The C Word’s Hispanic Heritage Month Series: Puerto Rican Poet Laureate Makes a Difference
Hispanic Heritage Month started last week on September 15th, and honoring our hispanic women is a must. With this being stated, we at The C Word wanted to pay homage to celebrate latinos across the globe for Hispanic Heritage Month.
With this being stated, The C Word’s first latina being featured is Rescue Justiniano, who happens to be a first generation Puertorican woman raised in the city of Paterson, New Jersey, who has built relationships throughout the world to hold together the person she is in her own skin. Justiniano has always been inspired by culture, music and the arts, as she’s always been surrounded by the three since the 1970’s and 1980’s.
“My life’s passion is being an artist, in every form that work encompasses art – creative, business, community... and when you love something, all the work is good, growing work,” she said.
Currently, Justiniano works in the tech industry and tries to keep her full-time gig separate from her real life in most cases, which is evolving into being part of the life of an artist. Her quest as an artist began at the age of nine in the comfort of her own home and at school when she developed a love for the written word.
“Like most girls growing up during the 70s and 80s, I’d create my own stories and dramatize them with dolls and friends, creating worlds from what was around me,” said Justiniano. “This love of words and creating stories opened up a passion for poetry in many forms: collecting books, getting to know the classics available at the time and writing my own by keeping a journal.”
Everything inspires Justiniano, which is why she defines life as an adventure that is documented in our memories along with those we share memories with. For her, the best way to share them is through written and spoken words. In many cases, Justiniano follows the logic of “write what you know” and enjoys diving into experiences that lead to a new doorway, experience, relationship, or the stripping of perceived beliefs to empower her humanity to the next level.
“Then there are those pieces that spark a fantasy or otherworldly perspective that pull from ancestral stories and modern-day translations of those stories,” she said. “Inspiration comes from all those elements, setting her own time to make herself known.”
Justiniano has been working in the arts community since 2006 and has been involved in every area of Jersey City, New Jersey and the arts, here and globally. Nominations came up for the Poet Laureate and her name happened to be selected for consideration, which was a great distinction to have been selected through the process and put in place by the Office of Cultural Affairs along with the Jersey City Arts Council in 2018, which selected Rashad Wright as the 2018 Poet Laureate for a two year term.
“Jersey City posts two male poet laureates and being the most diverse city in the USA, it’s important to reflect the community,” she said. “Being the first Latina and woman poet laureate of Jersey City is a wonderful way to elevate the diverse arts community platform that I have been working in since 2006...it brings another dimension of diversity and artistry to this position.”
Having a business brain and the soul of an artist, Justiniano brings a wealth of experience, skills, talent, and perspective to the table as a latina poet laureate. She has and continues to help artists realize their dreams. Through her art and the relationships that she’s been blessed to build, Justiniano connects artists with organizations and one another, locally and internationally, without fear.
“I’m not shy to ask what artists deserve in a $900+ billion US economy,” she said. “Every time, through these relationships on community, business and global levels, I live by the realization that what we do matters: to one or to many, it matters, and I want to see everyone have access to victories.”
With the world flexing around us, Justiniano believes one of her greatest contributions is to constantly connect with people and people to people, whether it be through poetry, workshops, being involved in diverse and evolving organizations and working, collaborating, and building with artists every day.
“That consistency and persistence of building strong rather than fast, is where lasting impacts are made, such as opening the perspective of an organization to have diversity be the norm and not something that has to be deliberately thought about,” she expressed. “Spanish and all the languages we speak in should be mainstream versus specialized...like it is in the visual, culinary and textile arts.”
Justiniano even guides those who are in desire to become poets, writers, and artists when they aren’t sure if they can even walk that path. Here are her tips on how to gain confidence on your path to becoming a poet, writer, and artist.
Start with a journal because no one needs to see anything. Put your pen on the page and let it all flow and forget about structure, punctuation, or spelling. Just write, even if it’s only a line on a single page.
Show up and support your local arts scene. Go to poetry open mics even if you aren’t ready to perform. Build those relationships that will help you grow, get to know the artists, organizers, promoters and get involved.
Buy books and start conversations about what interests you about other writers. For instance: Poets and performers.
Adopt a mentor to guide you as you build and grow when you’re ready.
In the coming weeks, Justiniano is thrilled to announce new projects as 2021 ends. One of the major impacts is becoming more involved in the Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey and global larger communities through performing, making panel appearances and collaborations with artists, arts entrepreneurs, and arts organizations.
“On a personal professional artist level, I’m excited to dive into the world of voice acting and will release my demo by Winter 2021 and finalize my first official poetry book for publication,” she said.
For more information on Justiniano, her work, and events, visit her Instagram @rescuepoetix.
