About Melania

Melania Luisa Marte is a first-generation American artist and performer. She was born in the Bronx and raised in the Lower East Side of New York City. She ranked 5th at the 2018 Women of The World Poetry Slam Competition and was a finalist at the 2018 Individual World Poetry Slam Competition in San Diego, California. Her most viral poem, “Afro-Latina” was featured by Instagram on their IG TV for National Poetry Month and has garnered over 9 million views.

Her work has also been featured by Ain’t I Latina, The Root, Teen Vogue, Facebook, Telemundo, Remezcla, and People En Español. Melania’s won two Audie awards for her most recent voice-over work and is also co-writer of The Braid of Time, a short film now streaming on Netflix. Marte has taught workshops at a variety of educational and literary institutions across the United States including Simmons University, University of Texas, Harvard University, Paul Quinn College, Texas A&M University, University of Massachusetts, and many more.

Marte’s debut collection of poetry, PLANTAINS AND OUR BECOMING was published by Tiny Reparations, an imprint of Plume and Penguin Random House.