Felicia R. Gonzalez

Felicia R. Gonzalez is a poet and author who was born in Cuba and was profoundly influenced by growing up on an island and its relationship to language and writing. In both English and Spanish, her work is intended to be an exploration of cultural identity, family dynamics, what it means to be female within and between cultures, and queer identity. Her poetry celebrates the oral tradition of Cuba combined with percussive rhythms, African folk tales, and bedtime stories.

Felicia is an alumna of the Hedgebrook Writers Retreat and the Jack Straw Writers Programs, and she has been in several artist-in-residence programs. Her work has appeared in publications such as Metropolitan Living Magazine and Art Papers Magazine among others. In 2006 she was awarded an Individual Artist Grant from the Seattle Mayor’s Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs for her newly released chapbook entitled Recollection Graffiti.

As part of her Fellowship’s Meet the Artist requirements, Felicia was invited to meet with students and perform a selection of her poems at Village Books, a community-based independent bookstore located in the historic Fairhaven district of Bellingham, Washington. Fifty-eight individuals attended the reading, which was recorded for broadcast as part of the monthly “Chuckanut Radio Hour,” highlighting the work of writers and performing artists. Felicia left the broadcast to discover a winter wonderland, the snow falling and poetry, music and conversation floated out into the quiet snow globe scene.