From an early age, Yolanda Wisher showed a passion for writing and speaking her truth. Both were cultivated as she continued her education at the North Penn School District (NPSD) through elementary, middle and high school. As a North Penn High School (NPHS) graduate of the class of 1994, her passion, talent and drive demonstrated great foresight into what her future would hold. Simply put, those fortunate enough to work with her at North Penn knew to expect great things to come from Yolanda Wisher.
It was in fifth grade that Yolanda had her first book of poems published. It was cataloged in the Gwyn-Nor Elementary School library where she attended for all of elementary school. While a student at NPHS, she fondly remembers having tea with sugar cubes during poetry club in Dr. Walsh's classroom and directing her first play for an independent study project. It was also during this time that she won a poetry competition sponsored by Allentown College that earned her a full scholarship. A jack of all trades, Yolanda excelled in more than just poetry, and instead followed her love for the game by attending Lafayette College on a basketball scholarship. At NPHS, Yolanda was president of the African American Awareness Club and recording secretary of the National Honor Society. When looking back on her time at North Penn, she reminisced on many fond experiences in the realms of literature, performing and sports. Some of these memories include singing the alma mater on the bus ride home from field hockey and basketball games and dressing up in togas for Latin Club banquets.
After graduating Magna Cum Laude from Lafayette College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Black Studies, Yolanda earned her master's degree in Creative Writing/Poetry from Temple University.
Yolanda is a poet, singer, spoken word artist and has amassed numerous honors and awards including being named Poet Laureate of Philadelphia in February of 2016. She was named and most recently is one of 14 Artist-in-Residence who have studios at the newly renovated Cherry Street Pier in Philadelphia, a unique venue that allows the public to watch artists at work during the creative process, as each studio is outfitted with large glass panels.
Yolanda is the author of the poetry collection Monk Eats an Afro (Hanging Loose Press, 2014) and the co-editor of Peace is a Haiku Song(Philadelphia Mural Arts, 2013). Yolanda's work has been featured in a variety of media including The Academy of American Poets Poem-a-Day series, Gathering Ground: A Reader Celebrating Cave Canem's First Decade, GOOD Magazine, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Contemporary Black Canvas, Radio Times, PoetryNOW, Ploughshares and CBC Radio. A Pew Fellow & Hedgebrook Writer-in-Residence, Yolanda was named the inaugural Poet Laureate of Montgomery County in 1999. Yolanda taught high school English for 10 years and continues to lead transformative poetry workshops for all ages across the country. She served as Director of Art Education for Philadelphia Mural Arts and founded and directed the Germantown Poetry and Outbound Poetry Festivals. She has led workshops and curated events in partnership with the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Free Library of Philadelphia, and U.S. Department of Arts & Culture. Yolanda was the 2017-2018 Center for Programs in Contemporary Writing (CPCW) Fellow in Poetics and Poetic Practice at the University of Pennsylvania, and she is currently the Curator of Spoken Word at Philadelphia Contemporary.
Yolanda is a "central figure in Philadelphia's literary scene, and a leading voice in the performance of poetry as a public art," says Harry Philbrick, Founding Director of Philadelphia Contemporary. "She is uniquely suited to bring vibrant, engaging, incisive spoken word to the people of Philadelphia." In her current role as Curator of Spoken Word at Philadelphia Contemporary, Yolanda works to "engage the city's long history of performance with a focus on demystifying contemporary art and breaking down barriers of genre." (attributed to artblog 2/2/18, click here to read article).
Yolanda remains loyal to her roots as she continues to do frequent readings and performances in the Philadelphia area where she lives with husband Mark Palacio and their nine-year-old son, Thelonious (Theo) Palacio. Here in her home city of Philly, Yolanda also curates and hosts "rent parties" -- an artistic twist on what we've come to know as a house party. The tradition of the rent party dates back to the Harlem Renaissance, when communal gatherings of artists fed an outpouring of blues, jazz and poetry. Guests would pay a small fee for homespun food, prohibited drink and live entertainment. While they were designed to help the host pay their rent with the help of a few friends spreading the word, the ancestral rent parties were also incubators of cultural innovation.
Yolanda's rent parties feature readings by two contemporary poets from different schools of thought and craft and are underscored by music from Yolanda and her band, The Afroeaters, who perform a revived, vintage work of jazz poetry or premiere a new work inspired by the Rosenbach's collection. The series is an ongoing love letter to the literary past, often focusing on a writer whose work has been lost, forgotten or misunderstood. Previous rent parties have highlighted the poetry of The Black Opalscollective, a group of young African Americans writing in Philadelphia during the 1920s; the legacy of Phillis Wheatley, the first published African American poet; and Ask Your Mama, a jazz poem composed by Langston Hughes.
Two years ago, Yolanda returned to NPHS as part of a Speakers' Series funded by a grant requested by NPHS English Teacher Janet Kratz from the NPSD Educational Foundation. During her visit, Yolanda shared her insights with creative writing students in a small setting and delivered two high-energy performances to students, showcasing both her original poetry and song. She performed again in the evening during the NPHS African American Awareness Club's annual Colors of Pride Celebration program. It was this impactful visit to North Penn that inspired Janet to nominate Yolanda for the Knights of Honor.
"Students are mesmerized by her poetry and her advice," said Janet. "Even when she was a student at NPHS, there was no doubt in her English teachers' minds that Yolanda had a special gift. She is now recognized as one of today's premier poets. When the Inquirer writes about poetry, she is invariably quoted."
Yolanda is currently fulfilling a writing residency in Colorado during the month of October 2018. For this reason, she will not be able to attend the Knights of Honor Induction Ceremony at NPHS. A digital acceptance video of Yolanda will be played at the ceremony and her mother and son will be in attendance to accept the award on her behalf.