Vital Spaces Announces 2026 Poet in Residence: Shirley Edmonson
Tuesday, April 7, 2026
Vital Spaces is proud to announce Shirley Edmondson as the 2026 Poet in Residence, launching a new program dedicated to amplifying the written word through poetry, storytelling, and community voice!
Shirley Edmondson is a memoirist, poet, teacher, and workshop facilitator. Her work appears in Zora’s Journal: Breast Cancer Memoirs, Santa Fe Literary Review (Vol. 19, 2024), and the New Mexico/Arizona Book Award–winning anthology One Albuquerque: One Hundred Poets. She coauthored the Santa Fe Arts and Cultural Department’s 2024 Art Is the Solution grant project, Black in Santa Fe: Seen and Unseen, and co-wrote the accompanying film script, screened during Black History Month in 2025.
Shirley has led creative writing workshops across the Southwest and performed spoken word poetry nationwide. She is completing a memoir about breast cancer and a chapbook of poems responding to the current sociopolitical climate.
The Poet in Residence program centers poetry as both art and connection – bringing together writers, artists, and community members through workshops, performances, and conversations that explore lived experience, creativity, and expression.
Throughout the residency, Shirley Edmondson will lead a series of public offerings including creative writing workshops, performance based presentations, and podcast conversations with artists working across disciplines within the Vital Spaces studios. These moments will open up space for reflection, dialogue, and creative exchange across the community.
The residency will culminate in a fall showcase featuring poetry and prose developed throughout the program, alongside the release of a community driven chapbook highlighting voices from participants.
Programming includes:
- A public announcement and poetry reading (April 19)
- A series of artist and poet podcast conversations (May–July)
- Creative writing workshops (June & August)
- A community poetry reading and showcase (September)
Vital Spaces continues its mission of activating space for creativity and connection by expanding into literary arts, creating new entry points for people to engage, share stories, and build community.
