Arts & Entertainment
South Side Native Mayda Alexandra del Valle Chosen as Next Chicago Poet Laureate
Video: Joining “Chicago Tonight” on Jan. 12, 2026, is Mayda Alexandra del Valle. (Produced by Eunice Alpasan)
A poet, educator and interdisciplinary artist born and raised on the South Side has been chosen as the next Chicago poet laureate, the city announced Wednesday.
Mayda Alexandra del Valle, who grew up in Chicago Lawn, will serve a two-year term and receive $70,000 to commission new works and create public programming. As Chicago’s second poet laureate, del Valle will serve as an ambassador for the city’s literary and creative communities.
“We’re the home of the poetry slam; the slam was created here in Chicago,” del Valle said during an interview on “Chicago Tonight.” “We come from a city that has a literary tradition that’s really rooted in everyday working people, expressing their thoughts, opinions and stories. I think that’s really at the heart of Chicago’s lit scene, so I’m really proud to represent that.”
Del Valle is author of “A South Side Girl’s Guide to Love and Sex” and “The University of Hip-Hop,” the latter of which won the 2016 Drinking Gourd Chapbook Poetry Prize from Northwestern University Press. Del Valle has also appeared on six episodes of HBO’s “Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry,” and was a contributing writer and original cast member of the Tony Award-winning “Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam” on Broadway.
Del Valle launched her career at the New York City-based Nuyorican Poets Cafe, where she became the 2001 Grand Slam Champion before also winning the National Poetry Slam within the same year, becoming the youngest poet and the first Latine person to do so, according to a news release.
Del Valle credits being mentored and encouraged artistically from a young age through the community organization Southwest Youth Collaborative in Chicago for helping foster her approach to writing poetry — especially coming from the perspective of a young Puerto Rican woman living on the South Side.
“I was really fortunate that I had mentors who not only encouraged me to express my artistic talents, and encouraged me to express my voice, but also encouraged me to think critically,” del Valle said. “I was able to think about the context of my experiences in Chicago, in this very racially segregated city.”
One of del Valle’s mentors gave her books about the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, or SNCC, and the Young Lords, which encouraged her to view her poetry through the lens of community organizing, she said.
“Young people were really being criminalized — in much the same way that they are now — left out of public discussions about public spaces and services and what’s going on in their lives,” del Valle said. “My perspective has always been that creativity is great, and it’s always in service of something bigger than just myself and my own aesthetics and my own feelings.”
Smithsonian Magazine named del Valle one of America’s Young Innovators in the Arts and Sciences. O, The Oprah Magazine included her in its inaugural “O Power List,” which recognized women making an impact in business, politics and the arts.
Del Valle has performed across the U.S. and internationally, including a 2009 appearance at the White House by invitation of former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.
Del Valle describes her performance style as being influenced by poets such as Sonia Sanchez, Amiri Baraka, Sandra María Esteves and Saul Williams, in addition to growing up in Chicago’s hip-hop scene and having salsa music playing in the house.
“You begin by imitating people; everybody does,” del Valle said. “Nobody can say that they came on stage the first time and had a completely original style. There’s very few people who can claim that — and I’d fight anybody on that — especially as a young poet. As you get older, you develop your voice and you develop your own style.”
The announcement on Wednesday was made in partnership with Mayor Brandon Johnson, the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, the Chicago Public Library and the Poetry Foundation.
Del Valle has taught poetry in schools, colleges and youth detention facilities and served as program director of Street Poets Inc. in Los Angeles. She is currently a poet-in-residence with the Chicago Poetry Center, according to DCASE’s website. Del Valle is also developing a multimedia spoken word performance piece entitled “Herencia,” exploring the story of Puerto Rican migration to Chicago’s South Side.
“As Poet Laureate, she will help expand access to poetry across neighborhoods, create meaningful opportunities for young people to engage with language and ensure that poetry remains a living, accessible and essential part of Chicago’s cultural life,” DCASE Acting Commissioner Kenya Merritt said in a news release.
Del Valle succeeds inaugural Chicago poet laureate avery r. young — an educator, producer, composer, performer and poet — whose signature project, “Chicago Soul Poem: A City That Writes Together,” showcased at Millennium Park’s summer film and concert series this past season and premiered at the Poetry Foundation in December.
The Chicago Poet Laureate program was established in 2023 through advocacy from the city’s creative and civic communities to elevate the city’s historic contributions to the literary arts and to celebrate working artists, according to a news release.
Del Valle’s first public appearance as poet laureate will take place at 6 p.m. Jan. 14 at the Chicago Cultural Center. Those interested in attending can register at DCASE’s website.
Note: This article was originally published Jan. 7, 2026, and updated with video and additional information on Jan. 12, 2026.
WTTW News arts coverage is supported by the JCS Arts, Health & Education Fund of the DuPage Foundation.
Contact Eunice Alpasan: [email protected]
