Hermelinda Hernandez Monjaras

Hermelinda Hernandez Monjaras was born in Oaxaca, Mexico, and identifies as both an indígena and an undocumented poet of Zapotecan descent. Her work has been published in Here to Stay: Poetry and Prose from the Undocumented Diaspora (Harper Perennial, 2024); About Place Journal;  Small Press Traffic; and Poets.org, among other outlets. Her work explores immigration, identity—including her Zapotecan heritage and the challenges of being a DACA recipient—and trauma, using diverse artistic and visual elements.

Hernandez Monjaras won a 2024 Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Fellowship. Raised in Fresno, California, she earned an MFA in creative writing and a BA in English with a focus on creative writing. She was a graduate artist at Juan Felipe Herrera’s Laureate Lab Visual Wordist Studio and has received a Community of Writers fellowship.