Dr. Victoria (Vicky) Bañales (she/her/ella) is the 2025-2027 Watsonville Poet Laureate. A Chicanx writer, teacher, and mother, she is a member of the Writers of Color-Santa Cruz County, Círculo de Poetas & Writers, and founder of Xinachtli Journal (Journal X), a literary arts magazine focused on social justice, which was awarded the Superior Distinction by the National Council of Teachers of English. Her poetry, stories, and essays have appeared in various journals and anthologies. The recipient of two poetry awards and a teaching excellence award, she holds a Ph.D. in Literature and Feminist Studies from the University of California-Santa Cruz. Her debut poetry collection, The Sun Will Not Harm You by Day, Nor the Moon by Night, was recently published (Jamii, 2025). Her writing has received generous support from the following artist-in-residency programs: Hedgebrook, Storyknife, Macondo, VONA, Rooted and Written, and the Summer Poetry Teacher's Institute. In addition to writing poetry, she is working on a novel, titled Candelaria. She loves nature, especially oceans and mountains, and her go-to places are Pinnacles National Park and Garrapata State Park. The proud daughter of Mexican immigrants, she now calls Watsonville home, having transplanted from Santa Barbara, CA. She teaches Chicanx/Latinx literature, creative writing, and English composition at Cabrillo College in Santa Cruz County.