As a young Latina poet growing up in the Bronx, Haydil Henriquez was inspired by other poets of color, like Nikki Giovanni, Audre Lorde, Willie Perdomo and Martín Espada. When Henriquez was 15 years old, Espada came to her high school classroom to speak to the students and to honor Henriquez for having received a poetry award named after Espada. The scene was captured in a 2007 Bill Moyers Journal episode featuring Espada and his work.
With Espada back in Bill’s studio, we decided to check in with Henriquez, currently a Swarthmore student and the first in her family to attend college. In this video update, Henriquez talks about how poetry continues to shape her life, and she reads from her poem, Bronx.
Producer/editor/camera: Jessica Wang
