Entering the Nuyorican Poets Café is entering a special universe, full of magic, possibilities and, above all, a lot of culture.
It was created 50 years ago by the Puerto Rican writer and poet Miguel Algarín, from the living room of his apartment in the East Village and as his audience and the Nuyorican movement grew, he moved to this building at 236 East 3rd Street in 1981.
Since then, the most prolific poets, actors, musicians, and any human being with the desire to tell a story through art have visited the café.
“As an artist, I feel that what is really special about this place is that you can enter feeling small and leave feeling very big. You leave feeling that there is hope, potential and opportunity. This is a truly safe space to give your all” , says Claudia Alvarez-Plaud, poet and programming assistant.
Artists like Caridad de la Luz, known as La Bruja, the executive director of this space, have made it their mission to exalt the culture of Puerto Rico and its diaspora in NY, and in turn that of Latin America:
The cafe will close its doors this November 1 for what they have dubbed ‘Nuyoricanstruction’, or a necessary restoration of the physical space.
The goal is to continue offering its cultural programming starting in 2027 and instead of one theater, there will be two, as well as a modern garden and flexible creation spaces.
One of the most notable renovations is that the building will be fully accessible to everyone.
Throughout its evolution, several poets have worked for coffee.
Rome Neal, is a theater artistic director, jazz curator, and president of the Nuyorican Poets Café board of directors.
He has been contributing to this space for decades and remembers its founder Miguel Algarin with deep affection.
‘You know, these actors have to make you feel emotions!’ “I just loved the man and he is the one who opened the doors for so many great people to come to this house, share words and spirit and it is the special spirit of this space that you can’t get anywhere else in the world.”
To follow its entire calendar of events, visit the NUYORICAN.ORG page because the coffee is still alive through its poems and open microphones, smiling and dancing to life through art.
2023-10-31 12:40:00
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