Mayda Alexandra del Valle named Chicago’s next poet laureate

Renowned poet and educator Mayda Alexandra del Valle will serve as Chicago’s second poet laureate, the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events said Wednesday.

Born and raised on the South Side, Del Valle is an interdisciplinary artist with a rich cultural history of the city.

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’s literary and creative communities and creates initiatives for youth, students and community members across the city.

Del Valle’s previous work includes the poetry collections, “A South Side Girl’s Guide to Love and Sex” and “The University of Hip-Hop.” In 2016 she won the Drinking Gourd Chapbook Poetry Prize from Northwestern University Press.

In 2001, she launched her career at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in New York, where she became the Grand Slam champion. She’s appeared on six episodes of HBO’s “Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry” and was a writer and cast member of the Tony Award-winning “Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam” on Broadway.

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.

Del Valle succeeds inaugural Chicago Poet Laureate, avery r. Young. His signature project, “Chicago Soul Poem: A City That Writes Together,” showcased at Millennium Park’s summer film and concert series last summer.

Chicago is one of only 16 US cities that have official poet laureates, according to a 2018 survey by the Academy of American Poets.