A Spoken History Of The Nuyorican Poets Cafe
In the 1960s and 70s, a community of Latinx poets in New York City created a movement. They called themselves the Nuyorican poets. Together, they broke barriers and built a cultural institution: the Nuyorican Poets Cafe.
\n\nThe Nuyorican Poets Caf\xe9 began as an informal literary salon in Miguel Algar\xedn\u2019s apartment living room, one of the movement\u2019s founding poets. But soon after, Miguel and his fellow writers realized that they needed to expand to accommodate the growing roster of artists who frequented the space. They moved into a new venue nearby, and by 1981 they relocated again to the Nuyorican\u2019s current location in New York City\u2019s Alphabet City.
\n\nToday, the Nuyorican Poets Cafe is a haven for Black and Latinx writers and performers. In this episode of Latino USA, we stage a spoken history of the cafe featuring several artists from its storied past. We hear from poets Poet Jes\xfas \u201cPapoleto\u201d Mel\xe9ndez and Caridad de la Luz, known as \u201cLa Bruja,\u201d playwright Ishmael Reed, and artist and archivist Lois Elaine Griffith.