Caridad de la Luz

Spoken word poet, actor, singer-songwriter, and community activist Caridad de la Luz, or “La Bruja,” was born and raised in the Bronx, and attended the State University of New York at Binghamton. De la Luz’s poetry explores social justice and Nuyorican identity. When she debuted at the Nuyorican Poets Café in 1996, de la Luz adopted the persona of “La Bruja” (“The Witch”). She has also shared her work on HBO’s Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam, and at the American Museum of Natural History. She has produced the album Brujalicious and the solo comedy show Boogie Rican Blvd. As an actor she has appeared onscreen in Spike Lee’s Bamboozled and onstage in Pedro Pietri’s El Spanglish Language Sandwich. Her honors include a Jerome Foundation Artist Fellowship, a Puerto Rican Women Legacy Award, and the Edgar Allan Poe Award from The Bronx County Historical Society. De la Luz lives in the Bronx.