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= Rich Villar = Rich Villar (born November 7, 1977) is a Latino poet, educator, activist, and performer. He has been quoted in both the New York Times, the Daily News, and HBO on Latino culture and affairs. His work has been featured in a number of publications and literary anthologies.

Early Life
Villar was born in Edison New Jersey, the son of Gustavo Villar, a landlord, and Jane Roman, a homemaker. He is of Cuban descent from his father's side and Puerto Rican descent from his mother's half. Villar grew up in Paterson, New Jersey where he attended Passaic County Community College. There he was inspired by poets like William Carlos Williams, Allen Ginsberg, and Langston Hughes.

Career
Villar co-founded Acentos, a poetry outlet with his fellow Latino poets Samuel "Fish" Vargas, Oscar Bermeo, and Jessica Torres in 2003, which spun-off and evolved into various forms over the years. He served as the editor of its current incarnation Acentos Review from June 2010 until May 2011. He published his first book Comprehending Forever, a collection of his poetry in 2014 and is working on it's follow up tentatively titled "ENDOMORPH". He is currently working as a teacher, and an Artistic Director at La Sopa NYC, a writing and performance workshop.

Personal Life
Villar is one of four siblings in the Villar, two of which passed away. He has an older sister. He currently resides in New York City.

Awards
Editor's Choice, 2013 Willow Books Literature Awards