A proud native of Chicago’s South Side, Mayda got her start at New York City's legendary Nuyorican Poet's Cafe, where she was the 2001 Grand Slam Champion and went on to win the 2001 National Poetry Slam Individual title, becoming the youngest and first Latina poet to do so. She went on to appear on 6 episodes of Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam on HBO, and was a contributing writer and original cast member of the Tony Award winning Def Poetry Jam on Broadway.

Enjoy Mayda's fusion of autobiographical narrative with spoken word poetry, and music. 

A South Side Girl's Guide to Love & Sex "charts the story of immigration, of family, place, politics, identity, and the complex nomadic hybrid diasporic identities of the 21st century." - Chris Abani