The Nuyorican Poets Cafe was founded by Miguel Algarín in 1974. The original "cafe" was located in Algarín's own apartment, but by the late 1970s he had found a space on East 6th Street between Avenues B and C for poetry readings, music, live...
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The Nuyorican Poets Cafe was founded by Miguel Algarín in 1974. The original "cafe" was located in Algarín's own apartment, but by the late 1970s he had found a space on East 6th Street between Avenues B and C for poetry readings, music, live radio broadcasts, readings of plays and screenplays, and other performances. The cafe closed for renovations for several years in the mid-1980s, but reopened and found new popularity, especially after being featured in a cover story in the New York Times Magazine and a segment on MTV's Unplugged program, both in 1993. Plays performed at the cafe include Amiri Baraka's MEETING LILLIE, Rome Neal's JULIUS CAESAR SET IN AFRICA, Wesley Brown's LIFE DURING WARTIME, and Ishmael Reed's HUBBA CITY. The Nuyorican Poets Cafe ephemera consists of clippings, fliers, and programs. In addition to the documents, the collection includes photographs of playwrights Amiri Baraka and Vinie Burrows, and two production photographs from Baraka's play MEETING LILLIE.
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