50 Years of Bimbo Rivas “Loisaida”
December 10, 2024, 6 ~ 7:15 PM
The Loisaida Center
710 E 9th St
New York, NY 10009
Co-sponsored by The Loisaida Center
Bimbo Rivas was a Puerto Rican artist and activist who lived and made his mark on the Lower East Side. He played a key role in the Nuyorican Movement and authored the poem “Loisaida,” which popularized the term and reinforced a sense of cultural identity in the neighborhood. To mark the 50th anniversary of that poem’s publication, this event will celebrate Bimbo’s life, work, and legacy.
The program will feature a live performance of the poem by one of his daughters, with live music by one of Bimbo’s mentees, Daso, and a photo montage by the great East Village photographer Marlis Momber. This performance will be followed by an overview of life in the neighborhood at the time of the poem’s publication, a discussion of Bimbo’s various artistic efforts, and an assessment of his influence on the Nuyorican Movement. Participants will include some of Bimbo’s relatives, friends, and colleagues, as well as artists who followed in his wake.
Maraluna Rivas
Maraluna Rivas Mico, daughter of iconic poet Bittman “Bimbo” Rivas, grew up as the middle child in a family deeply rooted in culture, activism, and community. Today, she is a devoted wife, mother, and recent grandmother. A passionate educator with the Board of Education, Maraluna inspires her community while also working as an actress, dancer, and performer. She frequently collaborates with the families and friends of her father’s close companions, such as Chino Garcia. Deeply influenced by places like Charas/El Bohio, Maraluna is committed to ensuring these cultural hubs remain accessible, empowering future generations to connect with Loisaida’s vibrant spirit. Whenever possible, she loves to recite her father’s poems, keeping his spirit alive and close to her heart and voice.
David Soto
Renowned singer, songwriter, community organizer, and youth advocate David Soto, known artistically as DāSo, embarked on his musical odyssey during his formative years, gracing stages alongside his mother in the esteemed Puerto Rican folkloric dance ensemble, Grupo Cemí. Raised in the vibrant tapestry of Loisaida, New York City, amidst the effervescent cultural milieu of Nuyorican poetry in the early ’70s to ’80s, DāSo imbibed wisdom from luminaries such as María Hernández, Bimbo Rivas, Tato Laviera, and Luis Guzmán, refining his artistry through electrifying performances at iconic venues like the Nuyorican Poets Café, Tompkins Square Park, intimate community garden soirées, and CHARAS fundraisers.
Caridad De La Luz Caridad De La Luz “LA BRUJA” won an Emmy in 2022 (for ABC’s Cultural Short – Legacy of Puerto Rican Poetry) after becoming the Executive Director of the NUYORICAN POETS CAFE where she began her career in 1996. Winner of the Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship and David Prize finalist, Caridad balances a career of activism, education, entertainment, and motherhood. She has been one of America’s leading spoken word poets for over 20 years and has received The Edgar Allan Poe Award from The Bronx Historical Society. She was honored as a Bronx Living Legend by The Bronx Music Heritage Center and was named “Top 20 Puerto Rican Women Everyone Should Know”.
Jesus Papoleto Melendez
Jesus Papoleto Melendez is one of the founding poets of the Nuyorican poetry movement. Melendez’s poetry collections include Casting Long Shadows (1970), Street Poetry & Other Poems (1972), Concertos on Market Street (1993), and the bilingual volume Hey Yo! Yo Soy! 40 Years of Nuyorican Street Poetry: The Collected Work of Jesús Papoleto Melendez (2012, volume 1). His work has also been featured in numerous anthologies. His honors include a fellowship from the New York Foundation for the Arts, the Louis Reyes Rivera Lifetime Achievement Award, an Artist for Community Enrichment Award from the Bronx Council on the Arts, and a joint fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and Combined Arts of San Diego.
Bob Holman
Bob Holman is a spoken word performer, professor, impresario, activist, founder of the Bowery Poetry Club, filmmaker, and host of Language Matters (2015 Documentary of the Year, Berkeley Film Festival). He has been a central figure in redefining poetry as it exists on, off, and beyond the page. Dubbed a member of the “Poetry Pantheon” by the New York Times Magazine, Holman is the author of over 20 poetry collections. He has taught at Princeton University, Columbia University, N.Y.U., Bard College, and The New School. As an arts administrator, he has served as coordinator and curator at St. Mark’s Poetry Project and was the original Slammaster and a director of the Nuyorican Poets Café. A scholar of oral traditions in West Africa and beyond, Holman co-founded the Endangered Language Alliance, where he currently serves on the Board of Directors.
