Community Events

Since its inception, community has been a key focus of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. We hold many educational workshops, community, and performance events. Here are a few:

Latinx Artists in Beatnik Tradition (First tuesday of the Month)

Hosted by Caridad de la Luz, also known as La Bruja "Latinx artists in the Beatnik tradition" is a monthly series, happening on the first Tuesday of every month. This series focuses on the Puerto Rican and Nuyorican community, culture and current political matters in discussion. This event features a diverse array of poets, artists and scholars sharing their arts and knowledge to celebrate their love for the Latin culture.

Educational Programming

The Cafe has long championed the use of spoken word as a teaching tool for minority and underprivileged youth. We offer writing, literacy and public speaking workshops for students of all ages, ASL workshops for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities, and professional development workshops that teach arts managers, educators and community leaders how to develop and sustain slam poetry programs for at-risk youth. We have hosted educational workshops with various schools and organizations in New York's tri-state area, including The Bank Street School for Children, Community HS, and the New Jersey Shore Consortium.

The Cafe's educational programs are made possible through funding from the National Endowment of the Arts, the Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation, The Booth Ferris Foundation, The NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, The New York State Council on the Arts, and The Amazon Literary Partnership.

ASL Slam

ASL Slam is a unique initiative promoting American Sign Language (ASL) through poetic performance. Since 2005, ASL Slam has gained national and international recognition for its use of sign language to share feelings, stories, and visual art with both hearing and non-hearing audiences. The Cafe hosts an ASL Slam the first Friday of each month, and offers ASL-focused poetic workshops with such local schools as St. Joseph's School for The Deaf.

Annual Block Party (Summer)

Since 2012, our organization has produced a free annual block party on East 3rd Street between Avenues B and C, offering a full day of live entertainment, open mic performances, games, music, and refreshments for our fans and surrounding community. Since 2017, we have produced the event in conjunction with the Lower East Side Family Union, a community organization based on Manhattan's East 3rd Street.

Limited-Series Community Events

NYFA Immigrant Project (10/07/19)

The New York Foundation for the Arts is helping artists of all background, ethnicity and origins to integrate in their very own field of art in NYC. Last July, The Nuyorican opened its doors to the NYFA, to bring this project to life and gathered professionals and struggling artists to receive some guidance on how to breakthrough in NYC.

Fourth Arts Block Events

In October 2019, we proudly presented a live artist social and open mic as part of Fourth Arts Block's first annual Open Arts LES, a celebration of Lower East Side arts and culture featuring free sampler events at 45 participating cultural organizations.

Programming at the Museum of Natural History

Our poets have performed at a variety of special events at The American Museum of Natural History, including their 2018 Dia de Muertos party, which featured a live poetry jam and recitations of "calavera"-style literary tribute poems.

Panel at Park Ave Armory

In September 2019, the Cafe partnered with the Park Avenue Armory for "Sunday Salon: Spoken Word," an afternoon of literature, performance art, poetry slam, and hip-hop theater. The event featured a panel discussion with playwright Ishmael Reed and poet Staceyann Chin, and performances by Craig “muMs” Grant, Erik “Wordz” Maldonado, Darian Dauchan, and Caridad de la Luz.

Artist Grant Info Sessions with LMCC

We have hosted several events in conjunction with the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC), including grant information sessions for artists; LMCC-sponsored performances including "Borrowed Light: Innovation in Ancient Arts;" and the panel/performance event "Recognize and Resist: Hope in a Time of Rapid Gentrification."]

Internships and Volunteer Opportunities:

We offer internships and paid apprenticeships for students of color from underserved communities who wish to learn about arts management. The Cafe's staff and artists instruct and supervise the apprentices, while helping them to develop management and leadership skills that can support the creation and presentation of performing and visual arts. Those interested in internships should send a cover letter and resume to: info@nuyorican.org , with the phrase “Cafe Intern” included in the subject header. Cover letters/resumes may also be mailed to:

Intern Coordinator
Nuyorican Poets Cafe
236 East 3rd Street
New York, NY 10009

We strongly encourage anyone interested in an internship to familiarize themselves with the Nuyorican’s programming and history before applying. We look forward to hearing from you.