In May of 1974, After attending the High School of Art and Design in New York City, I found my first truly creative home—the original Nuyorican Poets Cafe on East 6th Street. There along with Poet Professor Miguel Algarin, I was exposed to the most inclusive, prolific and originative of artistic universes. We seeded a creative revolution of expressionist freedom that still lingers to this day. Alvin Ailey, Allen Ginsberg, Peri Thomas, Amiri Baraka—just to name a few, were all influential in my spiritual search for harmonic balance and visual perfection. Live music, theater, video, film, art and poetry where the elements of my expanding universe that continuously surrounded and nurtured me. It was so odd because as an elementary student, I hated poetry, yet I found my self in what Allen Ginsberg once called the Nuyorican— “The Center of the Universe”.
Archival Photography: MarlisMomberPhoto.com
The Early Years (A Short Untold History)
A work in Progress
Willie Correa and The Nuyorican Poets Cafe
During the summer of 1976 I went along with Prof. Agarin, Miguel
Piñero, Lucky Cienfugos and Miguel Loperena to a writers and Poets convention sponsored by the University of Corpus Christie in New Mexico called “Canto Al Pueblo”. Because of no air conditioning we had decided to close the Cafe the summer. During the long cross country ride in Algarin’s new Dodge Caravan, Algarin urged me to write some poems so I could read them aloud when we got to Corpus Christi—and so I did. And when we got there, Algarin would call me up to finish the night off in the packed filled rooms. To my amazement, I wowed and worked the crowds nightly. I will never forget their supportive responses to the first poems I ever wrote.
I was a Nuyorican Poet.
Once we returned to New York in the fall to reopen the Cafe, it soon became clear that my writing days were over. In order for to us continue the creative momentum we had stirred and which was now following us, I would have to dedicate my creative juice to upgrading and maintaining the the physical structure of the old Sunshine Tavern that had now become the world famous Nuyorican Poets Cafe. The lack of money was always an issue but yet I was determined to ride the storm and get the jobs done. I was the house manager , light crew, sound tech/designer and DJ after every show. Spinning Hustle and Disco records on my AR turntables after the plays would break was so exciting and challenging as well because I had so many musically diverse taste to please.
The amplification of the spoken word to its truest potential began to become a life long quest. The Cafe was now also becoming the stage for my evolution as a World Music DJ in which I perfected an inclusionary playing style to the multitudes of mix cultures that were now showing up, braving and daring the ghettoized streets of the Lower East Side.
My professional audio education was further illuminated by my association with Richard Long who was the renowned audio designer for the world famous Studio 54 as well as the grandest underground night club in history, the Paradise Garage. Richard designed for me a quality little mixer I specked out so I could handle my DJing as well as the live poets in the Cafe. I was also became closely associated with David Mancuso, owner of "The Loft" who featured the most unique and classic multi speaker Klipschorn sound system powered by Mark Levinson Class A amplifiers.
In 1977, with the help of John Fisk and John Miles from WBAI FM Radio in NY, we began live radio broadcasting from the Nuyorican over WBAI, airwaves. The radio programs proved so successful that the consistent overcrowding began to stress the old tenement building’s back wall.
We needed to move. This was also the period when I landed full time
employment with the Networks and latter on with UN Radio and TV.
Financially this was a blessing, yet it was to become a great factor in the founders loss of creative and financial leadership of the Nuyorican.
In 1979 I worked my greatest wonder at the time by finding and making possible the acquisition of the current home of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. With the help of “Brother Love”Joe Alamar who would drive me around in his 63 thunderbird convertible, in search of a new home, I noticed one day that what looked like an abandoned building on East 3rd Street was actually a converted theater workshop space. The space was in the midst of great internal turmoil and drama. occurring with what seemed like no one in charge. Joe Alomar and I walk in during a lovers quarrel involving percussionist Stephanie Chapmen who I personally knew. She was running out the building and everyone else scattering about. Joe and I were like invisible to every one else there because no one bothered to asked us what we were doing there, uninvited and looking around. We were truly amazed by what we saw.
To Be Continued...
Miguel Loperena / Miguel Algarin:1978
Marlis Momber Photo
Lower East Side / Loisiada 1977
Marlis Momber Photo
Miguel Algarin (A williecorrephoto)
Me & the Famous T
Tato Laviera /1978
Marlis Momber Photo