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  "path": "/arts-and-culture/2026/04/30/chicago-poet-laureate-mayda-del-valle-green-mill-poetry-slam",
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-30T10:30:00.000Z",
  "site": "https://chicago.suntimes.com",
  "textContent": "<p>The iconic UptownPoetry Slam is practically etched in stone on the Green Mill calendar. But April’s edition featured a particularly special performance: Chicago’s new poet laureate, <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/books/2026/01/07/mayda-alexandra-del-valle-named-chicago-poet-laureate\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Mayda Del Valle,</u></a> a South Side native, was slated to appear on the bill.</p><p>Inside the same bar where Al Capone’s legend looms large, audience members buzzed about the poet laureate’s expected appearance.</p><div class=\"Enhancement FormEnhancement\" data-align-center> <div id=\"Form-newsletter-wrapper\" class=\"Form-newsletter-wrapper\" data-module data-has-background ><a class=\"AnchorLink\" id=\"custom-form-c10000\" name=\"custom-form-c10000\"></a><bsp-form class=\"Form-newsletter\" data-form-container data-has-background style=\"--color-form-background: #e8dbed;; --color-form-link: var(--link-color); --color-form-link-hover: var(--color-link-text-hover); \" data-ajax-submit=\"true\"> <div class=\"Form-newsletter-logo\"> <picture data-crop=\"\"> <source type=\"image/webp\" width=\"840\" height=\"555\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/8d5b965/2147483647/strip/true/crop/985x651+33+0/resize/840x555!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F71%2Ff5%2F2243263a48c7a1d6e81fedce4f15%2Fgr-wordmark-rgb-dkgreen-newsletter.png 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a4ff6fd/2147483647/strip/true/crop/985x651+33+0/resize/1680x1110!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F71%2Ff5%2F2243263a48c7a1d6e81fedce4f15%2Fgr-wordmark-rgb-dkgreen-newsletter.png 2x\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSI1NTVweCIgd2lkdGg9Ijg0MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <source width=\"840\" height=\"555\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d21ec76/2147483647/strip/true/crop/985x651+33+0/resize/840x555!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F71%2Ff5%2F2243263a48c7a1d6e81fedce4f15%2Fgr-wordmark-rgb-dkgreen-newsletter.png\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSI1NTVweCIgd2lkdGg9Ijg0MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <img class=\"Image\" alt=\"GR-wordmark-RGB-DKgreen-Newsletter.png\" srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d21ec76/2147483647/strip/true/crop/985x651+33+0/resize/840x555!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F71%2Ff5%2F2243263a48c7a1d6e81fedce4f15%2Fgr-wordmark-rgb-dkgreen-newsletter.png 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/aaee62a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/985x651+33+0/resize/1680x1110!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F71%2Ff5%2F2243263a48c7a1d6e81fedce4f15%2Fgr-wordmark-rgb-dkgreen-newsletter.png 2x\" width=\"840\" height=\"555\" data-src=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d21ec76/2147483647/strip/true/crop/985x651+33+0/resize/840x555!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F71%2Ff5%2F2243263a48c7a1d6e81fedce4f15%2Fgr-wordmark-rgb-dkgreen-newsletter.png\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSI1NTVweCIgd2lkdGg9Ijg0MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" > </picture> </div> <div class=\"Form-newsletter-text-wrapper\"> <div class=\"Form-newsletter-title\"> Green Room Newsletter </div> <div class=\"Form-newsletter-submissionSuccess\"> <p><b>You’re subscribed!</b></p><p></p><p>Please check your inbox for your confirmation.</p> </div> <div class=\"Form-newsletter-description\">Stay ahead of what’s hitting Chicago stages, galleries, museums and more with Green Room, WBEZ’s weekly arts & culture newsletter!</div> <div class=\"Form-newsletter-errorMessage\"><p>Sorry, there was an error registering your email.</p></div> </div> <form data-ajax-endpoint=\"https://sfmc-subscribe.wbez.org/v1/subscription\" class=\"Form-newsletter-form\" method=\"POST\" > <div class=\"Form-newsletter-item\"> <div class=\"EmailInput\"><label class=\"EmailInput-label\"><span>Email</span> <input class=\"EmailInput-input\" type=\"email\" name=\"email\" placeholder=\"name@email.com\" required aria-required=\"true\"> </label> </div> <button class=\"Button\" type=\"submit\">Sign Up </button> </div> <div class=\"Form-items-item\"> <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"acquisition_campaign\" value=\"ARTS_Affordance\"> </div> <div class=\"Form-newsletter-disclaimer\"> <p>By subscribing, you agree with WBEZ’s <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/terms-of-use\" target=\"_blank\" >Terms of Use</a> and <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/privacy-policy\" target=\"_blank\" >Privacy Policy</a></p> </div> </form> </bsp-form> </div> </div><p>If you’re a poetry enthusiast and live in Chicago, you’ve almost assuredly been to the Slam: It’s a place where writers cut their teeth, find community, brave an audience for the first time, or even get married. Nestled in the back corner behind a still functioning juke box sat David Rubin, who met and married his wife in the 90’s at the Slam.