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Written by Ratpack Slim
From the first moment Mayda touched the stage of the legendary
Nuyorican Poets Cafe in New York, she knew she had found a home. Not
just because of the cultural pull of a space founded by fellow Puerto
Rican artists, but because of the raw truth being spit there. She
started slamming in 2001, and in her first year became the Nuyorican
Grand Slam Champion. Taking that accolade to the National Poetry Slam
that year, Mayda made history when she also won the
Individual National Championship, making her the first poet from the
Nuyorican to capture that title, as well as the youngest poet to
do so, and the first Latina. With that kind of momentum, it's no
wonder that Russell Simmons brought her In to be part of the then-fledging
"Def Poetry" program on HBO.
Her association with the "Def Poetry" TV show led to her being a cast
member of Def Poetry Jam on Broadway, where she and the rest of the
cast won a Tony award. She stayed with the show when it became a
national touring company, and somewhere in the middle of all this, she
was asked to perform at the Lincoln Center as part of a tribute to
Latin jazz icon Tito Puente. Mayda's personal poetry became poltical
when she became a member of the Declare Yourself initiative, and went
back to personal again when she showcased her one-woman show at New
York's Downtown Urban Theatre festival in 2004. Now she's made her
home in Los Angeles while doing shows from Philly to London, spreading
the gospel of her experience. Welcome to the world of Mayda del
Valle, spoken word's universal homegirl.
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Mayda Del Valle's Official Site
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