Raina J. León
2026–2027 Poet Laureate of Philadelphia
Raina J. León is listed as 2026–2027 Poet Laureate of Philadelphia. Raina is scheduled to speak at 2026 NCTE Annual Convention on 20 November 2026.
Compiled from published conference agendas; not yet confirmed by Raina. Is this you? Claim this profile.
About
Raina J. León, PhD, is Black, Afro-Boricua, and from Philadelphia (Lenni Lenape ancestral lands). She is the 2026–2027 Poet Laureate of Philadelphia. She is a mother, daughter, sister, madrina, comadre, partner, poet, writer, and teacher educator. She believes in collective action and community work, the profound power of holding space for the telling of our stories, and the liberatory practice of humanizing education. She seeks out communities of care and craft and is a member of the Carolina African American Writers Collective, Cave Canem, CantoMundo, Macondo. She is the author of black god mother this body , Canticle of Idols , Boogeyman Dawn , sombra: (dis)locate , and the chapbooks profeta without refuge and Areyto to Atabey: Essays on the Mother(ing) Self . She publishes across forms in visual art, poetry, nonfiction, fiction, and scholarly work. She has received fellowships and residencies and attended retreats with The Watering Hole, the Obsidian Foundation, VONA, Community of
Upcoming
2026 NCTE Annual Convention 19 November 2026 – 22 November 2026
- ELATE Luncheon Speaker · 20 November 2026
Spoke alongside
People who have shared a session with Raina at events on B2DB.
- Anthony Celaya Western Washington University 1 shared session
- Bradley Robinson Texas State University 1 shared session
- Davena Jackson Boston University 1 shared session
- David E. Low California State University, Fresno 1 shared session
- Edith Middleton Teachers College, Columbia University 1 shared session
- Grace Player University of Connecticut 1 shared session
- Jill Flynn University of Delaware 1 shared session
- Joanne Marciano Michigan State University 1 shared session
- Keisha L. Green University of Mass at Amhurst 1 shared session
- Kisha Porcher University of Delaware 1 shared session
- Mandie Dunn Associate Professor · University of South Florida 1 shared session
- Melanie Shoffner James Madison University 1 shared session
and 3 more people