</p><p>“I’m really looking forward to this, I haven’t seen this new poet laureate yet,” said Rubin. He hushed as Slam founder and emcee Marc Smith took the stage to invite up Del Valle.</p><p>“She got her chops at the Nuyorican Poet’s Cafe, but we won’t hold that against her,\" Smith joked about her getting her start in New York. “ Like so many of the performance poets, they have done so much over these last 15, 20 years. They're just sought after because they not only know the art of writing great poetry, they know the art of performing it in front of an audience. And that's what the Slam is all about. Performance and poetry.”</p><div class=\"Enhancement\" data-align-center> <div class=\"Enhancement-item\" data-crop=\"\"> <figure class=\"Figure\"><a class=\"AnchorLink\" id=\"image-880000\" name=\"image-880000\"></a> <picture data-crop=\"medium\"> <source type=\"image/webp\" width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/fc29b36/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2714x1523+0+56/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F2c%2Ff3%2Fe102409043a5841373be19162968%2Fmarc-smith.JPG 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f23b76e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2714x1523+0+56/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F2c%2Ff3%2Fe102409043a5841373be19162968%2Fmarc-smith.JPG 2x\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <source width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/84eae1c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2714x1523+0+56/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F2c%2Ff3%2Fe102409043a5841373be19162968%2Fmarc-smith.JPG\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <img class=\"Image\" alt=\"Marc Smith organizer of the \"Uptown poetry slam\". July 21, 1986.\" srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/84eae1c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2714x1523+0+56/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F2c%2Ff3%2Fe102409043a5841373be19162968%2Fmarc-smith.JPG 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f9dd162/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2714x1523+0+56/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F2c%2Ff3%2Fe102409043a5841373be19162968%2Fmarc-smith.JPG 2x\" width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-src=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/84eae1c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2714x1523+0+56/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F2c%2Ff3%2Fe102409043a5841373be19162968%2Fmarc-smith.JPG\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" > </picture> <div class=\"Figure-content\"><figcaption class=\"Figure-caption\"><p>“She got her chops at the Nuyorican Poet’s Cafe, but we won’t hold that against her,” Marc Smith, who created the Uptown Poetry Slam, joked about Del Valle getting her start in New York. Here, Smith is pictured at the Green Mill in 1986.</p></figcaption><span class=\"line\"></span><div class=\"Figure-credit\"><p>Bob Black/Sun-Times</p></div></div> </figure> </div> </div><div class=\"Enhancement\" data-align-center> <div class=\"Enhancement-item\" data-crop=\"\"> <figure class=\"Figure\"><a class=\"AnchorLink\" id=\"image-820000\" name=\"image-820000\"></a> <picture data-crop=\"medium\"> <source type=\"image/webp\" width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d4c0bee/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2500x1403+0+132/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F9c%2Ffa%2F0c8bd12141fcab81b003370c7ad7%2Fpoet-laureate-slam-260430-016.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/76e37e8/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2500x1403+0+132/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F9c%2Ffa%2F0c8bd12141fcab81b003370c7ad7%2Fpoet-laureate-slam-260430-016.jpg 2x\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <source width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f4ccc15/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2500x1403+0+132/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F9c%2Ffa%2F0c8bd12141fcab81b003370c7ad7%2Fpoet-laureate-slam-260430-016.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <img class=\"Image\" alt=\"Chicago Poet Laureate Mayda Alexandra del Valle reads poems from her book during the Uptown Poetry Slam at Green Mill on the North Side, Sunday, April 19, 2026.\" srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f4ccc15/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2500x1403+0+132/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F9c%2Ffa%2F0c8bd12141fcab81b003370c7ad7%2Fpoet-laureate-slam-260430-016.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/be7c960/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2500x1403+0+132/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F9c%2Ffa%2F0c8bd12141fcab81b003370c7ad7%2Fpoet-laureate-slam-260430-016.jpg 2x\" width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-src=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f4ccc15/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2500x1403+0+132/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F9c%2Ffa%2F0c8bd12141fcab81b003370c7ad7%2Fpoet-laureate-slam-260430-016.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" > </picture> <div class=\"Figure-content\"><figcaption class=\"Figure-caption\"><p>Del Valle’s poems traversed a range of themes: falling in love, the lake and landscape, her family, all with a deep tie to Chicago and place.