Martin Espada - Latino Poet of his Generation

Martin Espada, a renowned poet, translator, and essayist, came to national and international recognition through his poem Alabanza: In Praise of Local 100, published after 9/11 in memory of the kitchen workers--many of them Latino--who died in the crash of the twin towers.

This image is from the Poetry Foundation biography of Espada.

You can hear Espada read this poem in a formal setting, with an explanation of the poem here and in an protest setting here. Note how the delivery changes depending on the audience.

Espada was born in 1957 in Brooklyn, New York and grew up in the Puerto Rican community there. There are actually more Puerto Ricans in New York than in Puerto Rico. Puerto Ricans born in the USA are often called "Nuyoricans."