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Sonia Guiñansaca
Sonia Guiñansaca is a Queer Migrant Poet from Harlem, New York. In addition, she is a Cultural Organizer and Activist in her community on behalf of the Latinx community, and any undocumented person in the United States. With multiple awards, programs, and speeches under her belt, she serves her community politically, culturally, and artistically. Her work revolves around many themes, some being, life as a Queer/Femme woman of color in the United States, being an undocumented person living in the United States, and how artists can be a catalyst in the social movements that exist in the shadows of our everyday lives.

Sonia Guiñansaca was born in Ecuador and lived there for the first five years of her life. She came to the United States and moved to New York, where she still resides as a publicly previously undocumented citizen in Harlem. Her poetry revolves very heavily around being undocumented, being an immigrant, and how she is trying to inform others through her emotionally powerful, yet politically driven poetry.

Education
Guiñansaca's education is also a contributing factor that shapes her writing, which consists of a Bachelor of Arts in Africana Puerto Rican Latino Studies, and Women Gender Studies. This past education shapes her writing to be based heavily on Latino culture as well as being a migrant queer poet. On Guiñansaca’s webpage it is also stated that, “Guiñansaca’s range of work reflects on: migration (especially her current identity shift from being undocumented to documented), climate justice, migrant rights, being a Queer/Femme women (sic) of color, and the role of artists in social movements” (soniaguinansaca.com).

Awards
Listed on Sonia Guiñansaca's website are dozens of awards, which are listed below.

·      2017 U.S.A Future Leaders Delegate for the British Council (London)

·      2017 Guest Speaker at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC)

·       2017 Artist Residence at NYU's Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics

·       2017 Featured Poet at the "Poetry in Motion" event of the Poetry Society of America (Grand Central NYC)

·      2017 Chapbook "Nostalgia & Borders" officially housed at the Ethnic Studies Library in UC Berkeley

·      2016 Innovative Cultural Advocacy (ICA) Fellow of the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute

·      2016 Featured on Univision's Portraits of Latinx Generation

·      2016 Named as "13 Coolest Queers on the Internet" by Teen Vogue

·      2016 Featured Interview on NBC Latino Poetry Series

·      2016 Poetry featured on Third Women Press's new online journal: TWPulse

·      2015 Featured on PEN American Ten

·      2015 Featured poet on the Poetry Foundation

·      2015 Selected by Remezcla as one of “10 Latinx Poets You Need to Know”

·      2015 Featured Poet on Feministing Five

·      2015 Featured poet on PBS.org

·      2015 Selected by Medium.com NAT. BRUT as one of “3 Artists & Cultural Workers of Color You Need to Know About”

·      2015 Honored and Profiled as a Queer Icon by  artists Gabriel Garcia

·      2013’s El Museo Del Barrio Madrina Award

·      2012 Campus Progress Activist/Campaign of the Year Award

·      2012 Profiled on the Emmy Nominated CUNY TV: Nueva York Episode on the Dream Act

·      2011 Recipient of 40 Under 40 Rising NY Stars by the  Hispanic Coalition

·      2010 Recipient of the Courageous Advocacy Award from NYSYLC

·      2010 Latina Magazine’s 100 Latinos of the Year

Activism
Starting in her youth, specifically in 2008, she became part of the New York State Youth Leadership Council. This organization is the first and only undocumented youth led committee in the state of New York. She also served as a Board Member for the NYSYL during her time as a member. In this position, she organized youth committees, directed members, and worked with members to advocate for educational bills for migrant students.

In 2011, Guiñansaca attempted to intrude on an Alabama detention center and organized multiple campaigns to end the deportation of undocumented people.

Guiñansaca is also the Managing Director at Culture/Strike, a website that she joined in 2013.