Nuyorican Poets Cafe New Members join Board of Directors

Nuyorican Poets Cafe Executive Director  accepts offer to lead new non-profit;

Caridad de la Luz, Ishmael Reed, John Howard-Algarín and Amy Sultan to join Nuyorican Poets Cafe Board of Directors

The Nuyorican Poets Cafe will soon welcome four new board members to guide the organization through a time of transition, as our longtime Executive Director announces his departure. After 13 years with the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, Daniel Gallant has accepted an offer to serve as founding Executive Director of a new organization supporting the arts, environmental sustainability, and social justice, in partnership with the Lozen Foundation and Sarah Johnson. At this time of transition, the Nuyorican Poets Cafe is bringing on four esteemed new members to our Board of Directors: Caridad de la Luz, Ishmael Reed, John Howard-Algarín and Amy Sultan. They will join the Board later this month.We congratulate Daniel Gallant on his new professional journey, with appreciation for his dedicated leadership of the Cafe. We are also grateful for his efforts in recruiting these outstanding new board members who, with our current board and staff, will expertly guide the Cafe’s future: John Howard-Algarín is a judge for the Bronx 2nd Municipal Court District of the New York City Civil Court, Bronx County. He is the nephew of Miguel Algarín, founder of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. Caridad de la Luz, or “La Bruja,” explores social justice and Nuyorican identity through her poetry and music. She curates and hosts numerous events for the Cafe; her many awards include a Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship and the Puerto Rican Women Legacy Award; she is also a finalist for the David Prize. Ishmael Reed is a poet, playwright, novelist, editor and publisher, as well as the founder of the Before Columbus Foundation and PEN Oakland, and the recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, among numerous other honors. Many of Reed’s dramatic works have been staged at the Cafe over the years. Amy Sultan is the Executive Director and co-founder of the Power Writers Foundation, and previously served as director of the Early Stages Program, the Nantucket Film Festival, and the Film department of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting. Caridad, Ishmael, John and Amy will work alongside the current board and staff to ensure that the Cafe's programs, and the legacy of Miguel Algarín and the Cafe’s founding artists, will continue to reach new and expanding audiences. We thank Daniel Gallant for his dedication to the Cafe over the past 13 years, and for the lasting impact of his efforts. He has been instrumental in vastly expanding the reach and impact of our programs, heightening awareness of our work throughout NYC and across the country, raising funds to protect our building and transform our empty upper floors into usable space, and shepherding the organization through the challenges of COVID. During this time of transition, the Cafe's programs and operations will continue without disruption. The Cafe aims to appoint new senior staff by December 2021; until then, Daniel will continue working with the board and staff of the Cafe to ensure continuity. We are grateful for the efforts, energy and encouragement of our friends and supporters, without whom the Cafe's programs could not be possible. We hope to see you on September 11 for "In the Words of Miguel Algarín", an event honoring the Cafe's founder, curated by Rome Neal; at our online open mics and hybrid online-onsite performances; and at many other events in the coming year.