Evita "PoeticSoulQueen" Colon

Evita Colon, also known as PoeticSoulQueen, is an award-winning creative entrepreneur, Lancaster City’s first Poet Laureate, and a cultural trailblazer. She is the founder of Speak to My Soul LLC, BLK Voices Magazine, and co-owner of A Concrete Rose—the nation's first hybrid Black bookstore, micro-winery, tapas bar and performance space centering the African Diaspora.

 

A published poet, Evita has written, directed, and produced two theatrical productions, authored Speak to My Soul: A Montage of Voices, and released its soundtrack in 2022. She is a Grammy-considered artist with four albums, including her standout project, Alchemy of the Space Between. A member of the Recording Academy, her songwriting credits include collaborations with Common and DJ Jazzy Jeff, alongside performances with Adam Blackstone and openings for Eric Benét, the Floacist and Marsha Ambrosius.

 

Evita is a consultant for Black creatives building sustainable art businesses and founder of The Soul Tribe, a platform offering tools and resources for creative entrepreneurs. Her work has earned recognition in BET’s Black Girls Rock!, a Times Square Billboard, The New York Times, and Pharrell Williams' Black Ambition contest. She holds accolades such as the NAACP Presidential Social Justice Award, JP McCaskey Distinguished Alumni Award, YWCA’s Black Artist Waystation Award and YWCA Woman of Achievement Award.

 

She has expanded her creative work in the educational sector creating an arts integrated curriculum providing artists the opportunity to teach alongside teachers in the classroom using the art as a vehicle of learning.  Her outstanding expertise in stewarding and preserving culture led her to notable work as a consultant for the City of Lancaster, the Stevens and Smith Museum, and PA Council of Arts Southeastern PaArtners  Hip Hop curriculum.

 

She developed her artistry and community work through mentorship from the Floacist, of Floetry, and as a member her international poet’s collective, FLO Vortex and LCCF’s Baldwin Cohort. She acknowledges a village of close mentors and family who have guided and supported her journey.

 

From performing at Penn State’s Bryce Center to mentoring with Grammy U, Evita continues to use her artistry and entrepreneurial spirit to amplify voices, foster healing, and spark social change.