About Willy Palomo

Short bio:

Willy Palomo is the author of the poetry collections Mercury in Reggaetón and Wake the Others (Editorial Kalina/Glass Spider Publishing, 2023), . She is the Spanish-to-English translator of Tres Tercas Trincheras (Edizioni Formati, 2024), a poetry collection about the experiences of guerreras, lesbians, and ordinary women in the Salvadoran Civil War, as well as Daños Coterales (Alma de Izote, 2026), an anthology of Central American fiction about the State of Exception in El Salvador. Her parents are two former refugees from El Salvador.

Long bio:

Willy Palomo is the author of Mercury in Reggaetón, winner of the Lightscatter Prize, and Wake the Others (Editorial Kalina/Glass Spider Publishing, 2023), a winner of a Foreword Prize in Poetry and an International Latino Book Award honorable mention in Bilingual Poetry. She is the Spanish-to-English translator of Tres Tercas Trincheras (Edizioni Formati, 2024), a poetry collection about the experiences of guerreras, lesbians, and ordinary women in the Salvadoran Civil War, as well as Daños Coterales (Alma de Izote, 2026), an anthology of Central American fiction about the State of Exception in El Salvador. She is the rapper in the hip-hop and Latin music duo Toma2os and has released two full-length albums: Enter Da Boombow and Mercury in Reggaetón. A veteran of the Salt Lake City poetry slam scene, her writing and songs can be found across print and web pages, including the Best New Poets 2018, Latino Rebels, The Wandering Song: Central American Writing in the United States, and more. She has performed at or keynoted in 200+ public engagements since 2011, including the SUU Pride Film Festival, el Festival Internacional de Poesia Amada Libertad in El Salvador, the World Poetry Slam in Cuidad Juárez, and many more. She has taught classes on literature, rap, and creative writing in universities, juvenile detention centers, high schools, and community centers. Her parents are two former refugees from El Salvador.