Photo Ricardo Muñiz
Nancy Mercado, a distinguished figure in contemporary literature, has garnered notable acclaim, including a nomination for the prestigious Pushcart Prize and the esteemed American Book Award for Lifetime Achievement, awarded by the Before Columbus Foundation. Her impact has been further recognized by the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives and the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University, which named her among the 200 living individuals embodying the spirit and work of Frederick Douglass (The Frederick Douglass 200) in celebration of his bicentennial.
Her accolades extend to the Arturo Alfonso Schomburg Award from the Association for Equality and Excellence in Education, the Carmen Vega Rivera Advocacy Award from Latina 50 Plus, and various honors from organizations such as the Newark Public Library Hispanic Research and Information Center, Rutgers University Centre for Latino Arts and Culture, and the Manhattan Borough President's Office, which presented her with a Citation for her artistic contributions. Additionally, Mercado serves as a board member for the Before Columbus Foundation, an assistant editor for EcoPoetry.org, and has taken on the role of guest curator for the Museum of American Poetics.
Amid the tumult of the COVID-19 pandemic in December 2020, Mercado took the initiative to establish and chair the Miguelabration Committee, dedicated to honoring the founder of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, Miguel Algarín. This committee successfully organized a pioneering social media event that featured poets and artists globally via Zoom. Ten prominent New York City arts organizations, including City Lore and the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, collaborated to present this six-hour live broadcasted mega event, which can be viewed HERE.
Mercado's work has reached audiences across the US and internationally, with presentations at esteemed venues such as Lincoln Center, the Whitney Museum, the University of Nantes in France, the Society for the Study of Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States (MELUS), and the Association of Writers and Writing Programs Conference (AWP), along with performances at the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation Poetry Festival and Casa de las Americas in Havana, Cuba, by invitation from renowned poet Roberto Fernandez Retamar. In New York City, her poetry has resonated in prestigious locations such as The Public Theatre, Town Hall, The Nuyorican Poets Cafe, the beautiful High Line and Symphony Space.
Mercado boasts eleven years of editorial experience with the influential underground literary and art publication, Long Shot, where she served as editor-in-chief for a significant period. Her literary contributions include It Concerns the Madness (Long Shot Productions), Las Tres Hermanas (Casita Maria), and her editorial work on if the world were mine (New Jersey Performing Arts Center Arts Education) , et al. Her poetry, fiction, and essays have been widely anthologized, amplifying her voice and vision in the literary landscape.
In a groundbreaking achievement, Mercado edited the first Nuyorican Women Writers Anthology, a significant two-volume work first published in Voices e/Magazine, a Hunter College CUNY online literary journal (updated links forthcoming), highlighting the vibrant contributions of Nuyorican female writers. In addition to this landmark anthology, she has edited two special memorial tribute publications celebrating the illustrious life of Miguel Algarín. These tributes feature over sixty talented writers and artists from across the nation on the KONCH Magazine website, as well as acclaimed literary figures such as Carolyn Forché and Ana Castillo on the Tribes Magazine website.
With a rich theatre and playwriting career, Mercado served for ten years as the Artistic Director of the Young Life Theatre Group, a youth-focused theatre group based in New Jersey, funded by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. During her tenure, she authored and directed seven compelling plays, including Palm Trees in the Snow, Chillin, Forever Earth, It is I Stay Alive!, Planet Earth, Alicia in Projectland (coauthored with the renowned writer Pedro Pietri), and AWAY. Her productions have been showcased in prestigious venues such as the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC). Notably, AWAY was commissioned by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as part of an AIDS awareness and prevention initiative aimed at young women of color. This play has been made available to any theatre company or community group in the U.S. and has been produced in both English and Spanish across the country and in Puerto Rico.
Mercado’s voice has resonated through various media channels, including features in the documentary film Yari Yari Pamberi: Black Women Writers Dissecting Globalization directed by Jayne Cortez, Public Television’s Poetry Spots series directed by Bob Holman, The PBS NewsHour Special, America Remembers 9/11, and National Public Radio’s All of It and The Talk of the Nation.
She participated in NYCNext, a program that hosted live artistic pop-up events throughout New York City during the COVID pandemic, where she was commissioned to read a poem celebrating New York City for their Love Letter to New York series. Latino Leaders Magazine profiled her as, one of the most celebrated members of the Puerto Rican literary movement in the Big Apple.
Continuing to share her artistic vision, Nancy Mercado frequently presents her work as a featured poet and conference panelist. She earned her PhD from Binghamton University, SUNY, and currently serves as an Associate Professor in New York City, furthering her commitment to the advancement of literature and the arts.
Information on other websites:
The Academy of American Poets
The Latino Author
The Poetry Foundation
Poets & Writers
Wikipedia