Cuban poet Alicia de Jesus Wilson organized a Saint John gathering for immigrant artists, turning homeland hardships like poverty and blackouts into shared hope. Alongside poet Maria Perez Ramirez, she highlighted ongoing suffering in Cuba, providing a supportive community to process grief and foster resilience.
Cuban artists in Saint John use poetry and community to process the ongoing crisis back home.
Polina Kozlova · CBC News
· Posted: Oct 05, 2026 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour ago
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Alicia de Jesus Wilson reads her poetry at the microphone during a Spanish-language poetry gathering at a Saint John public library. (Polina Kozlova/CBC)
Alicia de Jesus Wilson carries Cuba with her throughout her poetry.
She left the country about 15 years ago, but the stories she hears from people back home of blackouts, hunger and shrinking opportunities continue to find their way into her work.
On Oct. 3, Wilson organized a gathering of Spanish-speaking poets and artists at a Saint John public library. The evening was filled with poetry, music and memories.
At the heart of Wilson’s poetry is a line she holds close: “La pobreza no te quita los sueños” — “Poverty doesn’t take your dreams away.”
For Wilson,
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