Now there's one on 10th Street near Avenue A. (Not exactly our monolith but we will take what we get.)
Photo again by William Klayer, who is not suspected of leaving these signs.
Text and photos by Clare Gemima
In his Lower East Side apartment, the Nuyorican Poets Cafe was born as an outspoken and passionate collective of poets, musicians, theater artists and activists.
Miguel was a brilliant poet, an influential professor and leader, and a supportive mentor who inspired and guided generations of artists.
He edited popular anthologies of poetry and theater, including "Aloud: Voices from the Nuyorican Poets Cafe" and "Action"; he helped launch the Nuyorican Literary movement; and he played an instrumental role in popularizing spoken word and performance poetry across the United States and around the world.
Miguel and the Cafe's co-founders amplified the voices and championed the work of Latinx, Black, LGBTQ+ and immigrant artists who were not accepted by the academic, entertainment or publishing industries.
Thanks to their pioneering work, and thanks to our community of friends and supporters, the Cafe has remained a vibrant home for creative expression since 1973.
The literary world owes Miguel a debt of gratitude. He will be greatly missed.
In the early 1970s, Algarín ... began inviting other Nuyorican poets to his apartment on East Sixth Street for readings and performances. Algarín and his contemporaries, including Miguel Piñero, Pedro Pietri and Lucky CienFuegos, were part of a growing artistic scene in what was then a primarily Puerto Rican neighborhood, drawing on their identities and daily struggles for their work.The salon quickly outgrew Algarín’s living room, so he and a few other artists began renting an Irish bar down the street to fit more people. In 1981, they bought their current building on East Third Street and, after a lengthy renovation process, formally opened it to the public in 1990 as a space for Nuyorican poets to experiment and hone their craft.
Miguel Algarin has died and I’m heartbroken. Long live The Nuyorican Poets. QEPD. 😢😢😢😢
— Maria Hinojosa (@Maria_Hinojosa) December 1, 2020
We offer our deepest love, thoughts and prayers to the friends and family of Miguel Algarin. Founder of Nuyorican Poets Cafe, his work continues to influence and inspire poets, and artists alike, across the diaspora. pic.twitter.com/xsifZXj9eX
— CantoMundo (@CantoMundo) December 1, 2020
Since the start, our monthly poetry slam has been inspired by the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. Miguel Algarín imbued the Nuyorican Poets Cafe with joy, soul and a deep sense of community that reverberated for generations. May our work be a small honoring of his legacy.
— The Philly Pigeon (@ThePhillyPigeon) December 1, 2020
Due to the restrictions in New York City regarding hospitality and with the growing number of positive Covid-19 cases Phebe’s has made the tough decision to temporarily close our doors. We will miss you all, and keep you posted about reopening dates.
Have a happy and safe holiday! We will see you soon.
Friday, Dec. 4 at 6 p.m.: "SONIC GATHERING XIX," a performance of John King's micro-opera "Disappearant." Sonic Gatherings started in March in response to the pandemic. King, along with choreographer Brandon Collwes began a weekly series of performances with a rotating cast of dancers and musicians, now in its 29th iteration.
Saturday, Dec. 5 at 3 p.m.: Six Feet Apart but Still Together: Online Discussion with Artist Paul Adrian Davies. Among many other projects, Davies, a longtime resident of the Lower East Side, has recently been working on photographs of the East Village's streets during the pandemic. He will show us his work, discuss the process and inspirations, and answer questions. There will also be a display of the work at Tompkins Square Library.Monday, Dec. 7 at 6 p.m.: Mom and Pop Storefronts: Online Curator Talk with Karla and James Murray. James and Karla Murray, acclaimed photographers and authors of "Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York" will discuss and show the work created by the participants of their 2020 Mom and Pop Storefronts workshop. In partnership with the East Village Community Coalition, James and Karla taught participants how to use photography and oral history to raise public awareness, build community and encourage advocacy.Thursday, Dec. 10 at 1 p.m.: Virtual Walking Tour: Artists, Writers, Musicians of Tompkins Square. Please join us for a fun online walking tour hosted by library manager Corinne Neary and local photographer Michael Paul.Thursday, Dec. 10 at 6 p.m.: Online Book Discussion. Village Preservation will host an online discussion with author Miranda Martinez, and her book, "Power at the Roots: Community Gardens, Gentrification, and the Puerto Ricans of the Lower East Side."Saturday, Dec. 12 at 3 p.m.: Online Discussion with an Artist: Delphine le Goff. Among many other projects, le Goff has recently started sketching East Village buildings and businesses. She will show some of her work, discuss her process and inspirations, and answer questions.
The menu includes an extensive list continuously rotating of 250 wines – 50 wines by the glass – coupled with a light French fare menu. The intimate space was personally designed to resemble the most authentic Bar a Vin in France. A pewter-topped bar runs along its length, with large tilted mirrors hung along a copper plated ceiling to reflect cozy dim lighting. The relaxed ambiance is also prevailed by nostalgic melodies that play in the background. All this to ensure an experience that transports you to the very place where these elements were born.
[H]e hasn’t been able to install a sturdier structure because of the expense; this one, he says, cost him $2,000, and more substantial ones can cost more than ten times that figure. "If you want to do it permanently, it's a lot of money,” he says. Even though he's already looking into putting it back up, Khan says he's still unsure about how plausible outdoor dining will be once the weather turns from chilly to flat-out cold: "We have a heater and everything, and people [still] don't want to sit down." Over the past two weeks, Khan says, no diner has wanted to eat outside.
"Though presented as such, this plan would never have provided any meaningful protections to the area of Greenwich Village and the East Village south of Union Square, where historic and residential buildings are being destroyed to make way for soulless high-rises. Now that this deeply unpopular plan has been shelved, we urge Mayor de Blasio and Councilmember Carlina Rivera to truly address the need to protect this neighborhood, its history, and its character."
Moving forward, DeRossi and [director of operations Drew] Brady wanted to shift the company to add more employee-first initiatives — like seeking out in-house talent first to launch new projects — and encourage more community involvement.
At Overthrow Hospitality, employees will each be allotted 10 paid hours per month to take part in protests or volunteer at various community organizations. For those who participate, the logged hours convert into wellness credits that the employees can put towards things like buying a new bike or getting a gym membership.
The new direction comes as the group is still weathering the pandemic along with the rest of the city. DeRossi was able to negotiate favorable rent deals on the places that are opening, and he says that launching more vegan restaurants led by veteran team members at a time when environmental and economic crises are colliding is the right way to go.