The Nuyorican Poets' Café is the birthplace of slam poetry (a style of poetry akin to hip hop where poets compete for a score). The Nuyorican is a small space, but it comes alive with the performances that inhabit it every Friday night. The Nuyorican's history begins with owner Miguel Algarin wanting a small space for people to drink and share some poetry. Early audiences were often poor and usually stopped in for the cheap beer, but some stayed. Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, and Gregory Corso visited in the early years (Burroughs was booed off stage during his reading). Though it's such a tiny, humble place, the line out front is always long and the place is always packed, so it's worth getting there early if there's any hope of seeing the slam.
The Nuyorican Poets' Café is the birthplace of slam poetry (a style of poetry akin to hip hop where poets compete for a score). The Nuyorican is a small space, but it comes alive with the performances that inhabit it every Friday night. The Nuyorican's history begins with owner Miguel Algarin wanting a small space for people to drink and share some poetry. Early audiences were often poor and usually stopped in for the cheap beer, but some stayed. Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, and Gregory Corso visited in the early years (Burroughs was booed off stage during his reading). Though it's such a tiny, humble place, the line out front is always long and the place is always packed, so it's worth getting there early if there's any hope of seeing the slam.