Hello!

My name is Olivia Calderón, and I am a queer Cuban American poet currently based in Edinburgh. From Miami to Scotland, my interdisciplinary creative practice embodies senses of place, identity, belonging, and a touch of magical realism.

In 2021, I graduated suma cum laude with degrees in Classical Civilizations and English from Florida State University in 2021. A year later I moved to Scotland to attend the University of Edinburgh, graduating with my MSc in Creative Writing specializing in poetry.

Since then, I have been an active member of the Scottish writing community. I have been shortlisted for the stAnza poet-in-residence, the Young Makars scheme, and was shortlisted for the Grierson Verse Prize in 2023. I am regularly commissioned to perform for local events, and The Edinburgh Park commissioned my work for their art zine Polaris this past spring.

I have been published internationally in magazines such as LIT Magazine, Gutter, Moss Puppy Magazine, Interpret Magazine, local anthologies, and more. In 2024, I published my own self illustrated poetry zine Florida Woman, and in 2025 I founded guava, a magazine dedicated to underrepresented voices in poetry. I am also a reader for the online magazine OnlyPoems and a judge for the Bread and Roses Prize.

When I am not writing, I am usually sitting in the grass or embroidering.