Latina Poets Thrive on Social Media, Reaching New Audiences

Yesika Salgado, Celia Martínez and Vianney Harelly use Instagram and TikTok to share their poetry and build loyal followings.

Apr. 17, 2026 at 5:52pm

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An abstract close-up photograph featuring a dazzling array of shimmering sequins and glittering confetti in vibrant shades of pink, purple, and gold, evoking a sense of celebratory energy and creative expression.The visually-rich, social media-driven poetry movement led by Latina creatives like Yesika Salgado, Celia Martínez and Vianney Harelly is sparking a cultural renaissance.Los Angeles Today

Three Latina poets - Yesika Salgado, Celia Martínez and Vianney Harelly - have found success in sharing their work on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, allowing them to connect with a growing audience of young poetry readers. The poets have amassed hundreds of thousands of followers, using the accessible nature of social media to share personal stories and experiences that resonate with their communities.

Why it matters

The rise of 'Instapoetry' and poetry on TikTok has helped democratize the art form, allowing more Latinos to not only access literature that reflects their experiences, but also feel empowered to become writers themselves. This has led to increased Latino representation in the publishing industry, where they previously made up only 7% of writers and authors.

The details

Yesika Salgado, a 41-year-old poet from Silver Lake, Los Angeles, started sharing her poems on Instagram after working service jobs for years. She wanted her work to be accessible to people 'on their phones' during breaks. Celia Martínez, a 26-year-old Mexican American author, posts videos of herself reciting poems about modern dating and the challenges of being a first-generation Latina college student on TikTok and Instagram, amassing over 5 million followers. Vianney Harelly, a 30-year-old self-published author from Tijuana, specializes in visually-enriched Spanglish poetry that resonates with other bilingual Latina creatives from the border region.

  • Yesika Salgado started sharing her poetry on Instagram around 2016 after working service jobs for a decade.
  • Celia Martínez began posting her poetry videos on TikTok and Instagram in 2021 after graduating from Yale.
  • Vianney Harelly started growing her social media following on Instagram and TikTok in 2021 after moving to the Bay Area to study creative writing.

The players

Yesika Salgado

A 41-year-old poet from Silver Lake, Los Angeles who started sharing her poems on Instagram after working service jobs for years.

Celia Martínez

A 26-year-old Mexican American author who posts videos of herself reciting poems about modern dating and the challenges of being a first-generation Latina college student on TikTok and Instagram.

Vianney Harelly

A 30-year-old self-published author from Tijuana who specializes in visually-enriched Spanglish poetry that resonates with other bilingual Latina creatives from the border region.

Patrícia Lino

An associate professor of poetry and visual arts at UCLA who discusses how social media has helped democratize poetry and allowed more Latinos to become writers.

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What they’re saying

“'Up until 2016, I had to work service jobs. I worked as a cashier in a parking garage for like 10 years. I knew what it was like to be on your lunch break, eating your life, being tired, your feet sore, and scrolling on your phone just looking for something. I wanted my work to be something that would find those people in the most accessible place: on their phones.'”

— Yesika Salgado, Poet

“'Social media is a very public place. I could have done [poetry] privately, but it's one of those things that you also realize how beneficial it is to see someone that looks like you, to hear someone that sounds like you have those same feelings.'”

— Celia Martínez, Author

“'If I have never ever touched social media, there's no way that I could be where I am today. It has opened many doors for me and many doors for my art.'”

— Vianney Harelly, Self-published Author

What’s next

The poets continue to grow their social media followings and publish new works, with Yesika Salgado planning to release the next two books in her poetry trilogy and Celia Martínez aiming to combine her medical training with her poetry to open a community garden that provides therapeutic treatment.

The takeaway

The rise of Latina poets on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok has helped democratize poetry, allowing more members of the Latino community to access and feel represented by the art form. This has led to increased Latino representation in the publishing industry and the creation of spaces where personal stories and experiences can be shared and celebrated.