The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), the Chicago Public Library (CPL), and the Poetry Foundation are Chicago’s preeminent presenters of cultural and literary programs. The Chicago Poet Laureate program, which began in 2023, aims to increase awareness of Chicago’s historic contributions to the literary arts while celebrating and honoring the efforts of Chicago’s working artists. The Poet Laureate serves as an ambassador for the city’s literary and creative communities. Learn more about the program.
Join Poet Laureate Mayda del Valle in a city-wide poetry project of the “eL Cien” and celebrate Chicago together! Chicago youth and adults alike are invited to join Chicago’s poet laureate Mayda del Valle on a poetic exploration of our wonderful city through workshops exploring the eL Cien poetic format, developed by Del Valle herself! The eL Cien is a 100-word poem, composed of 5 couplets, with 10 words in each line, that embodies the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and feelings of a place.
No prior creative writing or poetry experience needed. Come learn about poetry, celebrate our wonderful city, and write about your own personal stories and experiences of Chicago. Register for the events!
Friday, October 9, 2-4 p.m.
Bezazian Branch, 1226 W. Ainslie St.
Sunday, October 11, 2-4 p.m.
Manning Branch, 6 S. Hoyne Ave.
Saturday, November 7, 2-4 p.m.
Little Village Branch, 2311 S. Kedzie Ave. (workshop in Spanish)
Wednesday, November 11, 6-8 p.m.
Budlong Woods Branch, 5630 N. Lincoln Ave.
About Mayda A. del Valle
A poet, performer, and interdisciplinary artist, Mayda del Valle was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago. She is the author of A South Side Girl's Guide to Love & Sex and The University of Hip-hop, winner of the 2016 Drinking Gourd Chapbook Poetry Prize from Northwestern University Press. Del Valle launched her career at the legendary Nuyorican Poets Cafe, where she became the 2001 Grand Slam Champion before going on to win the National Poetry Slam in the same year, becoming the youngest poet and the first Latine person to do so. She went on to appear on six episodes of the HBO series Russell Simmons presents Def Poetry, and was a contributing writer and original cast member of the Tony Award-winning Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam on Broadway. Her work has been featured in Urban Latino, Latina Magazine, Mass Appeal, The Source, and The New York Times. Del Valle holds a degree in studio art and brings a multi- and interdisciplinary approach to her art practice. She is a 15-year student of Afro-Puerto Rican Bomba, and is a dancer, vocalist, and composer with Las BomPleneras, the longest-standing all-women’s Bomba and Plena ensemble in the Puerto Rican diaspora. A passionate arts educator, Del Valle has taught poetry in schools, colleges, and youth detention facilities and served as program director of Street Poets Inc. in Los Angeles. She is currently a poet-in-residence with the Chicago Poetry Center. In 2024, she was awarded the Letras Boricuas Fellowship from the Flamboyan Arts Fund and the Mellon Foundation, and in 2025, she was named a Dark Matter Artist in Residence at Elastic Arts.