Victor Hernandez Cruz
(b. 1949)

Victor Hernandez Cruz was introduced to storytelling at an early age in Puerto Rico where he was born. Cruz's family immigrated to New York City when he was five, and he started writing at the age of 15. He explains his need to write by saying, "I really had to balance a lot of worlds together, for I was feeling and looking at the culture of my parents and the new and modern culture of New York… ." This balance of cultures is shown in the Nuyorican style of language he uses in his poetry, which combines English, Spanish, and some slang.

In addition to writing several poetry collections, Cruz is a co-founder of the East Harlem Gut Theatre in New York and the Before Columbus Foundation, established to promote American multicultural literature. He has also taught at universities in California and Michigan.

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