They often say you shouldn't meet people you admire because they may disappoint you. After over a decade of following slam poet, thespian, and organizer Mayda Del Valle's career and creative works, I have to say I was not disappointed. Despite being nervous to meet this Def Poetry Jam star, Mayda has a way of disarming you with her charm and contagious laughter. We spoke about her iconic poem, "To All The Boys I've Loved Before" which can be seen here, which is one of my favorite pieces from Mayda. We discussed her upbringing in Chicago, how hip-hop influenced her life, and the role that community organizing played in making her the storyteller that she is.
Guest Bio:
Poet and performer Mayda Del Valle has been described by the Chicago Sun Times as having “a way with words. Sometimes they seem to flutter and roll off her lips. Other times they burst forth like a comet streaking across a nighttime sky.” Born and raised on the Southside of Chicago. She is the author of A South Side Girl’s Guide to Love and Sex , The University of Hip Hop and was a winner of the 2016 Drinking Gourd Chapbook Poetry Prize from Northwestern University Press. She appeared 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 Def Poetry Jam on Broadway. She began her artistic career at the Nuyorican Poets Café, where she was the 2001 Grand Slam Champion, and went on to become the National Poetry Slam Champion in the same year. She was the youngest poet, and the first Latinx person to do so. She has appeared in Urban Latino, Latina Magazine, Mass Appeal, The Source, The New York Times and was named by Smithsonian Magazine as one of America’s Young Innovators in the Arts and Sciences. Oprah’s “O” Magazine selected her as one of 20 women for the first ever “O Power List”, a group of visionary women making a mark in business, politics, and the arts. She has performed at venues across the world, including the White House in May of 2009, by invitation of President Obama and the First Lady.
She has also served as a mentor and educator in the non-profit world, teaching poetry and performance to incarcerated youth. She currently works in the tech industry at Snap Inc. facilitating talking circles and developing curriculum to support company wide DEI initiatives that scale empathy and understanding.
Mayda had also been a devoted student of various healing practices and African Traditional Religions. She is a third degree Reiki Master, and completed a two year Indigenous African Spiritual Technologies program with respected Dagara elder Malidoma Some. Soon after she was led into the ancient Yoruba spiritual tradition of Ifa. She was initiated into the mysteries of the ocean deity, Olokun in 2017. Her initiated name is Olokuntumise, which means “Olokun has repaired my life.” You can learn more about her by visiting: https://www.maydadelvalle.com/
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