Vielka (Yudelka) Solano (she/her)
Poet, Author
Vielka (Yudelka) Solano is a doctor, practicing
physician’s assistant, and poet. She was born on a balmy
February day in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican
Republic. Vielka obtained her Doctor of Medicine degree
from the Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo, where
she also studied political science. While at university,
Vielka became passionate about social justice and
political activism; she began writing poetry, as well as
partaking in theater and community organizations that
sought change in her country. After immigrating to the
United States, and settling in Modesto, CA, Vielka
earned her Physician’s Assistant Certificate at UC Davis
and started working for Golden Valley Health Centers.
For over 20 years, she has been providing healthcare to
the underserved, mostly Spanish speaking, community at
their clinic in rural Patterson, CA.
In addition to her work at the clinic, Vielka is
committed to providing medical care to those in need
around the globe. As a missionary with various
organizations, she’s cared for patients in Indonesia,
Malawi, Thailand, Uganda and the Dominican Republic. In
2018, she began working directly with orphanages in
Uganda and made subsequently trips there. Though her
planned return to Africa in 2020 was impossible, due to
the pandemic, she was able to go there in 2021 even
during the pandemic and was able to work in a refugee
camp providing medical services to over 500 refugees.
Since the 1980s, Vielka has been sharing her poetry,
through public readings and four published books:
Experience and Solitude,
A Woman of Flesh and Verse, From War to Love, and
Naked Offering. Her work
has garnered attention for its intensity and difficult
subject matter, such as social injustice, the trauma of
war, and domestic violence. Vielka’s writing has been
featured in newspapers and magazines both in the United
States and internationally. Excerpts of her work can be
found in:
Antologia de Poetas Dominicanos,
Las Hijas de la Lluvia,
Descendientes del Fuego,
Grito de Mujer,
Solo para Locos,
Voces de Tinta and
anthology
El silencio del Olvido.
Vielka has been invited to participate in literary
events across Latin America and the United States,
including 20th International Festival Mujeres Poetas en
La Ciudad de Las Nubes and IV Encuentro Internacional de
Mujeres Poetas en la Cuenca del Papaloapan, both in
Mexico, XXXIV Encuentro de Mujeres Poetas in Colombia,
Festival Internacional de Poesia in Cuba, and the 10th
Latino Writers’ Conference in New Mexico. Most recently,
she was honored to be one of 16 poets selected to pair
with a photographer to create
Collision VI: At the Intersection of Poetry &
Photography, in her adopted hometown of Modesto. Four years ago,
she started Noche de Poesia: a monthly, Spanish
language, poetry open mic night—the only event of its
kind in the region.
In 2019, Vielka was among the recipients of the
Outstanding Women of the Year award, given by the
Stanislaus County Commission for Women. She has also
received the Concilio Unsung Hero award and was given a
certificate for Distinguished Participation by Senator
Brian P. Stack, after she presented her book,
Experience and Solitude,
at an art gallery in his state of New Jersey.
Recently, her two passions, medicine and poetry, have
come together in “Poesia y Arte Curando el Alma” under a
grant from Blue Shield of California. This pilot project
aims to reach those who have suffered domestic violence
in the Spanish community. In a culture that often does
not encourage trauma to be spoken, “Poesia y Arte
Curando el Alma” hopes to give victims of domestic
violence a voice through the arts, including poetry.
Though serious about her work, it isn’t all medicine and
poetry for Vielka Solano. She also enjoys traveling,
dancing, spending time with family, and sharing a good
glass of wine with friends.
