Yolanda Wisher
Born in Philadelphia in 1976, Yolanda Wisher is a poet whose work engages with social justice and the Black literary tradition. Raised in North Wales, Pennsylvania, she earned her BA in English and Black Studies from Lafayette College and her MA in English/Poetry from Temple University. She served as the inaugural Poet Laureate of Montgomery County (1999), as Philadelphia’s third Poet Laureate (2016–2017), and has chaired the city’s Poet Laureate Governing Committee. Wisher’s creative work spans poetry, music, and public programming: she is the author of Monk Eats an Afro (2014), and co-editor of the anthology Peace is a Haiku Song (2013), performs with her band Yolanda Wisher & The Afroeaters, and is the co-founder of ConsenSIS, an initiative documenting Black femme poets in Philadelphia.
- Peace is a Haiku Song. Co-edited with Sonia Sanchez. Philadelphia: City of Philadelphia Mural Arts, 2013.
- Monk Eats an Afro. Brooklyn: Hanging Loose Press, 2014.
Hopkins, Earl. "City Art Program to Address Gun Violence: "Healing Verse Germantown" Invites Residents to Participate in a Series of Poetry Workshops." Philadelphia Inquirer, 30 Sept. 2024.
———. "Philadelphia Awarded $1M Grant to Address Gun Violence through Art." Philadelphia Inquirer, 21 Oct. 2023.
Lamb, William. "The County’s Poet Laureate Exhibits and Image of her Own: The 23-year-old Uses Her work to Address Stereotypes." Philadelphia Inquirer, 16 May 1999.
Timpane, John. "Elevating Words to the Spiritual: A Series of ‘Stellar Masses’ using Church Motifs Will Celebrate the Literary. Spoken-Word Festival." Philadelphia Inquirer, 8 May 2018.
———. "New Poet Laureate for Phila.: Yolanda Wisher's Duties Include Readings, Community Service, Mentoring." Philadelphia Inquirer, 5 Feb. 2016.
Wisher, Yolanda. "Frida & the Black Girls." Melus, vol. 35, no. 2, 2010, pp. 37-37, 219.
———. “About.” Yolanda Wisher, www.yolandawisher.com/about. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
———.. "Yolanda Wisher." The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, 21 May 2023, www.pewcenterarts.org/fellow/yolanda-wisher. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.
Wisher, Yolanda, performer. Longings. By Nellie Rathbone Bright, performance by Yolanda Wisher & The Afroeaters, Doublehanded Suite, 2022.
"Yolanda Wisher." Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/yolanda-wisher. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
"Yolanda Wisher." Headlands Center for the Arts, www.headlands.org/artist/yolanda-wisher. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
“Yolanda Wisher: Educator and Poet Laureate of Philadelphia.” KatieCareerVC – St. Catherine University, katiecareervc.stkate.edu/videos/yolanda-wisher-educator-and-poet-laureate-of-philadelphia. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
