Mayda Del Valle is an American slam poet, writer, and public speaker, raised in Chicago's South Side. She first performed slam poetry at New York's Nuyorican Poet's Café, where she later won the 2001 Nuyorican Grand Slam Champion title. In the same year, she also secured the 2001 National Slam Poet individual title. Del Valle was a writer and cast member for four seasons of Def Poetry Jam and appeared in Russell Simmons' Def Poetry Jam on Broadway.