Chelsea Guevara: U.S.-Salvadoran Voice, Slam Champ & Storyteller of Memory & Belonging
From Utah Roots to National Slam Triumph
Chelsea Guevara is a U.S.-Salvadoran poet and spoken word artist originally from Salt Lake City, Utah. In 2024, she made history by winning the Womxn of the World International Poetry Slam, becoming the first Salvadoran and the first Utahn to take home a national individual slam title.
Her work bridges languages, cultures, and generations. Drawing upon her family’s histories in El Salvador, her experience in Utah, and her identity as a Latina in the U.S., Chelsea weaves together storytelling, academia, and performance to explore themes of history, memory, identity, belonging, and resistance.
Academic Life & Creative Inquiry
Chelsea is currently engaged with the academic world. At the University of Arizona, she has pursued graduate studies in Latin American Studies (as of the latest info), and her coursework deeply informs her poetry. Her academic research—into Salvadoran history, diasporic identity, colonialism, and memory—provides the scaffolding for much of her creative work.
This blending of scholarship and artistry allows her poetry to function not just as aesthetic expression, but as a site of cultural reclamation and historical narrative. Her writing is attentive to both micro-moments (family, language, place) and macro-forces (migration, colonial legacies, social justice).
Published Works & Recognition
Chelsea’s published work includes:
- Somewhere Over the Border (micro-chapbook): Finalist for the Gunpowder Press Alta California Chapbook Prize in 2023.
- Her poetry has been featured in Button Poetry, Write About Now Poetry, Mapping Literary Utah, and others.
- In 2025, she released her full-length collection Cipota with Button Poetry. Cipota explores intergenerational trauma, diaspora, memory, and the reclamation of identity.
Performance, Identity & Community
Chelsea is not just a poet on the page—she’s a performance poet with palpable stage presence. She has performed widely at slam events and spoken word venues, bringing emotional honesty, rich narrative detail, and cultural specificity to her performances. Winning Womxn of the World 2024 placed her squarely in the national spotlight for her ability to command a stage while telling deeply personal stories.
She is also active in organizing poetry events in Tucson, Arizona, helping to build community, nurture younger poets, and create space for Latinx and Central American voices. Her work in events aligns with an ongoing commitment to representation and justice through art.
Themes, Style & Influence
Chelsea’s poetic style is marked by:
- Cultural Memory & Diaspora: Memories of El Salvador, family stories, migration, and border crossings appear often in her work.
- Identity & Healing: Exploration of what it means to be U.S.-Salvadoran, the tension between past and present, and the personal as political.
- Scholar/Poet Hybrid: Her academic background shapes her use of imagery, metaphor, and historical context—she often makes visible what is overlooked.
- Performance Energy: Her poems are crafted not just to be read, but to be heard—she’s earned her slam title by giving words emotional power and urgency.
Her influences include both Latin American literary traditions and the spoken word community—she stands at the intersection of diaspora poetics and activism through language.
Key Milestones & Why Chelsea Matters in Arizona Poetry
- First Salvadoran and Utahn to win a national individual slam (Womxn of the World, 2024) — a landmark achievement for representation.
- Micro-chapbook Somewhere Over the Border recognized at a national level (Alta California prize finalist).
- Publication of Cipota in 2025 with a major poetry platform (Button Poetry), helping her reach