April is National Poetry Month! Poetry is a wonderful and beautiful art, and the LGBTQ community is filled with so many talented poets who use this medium to make their voices heard and to advocate for our community. To celebrate that I’d like to share three amazing LGBTQ poets who strive to make an impact on our community!
First on the list of poets I’d like to talk about is Regie Cabico! Regie is an award winning poet who has had his works featured in a number of things such as speaking events and even TV programming! This alone makes such an impact, but Regie says there’s more to his mission. He says “Poets are needed more than ever” and I couldn’t agree more. He added “It’s important to inspire people to write” and that “everyone should be confident that they are poets”. All these words and more are what makes Regie so special and memorable to many! 
Click Here to view a poem from Regie
Next on the list is Yelina Solis! Yelina is an up and coming bisexual poet. Yelina’s works shine a spotlight on many topics, including LGBTQ themes, Disability Rights, Animal Welfare and more! Yelina says that poetry is her outlet and that being able to use it for good is vital to her. Outside of poetry, Yelina is also a passionate advocate for disabled LGBTQ people! 
Click here to join Yelina’s facebook group and view her works!
Lastly and Next on our list is Joanna Hoffman! Joanna is a beloved LGBTQ poet. In fact, her book of poetry, Running for Trap Doors was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award and she was featured in the American Library Association’s list of recommended LGBT reading. To add to her list of achievements, In 2015, she was named a White House Champion of Change for LGBT advocacy through art. Joanna says her passion for poetry started at a young age and was the one place she felt safe and that poetry helped her become comfortable in her queerness. She also said, “poetry gave me a way to shatter through my own loneliness and find both community and solidarity with others”. 
Click here to get a copy of Joanna’s award winning book, Running for the trap doors!
Thank you for reading and following along with these wonderful poets and from all of us at Sussex Pride Arts, we wish you a happy National Poetry Month!