Latino Rebels NYC Event to Help Latino Legend Miguel Algarín Appears in New York Daily News

Jul 13, 2011
12:43 PM

Just like the beginning of the GUYS AND DOLLS, we’ll tell you what is in The Daily News today. And we have to thank fellow Rebelde and LatinoLit co-curator Charlie Vazquez for it all.

©NY Daily News, Jeanne Noonan

After reading about the financial and life struggles of Nuyorican Poets Cafe founder Miguel Algarín, Charlie took it upon himself to do something to pay homage to Algarín and organize a fundraiser to help this Nuyorican legend.

So Charlie got the ball rolling and this Sunday, the Latino Rebels will be hosting a very special event of words and music to help Algarín. All proceeds from the event will be donated directly to Algarín.

And we also want to thank The New York Daily News for writing about the event in today’s paper:

Where others might have seen accolades, Charlie Vázquez saw a cry for help.

When the Brooklyn-based writer and poet read an article last month about a documentary in production about Miguel Algarín, one of the founding fathers of the Nuyorican poetry movement, he zeroed in on a passing mention that the poet lost his lower East Side apartment and had no place to go.

Algarín, 70, who retired a few years ago after teaching English literature at Rutgers University for over three decades, must vacate, on Aug. 31, the rent-stabilized apartment where he has lived since the ’80s, as part of a legal settlement with his landlord.

“I was so upset, I knew right away I had to try to do something,” said Vázquez. Within a couple of weeks, Vázquez organized a fund-raiser to help Algarín offset legal costs and help him secure a new home.

The July 24 event, “Words and Music for Miguel Algarín,” will feature a dozen poets and spoken-word artists drawn from familiar performers at various Latino reading series around the city – including groups like Capicú, Acentos and Vázquez’s own Hispanic Panic.

The performance space Phoenix, at 449 E. 13th St., was donated for the 4 to 10:30 p.m. event by Vázquez’s partner, who manages it. All the performers, including musical acts Machete Movement and San Juan Hill, agreed to appear for no charge.

So if you are in New York this Sunday, join us! For those who can’t make it, we will be posting a donation link in case you want to help out Algarín.