Anacaona Rocio Milagro is a poet born, raised, and living in New York City, Washington Heights. Writing poetry since age four and performing throughout her adolescence and adulthood, she hit the national stage with the Nuyorican Poets Café Slam team in the National Poetry Slam Championship. She earned an MFA in Poetry at NYU’s Residency program in Paris, an MPH at Columbia University, and a BA in Social Anthropology and Journalism/Creative Writing with a minor in Art from Baruch College/CUNY BA Program. However, nothing compares to her education from the prestigious school of hard knocks. A 2022 Cave Canem Fellow, she has published in Narrative Magazine, The BreakBeat Poets Latinext Anthology, Haper's Bazaar Magazine, The Common, LittHub, Writing The Land Anthology, No Dear Magazine, and others. Her Nine Eleven Poem has been added to the Smithsonian Museum’s 9/11 archives. The NY Botanical Gardens Remembrance & Resilience exhibit published her Palomita Blanca poem on a plaque in the Bronx. Her debut poetry collection is forthcoming in Oct 2024, published by Black Freighter Press, entitled To Make an Island of a Street Corner; and her spoken-word poetry album of the same title is currently available on all streaming platforms. Her father is from the Dominican Republic and her mother is from St. Thomas, The U.S. Virgin Islands. Instagram: @poet.anacaona