The history of any kind of art in New York City is going to have a lot of diverse roots, taking influences from multiple locations and multiple ideologies.  Like the people who make up the city, the ideas and the art forms are hybrid forms from the world’s cultures, and develop together to form something that is altogether local and original.  This is certainly true for poetry, and New York has had an amazing roster of extremely talented poets gracing its streets, living quiet lives of desperation, as well as spectacular flights into inspiration.  Some of these flights have turned out to be as Quixotic as Icarus (if we can mix iconic metaphors), and some have been journeys that are marked by tragedy as well as enormous perseverance.

Aspiring poets of today usually have a fairly good understanding of the extraordinary difficulties of their profession, or calling as the case may be.  Those wondering if they might want to join in the illustrious roster of poets here often decide to explore their options, booking one of the best hotels in Manhattan, to see what the city might spark in their imaginations.  Any newcomer to the scene should be aware of certain legacies and institutions here, and the Nuyorican Poets Cafe is a brilliant place to begin the search.

The anthology Aloud! was a landmark in poetry publications, marking the importance of the contributions of this institution to the world of poetry in contemporary times.  It also demonstrates some of the best writing of these generations.  Miguel Algarin started the Cafe in 1973, as a place where Puetro Rican voices could find a home.  It evolved very quickly, and demanded larger spaces for the growing roster of poets, along with the expanding audience.  Today, it is one of the landmarks of multicultural poetic voices, developing new work in the footsteps of great poets such as Piñero, Shange, Figueroa, among many, many others.