Yosimar Reyes
Poet, Playwright, Undocu-Activist
Join us on April 4th 1-3 pm for the On All Fronts Speaker Series with Yosimar Reyes! Yosimar Reyes is one of the loudest, most courageous artistic voices in the undocumented community. For over a decade, Yosi’s work has centered the lives of undocumented people and their families. Focusing on joy and resilience, he breaks with convention and rewrites the narrative in his own image, in the image of his abuela and the countless lives of people in and around the community of San Jose. Yosi is a master storyteller with a voice all his own. He brings a lifetime of chisme, heartbreak, and triumph to Fresno, complementing the work of Humanizar Historias.
Yosimar Reyes isn’t just a nationally-acclaimed poet, public speaker, and performing artist—he’s a true embodiment of hustle. Hailing from East San Jose by way of Guerrero, Mexico, Reyes made a name for himself at the age of sixteen, captivating Bay Area stages with powerful spoken word performances rooted in migration, queerness, and working-class resilience. His dynamic storytelling has since evolved into a nationally-celebrated body of work that includes keynote speeches, writing workshops, and theatrical performances.
Reyes is the creator of Prieto, an autobiographical one-man show that explores coming of age as a queer, undocumented boy in East San Jose. The show has toured nationally, receiving critical acclaim for its raw honesty and humor. His current works-in-development include No Llegamos Aquí Solos, a community-rooted play in collaboration with Teatro Visión (premiering Spring 2026), and Si Dios Quiere, Regreso, a solo performance blending humor and grief as it traces the return to Mexico following the passing of his grandmother (premiering Fall 2026).
In 2024, Reyes made history as the first undocumented poet to be named Santa Clara County Poet Laureate and was also honored as a Creative Ambassador for the City of San Jose. His recognitions include being named one of “13 LGBT Latinos Changing the World” by The Advocate and one of “10 Up and Coming Latinx Poets You Need to Know” by Remezcla. Among his many accolades, Reyes has received the NALAC Catalyst for Change Grant (2020), the Gerbode Foundation Special Awards in the Arts (2019) , and the Walter & Elise Haas Creative Work Fund Grant (2023) to develop new performance work. He was also awarded a 2025–2026 National Performance Network Creation Fund Grant to support Si Dios Quiere, Regreso.
His writing has appeared in numerous publications and anthologies including Mariposas: A Modern Anthology of Queer Latino Poetry, Somewhere We Are Human: Authentic Voices on Migration, Survival, and New Beginnings, Here to Stay: Poetry and Prose from the Undocumented Diaspora, and most notably, Latino Poetry: The Library of America Anthology (2024)—a landmark volume that cements his place among the essential voices of American literature.
“I don’t believe in fighting today in any one front, but on all fronts.” – Malcolm X
The issues surrounding immigration policy are as complex and multifaceted as the lives they impact. This series will highlight researchers, advocates, and culture makers confronting injustice in the immigrant community from different angles and on many different fronts.