Spoken word artist Mayda Del Valle will perform at Muddy Waters Café in a free MultiCultural Center event on Thursday, Nov. 29 at 7:30 p.m.

Three UCSB students — third-year CCS literature and art major Demi Anter, Chicano studies graduate student Jessica Lopez-Lyman and third-year Japanese and sociology major Ryan Yamamoto — were invited to open the show.

“We’ve seen [the openers’] work in the past. We are very impressed by their artistry

and work,” MCC Associate Director Viviana Marsano said. Del Valle, who proudly hails from the south side of Chicago, is an accomplished and outspoken artist who has performed in various locations across the U.S., including HBO’s Def Poetry Jam and in the White House for President Obama. She is known for her energetic and passionate performance style. The L.A. Daily News has referred to her as a “powerhouse performer.”

This will be Del Valle’s second performance at UCSB. She is one of several spoken word artists the MCC has brought to Santa Barbara, along with poets Sean Hill and Rudy Francisco earlier this year.

Marsano said Del Valle was chosen to perform because her work deals with issues MCC aims to educate people about. Del Valle talks about marginalized communities, political issues and body image in her spoken word pieces.

UCSB students can find inspiration from Del Valle, particularly because spoken word is a genre that young people love and can relate to, Marsano said. It is also another way of presenting issues without having to lecture.

“I think it is important to bring role models to young people. Del Valle is a very accomplished spoken word artist who also represents issues of marginalization and her triumphs over them,” Marsano said.

Muddy Waters Café is located on 508 E. Haley St. in downtown Santa Barbara. Come out and enjoy the work of these talented artists.