YpsiWrites welcomed its inaugural Writer in Residence Angelica Esquivel for a year-long term starting this spring.
Esquivel, an YpsiWrites 2023 Writer of Ypsilanti, is a Xicana writer, visual artist, and part-time instructor at Washtenaw Community College.
Esquivel’s art spans modalities, exploring themes of identity and community. From studying at the University of Michigan for undergrad to completing an MFA at Bowling Green State University, Esquivel established connections with mentors that would go on to inform her career.
“When I started talking about my work, when I started talking about others’ work … I realized how important it is, how nourishing it is, to have an artistic community you can engage with,” Esquivel said.
As the first Writer in Residence, Esquivel will plan a year-long program with community programming and a final product and event.
For her program, Esquivel plans to host a series of workshops for the community, eventually creating an anthology of the work created by the workshop participants. While each workshop is not yet fully planned, some of the ideas include flash fiction and Ypsilanti historical poetry.
“I’m going to end the residency with an exhibition [and] anthology and open mic, celebration event,” Esquivel said. “[The anthology] will include writing from people who have lived in Ypsilanti, who currently live in Ypsilanti. The anthology will be … Ypsi-centered.”
The Writer in Residence is the newest program put on by YpsiWrites, a non-profit dedicated to celebrating the writing community in Ypsilanti.
“I feel like it’s gotten me out of my comfort zone in a lot of ways,” Esquivel said.
Esquivel will be the Writer in Residence until spring 2026, receiving a stipend for her contributions and funding for a personal project.
To learn more about Esquivel and her work as the Writer in Residence, check out the YpsiWrites webpage.
