Renowned poet and educator Mayda Alexandra del Valle will serve as Chicago\u2019s second poet laureate, the city\u2019s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events said Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Born and raised on the South Side, Del Valle is an interdisciplinary artist with a rich cultural history of the city.<\/p>\n
Del Valle, 47, will serve a two-year term as poet laureate and receive $70,000 to commission new works. The poet laureate also serves as an ambassador for Chicago\u2019s literary and creative communities and creates initiatives for youth, students and community members across the city.<\/p>\n
Del Valle\u2019s previous work includes the poetry collections, \u201cA South Side Girl\u2019s Guide to Love and Sex\u201d and \u201cThe University of Hip-Hop.\u201d In 2016 she won the Drinking Gourd Chapbook Poetry Prize from Northwestern University Press.<\/p>\n
In 2001, she launched her career at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in New York, where she became the Grand Slam champion. She\u2019s appeared on six episodes of HBO\u2019s \u201cRussell Simmons Presents Def Poetry\u201d and was a writer and cast member of the Tony Award-winning \u201cRussell Simmons Def Poetry Jam\u201d on Broadway.<\/p>\n
The first official appearance for Del Valle as poet laureate will be Jan. 14 at the Chicago Cultural Center. The free event will feature live performances and a conversation.<\/p>\n
Del Valle succeeds inaugural Chicago Poet Laureate, avery r. Young. His signature project, \u201cChicago Soul Poem: A City That Writes Together,\u201d showcased at Millennium Park\u2019s summer film and concert series last summer.<\/p>\n