group.

“With the way things are, writing is so therapeutic,” Marte said as she encouraged students to start a campus poetry group.

As participants shared their poems, Marte reminded them that  writers should “never downplay [their] work and… never over explain it.”

She said, “Everyone has their own unique ability to express themselves” through poetry.

Marte, who lives in the Dominican Republic and made her presentation via Zoom, shared with the participants that she “writes what I cannot swallow.”

In fact, writing poetry was her hobby until she started participating in poetry slam events and created a lifestyle through writing.

Marte said she shares her poems at www.melanialuisa.com to motivate, inspire and educate people.