Dr. Mara-Joanne Derinor, also known as Belle La Poet, is a Haitian-American poet, writer, songwriter, dancer, director, and choreographer. She specializes in psychiatric mental health/psychiatry and is the CEO of @thebossresidence.

Dr. Derinor has authored four books: *My Black Is Beautiful*, *Benji Into The Harlem Renaissance*, *Lobisha the Lobster*, and *Broken Crayons Still Color*. She excels as a poet and writer. Her works include poetry, essays, scholarly literature, evidence-based research articles, short stories, and flash fiction.

In addition to writing, she is a professional dancer. Barry University’s Newspaper recognized and published her poetry and flash fiction. In 2017, *Haiti: Then and Now* (HTN) published her poems about Haiti’s history and culture, “A People” and “Unity.” In January 2018, Indian River State College’s Dance Ensemble featured her poem “The Last Dance” and her choreographed ballet piece. She has won three poetry slams.

Her mission is to promote mental health wellness through art. She creates poetry, visual art projects, songs, and short films to raise awareness on issues like anxiety and depression, domestic violence, social injustice, the Black Lives Matter Movement, self-esteem, and self-love.