Jesús Papoleto Meléndez
Jesús Papoleto Meléndez, also known as "Papo", or "Papoleto", is a New York-born Puerto Rican poet, playwright, teacher, and activist that is closely associated with the Nuyorican Movement as one of the earliest founders. He grew up during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, Black Power movement, and the emergence of the Nuyorican Movement in Manhattan's East Harlem. He is primarily known for surrealist poetry and his April, 1974 play The Junkies Stole the Clock. Meléndez's work would influence other Nuyorican poets such as Sandra María Esteves, Miguel Piñero, Lucky Cienfuegos, and many others.
Personal life
Meléndez's upbringing had a large influence on his work. Living in East Harlem, much of his experiences came from the influence his Southern African-American friends from the same area had on him. He was already writing poetry when he lived in East Harlem, but would develop his writing further upon moving to the Bronx.Meléndez was a close and personal friend of Pedro Pietri, with whom he collaborated on a variety of projects. They started a group together known as the Latin Insomniacs Motorcycle Club Without Motorcycles with which he organized the first South Bronx Surrealist Festival.
Meléndez has been working in public schools as a teacher, introducing poetry for over 30 years, both in California and in New York.
Poetry
Meléndez started writing poetry because he lacked the ability to draw.Meléndez cites poets like Lawrence Ferlinghetti, who felt strongly that art should be accessible to all people, not just a handful of highly educated intellectuals, as one of his biggest influences. They also share common techniques such as cascadence, where the poems seem to jump off the page.
Meléndez cites early cartoons as one of his influences due to their use of imagery and over exaggeration.
When Meléndez moved to the West Coast in his early years, he started a jazz poetry band in California named Exile Genius with Eugene Mingus and M'chaka Uba.
Nuyorican Poets Cafe
Along with many other poets such as Miguel Algarín, Richard August, Jorge Brandon, Pedro Pietri, and others, Meléndez helped found the Nuyorican Poets Café, which helped serve as a platform for many influential works spanning from literature, music, plays, and much more.Books and collections
Meléndez has published collections that include his work as a Nuyorican poet.| Title | Year |
| Casting Long Shadows | 1970 |
| Have You Seen Liberation? | 1971 |
| Street poetry & Other Poems | 1972 |
| Concertos on Market Street: Poems | 1993 |
| Hey Yo! Yo Soy! 40 Years of Nuyorican Street Poetry, A Bilingual Edition | 2012 |
| PAPOLiTICO Poems of a Political Persuasion | 2018 |