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Digital Verse: Nuyorican Poets Cafe x TGS

Originally Aired: Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Overview

For almost 50 years, the Nuyorican Poets Cafe has been a vanguard in the world of spoken word poetry and an iconic Lower East Side institution.

Now, they join forces with The Greene Space to present a showcase of performers, both established and up-and-coming. Hosted by Caridad de la Luz a.k.a. La Bruja, this show brings together poetry, stories and solo work by poets Toni Ann Denoble, Adovocate of Wardz, Jive Poetic, Ramya Ramana, Kevin Powell, Craig “Mums” Grant and Helena D Lewis.

Caridad De la Luz photo

Credit: Photo courtesy of the guest

Caridad De La Luz is a multifaceted performer known as La Bruja, winner of the Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship 2020-21. She has performed in successful off-Broadway musicals such as I Like it Like That, Besty (title role) and Dancing in My Cockroach Killers. She raps, acts, sings, hosts, recites, dances, does stand up comedy, writes plays/poems/songs/scripts and teaches others how to do the same. She has been one of America’s leading spoken word poets for over 15 years and has received the Puerto Rican Women Legacy Award, The Edgar Allan Poe Award from The Bronx Historical Society and was honored as A Bronx Living Legend by The Bronx Music Heritage Center. She was presented with a Citation of Merit from The Bronx Borough President and named “Top 20 Puerto Rican Women Everyone Should Know.” The New York Times called her a “juggernaut” after the first off-Broadway run of her original musical Boogie Rican Blvd, where she played seven different characters. Her acting career has taken her from stage to film, appearing in numerous movies such as Bamboozled, Down to the Bone, El Vacilon and Gun Hill Road. She was host of the Thursday Night Online Open Mic for the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, first known for her performance on Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam for HBO. Her hip-hop albums can be found on Spotify and iTunes under the titles: Brujalicious and For Witch it Stands. Currently she is cultivating her own art space in the Soundview section of The Bronx called El Garaje and developing her next one-woman production From Poor to Rico.

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