NYC Tip: Slam Poetry at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe

By Kenneth Hsu

If you enjoy poetry, hip-hop, alcohol, or any combination of the three, the Nuyorican Poets Cafe (3rd St. b/w Ave. B & Ave. C) might be the ideal location to fulfill all your vices at once. The Nuyorican happens to be one of the premier poetry cafes in the country, hosting and breeding poets that make the English language sound pretty damn cool. The place itself looks like a poetry club — brick walls, a lone spotlight, and of course, a microphone. No Judy Funnie bongos though.

On Friday nights (the most popular night of the week), the Nuyorican hosts its weekly Friday Poetry Slam, usually including members of its Slam Team and the lovable bad-ass host Mahogany Brown. Guest poets, often regulars on HBO’s Def Poetry, also stop by to woo you with their tongue (probably not in that way, but maybe).

Entrance is $10 and you’ll probably be sitting on the floor, but each show is an experience — one minute you’ll be dancing with the crowd to Bell Biv DeVoe, the next minute you’ll be crying to poem about childhood, and by the end of the night you’ll be visibly aroused by all the love poems.

The bar is also an opportune place to mingle with the poets and practice your own poetry (only kidding?). Oh, and clap if you want to, but here the true fans snap their fingers in appreciation. Also, as I learned during one of my visits, don’t ask the host “who’s slamming tonight?” because you’ll sound like an idiot.

During the other days of the week, the Nuyorican hosts other poetry slams but also turns into a live music dance club, including $5 Thursday night Latin Jazz. Check out their calendar if you’re tired of getting violated at Webster Hall.

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