</p></figcaption><span class=\"line\"></span><div class=\"Figure-credit\"><p>Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times</p></div></div> </figure> </div> </div><p>Del Valle took the stage, said it had only been four months since was named to the laureate post and launched into her verses. “ I'm gonna read some poems about being from Chicago,” she said, before reading the first of eight works.</p><p>The first poem spoke to the experience of Puerto Rican immigration, with the repetition of every line beginning with, “We came.” The crowd cheered as she ended and then introduced her next poem about language with the classic slam-style rhythmic expression. The poem expressed coming back home:</p><div class=\"RichTextSidebarModule Enhancement\" data-module data-align-center><a class=\"AnchorLink\" id=\"module-e80000\" name=\"module-e80000\"></a> <div class=\"RichTextModule-items RichTextBody\"><i>Why you talk like that? Or the etymology of, ‘where are you really from?’</i></div> </div><p>Her next two poems were about her father, the first him being a South Side White Sox fan, and the next about becoming his caretaker due to Alzheimer's:</p><div class=\"RichTextSidebarModule Enhancement\" data-module data-align-center><a class=\"AnchorLink\" id=\"module-5c0000\" name=\"module-5c0000\"></a> <div class=\"RichTextModule-items RichTextBody\"><i>Yesterday is today. Today is tomorrow is the day before</i><br><i>Yesterday is last year </i><br><i>Tomorrow, today, and there is no more now anymore.</i></div> </div><p>Del Valle, a singer/songwriter, peppered her soulful Spanish singing between the verses of the poem about her father. “ His health really started to decline in November . . . and I was sitting in the living room with him one day and I was just kind of watching him sleep in his recliner and I just kind of started hearing a song,” she told the crowd.</p><div class=\"Enhancement\" data-align-center> <div class=\"Enhancement-item\" data-crop=\"\"> <figure class=\"Figure\"><a class=\"AnchorLink\" id=\"image-520000\" name=\"image-520000\"></a> <picture data-crop=\"medium\"> <source type=\"image/webp\" width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/88b8737/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2500x1403+0+132/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fb6%2Fcb%2F2a9299a14f668ae88b959216e7a7%2Fpoet-laureate-slam-260430-007.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/4f1ee3a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2500x1403+0+132/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fb6%2Fcb%2F2a9299a14f668ae88b959216e7a7%2Fpoet-laureate-slam-260430-007.jpg 2x\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <source width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3406200/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2500x1403+0+132/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fb6%2Fcb%2F2a9299a14f668ae88b959216e7a7%2Fpoet-laureate-slam-260430-007.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <img class=\"Image\" alt=\"Chicago Poet Laureate Mayda Alexandra del Valle performs during the Uptown Poetry Slam at Green Mill on the North Side, Sunday, April 19, 2026. \" srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3406200/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2500x1403+0+132/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fb6%2Fcb%2F2a9299a14f668ae88b959216e7a7%2Fpoet-laureate-slam-260430-007.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/32e713f/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2500x1403+0+132/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fb6%2Fcb%2F2a9299a14f668ae88b959216e7a7%2Fpoet-laureate-slam-260430-007.jpg 2x\" width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-src=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3406200/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2500x1403+0+132/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fb6%2Fcb%2F2a9299a14f668ae88b959216e7a7%2Fpoet-laureate-slam-260430-007.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" > </picture> <div class=\"Figure-content\"><figcaption class=\"Figure-caption\"><p>“ I wanted to keep it real Chicago,” Del Valle said. “I wanted to keep it very current to what it is that I’m thinking and feeling and writing about currently.”</p></figcaption><span class=\"line\"></span><div class=\"Figure-credit\"><p>Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times</p></div></div> </figure> </div> </div><p>The poems traversed a range of themes: falling in love, the lake and landscape, her family, all with a deep tie to Chicago and place.</p><p>After the Slam ended she explained to a reporter why she chose the poems she did. “ I wanted to keep it real Chicago,” she said. “I wanted to keep it very current to what it is that I'm thinking and feeling and writing about currently.”</p><p>After her performance, fans at the Slam snapped up a $2 zine she made to showcase the haikus she’s been writing daily for April’s National Poetry Month. Of course, the zines all sold out. Walking out the door, she said: “I only made 25 of them; I wish I had made 50!”</p>",
  "title": "A soulful night at the Uptown Poetry Slam with Chicago’s new poet laureate, Mayda Del Valle",
  "updatedAt": "2026-04-30T10:30:09.784Z"
}