Miguel Algarín

Miguel Algarín Jr. (11 September 1941 – 30 November 2020) was a Puerto Rican poet, writer, co-founder of the Nuyorican Poets Café, and a Rutgers University professor of English.

Early years Algarín was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, and grew up in a culturally rich household that fostered a deep appreciation for the arts. In 1950, he and his family migrated to the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City, where he completed both his primary and secondary education. Algarín then pursued his studies in English, earning a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin in 1963 and an M.A. from Pennsylvania State University in 1965.

In 1973, Algarín began hosting gatherings for poets and artists in the living room of his Manhattan apartment. By 1975, the number of attendees had grown significantly, prompting him to seek a more suitable venue for these creative gatherings. Miguel Piñero, Pedro Pietri, and other poets rented a location on East 6th street and named it the Nuyorican Poets Café. In 1980, Algarín purchased a building on East 3rd street to expand the café. The Café is now a non-profit organization that offers programs which include poetry and prose readings, theatrical and musical performances, and visual arts exhibits.

Nuyorican Poets Café. Photo: ShankboneThe theater has won over 30 "AUDELCO Awards" and was honored with an Obie grant for excellence in theater. Of the screenplays read in the theater, 40 have been turned into films. The Latin jam session which is celebrated at the Café has been a weekly "Critics Choice" at the New York Press for six consecutive years. The Café also has a radio broadcast on WBAI, where Algarín started the broadcast with his signature "We're live from the Nuyorican Poets Café".

Later years Algarín retired as professor from Rutgers University, but continued as the executive producer of the Nuyorican Poets Café's theater and was working on a piece of literature titled "Dirty Beauty".

Works

Action. Touchstone. 1997. Survival Supervivencia. Arte Publico Press. 2009.

Editor