Michelle Otero served as the Poet Laureate of Albuquerque from 2018-2020. She is the author of the poetry collection Bosque, the essay collection Malinche's Daughter, and the forthcoming Vessels: A Memoir of Borders. Her work has appeared, or is forthcoming, on the Modern Love Podcast, NPR's Code Switch, and in New Mexico Magazine, Shenandoah, and The Best of Brevity Anthology. She is a member of Macondo Writers Workshop. She is the founder of ArteSana Creative Consulting, rooted in the belief that art and story heal. As a writer, community-based artist, and coach, she utilizes creative expression and storytelling as the basis for organizational development and positive social change. Her process of engaging individuals and communities through the expression of shared story has found a wide range of applications, from helping environmental organizations understand the priorities of traditional land-based communities to engaging Albuquerque residents in the Race, History and Healing Project, a series of talking circles on culture, shared values, and how to represent complex history in public spaces. Originally from Deming, New Mexico, she holds a B.A. in History from Harvard College and an MFA in Creative Writing from Vermont College.

Books by Michelle Otero:

Other poems on the web by Michelle Otero:
"Encantada"
"Cosas de Mujeres."

Michelle Otero's Website.

About Bosque:

"Michelle Otero reveals the palette of the color brown throughout this magnificent collection of poetry that celebrates the people and landscape of her upbringing. A must read, Bosque quenches the spirit in time of drought. It is bound to be a classic of Chicanx literature."
—Demetria Martínez