Chicago Poetry Calendar

2011-12-17T10:23:00.000-08:00

WHAT'S HOT AND WHAT'S NOT

*Ongoing until April 1, poems for Poetry Cram Volume 13 will be selected from the Contemporary American Poetry Prize entries, click here for details.

*Fri, Dec 16, 7:30 PM, Real Talk Live, featuring Lynne Procope, Chance tha Rapper, Scott Whitehair, and St. Moses the Black Santa, at Elastic Arts, 2830 N Milwaukee 2nd Floor, BYOB, $7, 18+

*Sat, Dec 17, 8;30 PM, support the open mic scene at the Bad News Bible Church with featured guest Stevie Edwards, West Side School for the Desperate, 3608 W. Wrightwood Ave, 18+, $5 suggested donation.

*Sat, Dec 17, 8 PM, 3rd Saturday Coffeehouse, Unity Temple in Oak Park, 875 Lake Street in Downtown Oak Park, presents and open mic for poets, musicians, and storytellers, with special guest John Hasbrouck & Matt Gandurski, $3-$5 donation.

*Sat, Dec 17, 3 PM, well the tacky promo poster for the show says "Don't Call Us Poets" and with that I'll simply have to agree. Two of the most egotistical people living in the city of Chicago will feature for this month's Café Mestizo (1738 W. 18th St.) event, but if you can put up with the same old shit from two of the trouble makers who managed to drum up last year's hysteria that scared everyone else away from the open mic scene so they can feature themselves over and over and over and yes over once again, the venue is otherwise a great space to perform your open mic poem.

*Sun, Dec 18, 1 to 4 PM, Celebration of Lee Groban's Life and Work, Packer Schopf Gallery, 942 W. Lake St., Chicago, IL 60607. Friends and family are encouraged to bring their stories about Lee, as well as artistic, written or musical tributes, and to dress in Lee’s style if you wish. If you would like to make a presentation during the event, please email dickolson@comcast.net and cc dgo@esoplaw.com to allocate time.

*Mon, Dec 19, 8 PM, one of the longest running open mics in Chicago, Mental Graffiti, continues it's rollicking good times at its new location, Cole's Bar, 2338 N Milwaukee Ave, with a slam and featured guest Kevin Kern, sign-up at 7:30, 21+

*Mon, Dec 19: The Waiting 4 The Bus "collective" is to the Chicago Poetry Scene what karaoke is to the Chicago Music Scene. If you perform, you'll probably get applauded regardless of the quality of your writing or performance; if you attend again and again it will become a social event where you can proudly wear the button of mediocrity that says "We Are ALL Chicago Poetry"; but no matter how many times you participate, the event is never going to magically transform into fine art--because, let's face it, when it comes to art, you either have it or you don't have it, and if you have it, you don't need to wear a button to prove it. and you have better places to share it than at a karaoke bar. After all, we AREN'T "all" Chicago Poetry, just like we aren't all Chicago Music. Like a karaoke bar getting a rare visit from an actual vocalist, once in a while someone who actually knows how to write is invited to read for W4TB. This time that someone is Jan Bottiglieri.

*Wed, Dec 21, 7:30 PM, put on an ugly Christmas sweater and come mingle with the Revolving Door Jingle & Mingle featuring Adam Jameson, 1825 S. Halsted Gallery

*Tue, Dec 27, 7:30 PM, Lylanne Musselman will take the TallGrass Writers Guild spotlight upstairs in the newly opened, right-hand side of The Bourgeois Pig, 738 West Fullerton, followed by one of the most respected open mics in the city, $6 / $5 for students.

*Fri, Dec 30, I've been biting my tongue about the self-proclaimed Chicago School Of Poetics because I've been waiting to see what comes out of it but allow me to speak frankly. The "school of poetics" is the brainchild of Francesco Levato, who has a real knack for making himself appear important simply by announcing himself the founder of really official sounding things. He did serve as Director of the Poetry Center of Chicago and despite quite literally running it into the ground, his position there didn't hurt his own writing career any and for some reason they still collaborate with him. Through abuse of that position, he managed to send himself to Berlin to feature his own poetry videos, and now he has that to brag about on his resume as well. He attempted to turn the center's formerly free Big Table workshops into high priced classes and then posted himself in the position of workshop leader. Then he announced himself founder of something called Plastique Press, with which he published his own book and now he claims to be the author of four books of poetry (another one of his books is available only as a free download from vanity publisher LuLu). Now he's announced himself as the founder of the oh-so-official sounding Chicago School Of Poetics, which is charging $400 per class and claims to offer an awful lot for something that hasn't even started doing anything yet. The scary part is, Levato's self-invention works for him. People are fooled by his impressive sounding credentials, not knowing they are totally self-invented, and they offer him real opportunities that he actually has no qualifications for. Anyway, today is the last day for registration for Levato's new "school" and here's a link to it so that you can decide for yourself if it's worth $400 or if it truly represents "Chicago poetics".

*Wed, Jan 18, 7 PM, tonight Janet Kuypers will attempt to launch a new poetry open mic at Gallery Cabaret, to be held on the 1st, 3rd and sometimes 5th Wednesday of the month. What does this have to do with "The Café"? Well, nothing, of course. Just for the record, "The Café" open mic was a Tuesday night open mic hosted by David Rubin that started off at Café Aloha, which was once at Montrose and Lincoln. Café Aloha had some sort of kitchen fire and some time after that the guy who owned it, Baci, moved his business up the street to 5115 N. Lincoln. But host David Rubin had to leave Chicago, so he handed his Tuesday open mic to Charlie Newman, who had a lot of success with it for years, really, they were good years for Chicago Poetry, until a regular named JJ Jameson turned out to be an escaped fugitive named Norman Porter, and after that it kind of went to shit. Next thing you knew, Charlie handed The Café to Janet Kuypers, a poet who claimed she had been published nearly 10,000 times, and a required two dollar cover and a two drink minimum was added to the pass the hat donation. The event then got bumped to Sunday afternoons and finally it was cancelled altogether. So, really, the only thing that a Wednesday night poetry open mic at Gallery Cabaret has in common with The Café is Janet Kuypers. Now, I remember back in the early 90s when there was a really cool Wednesday open mic at Gallery Cabaret, hosted by Gregorio Gomez. He would pack that place, sometimes with 50 or 100 people. It was open to all and there weren't any W4TB goons plotting to turn you into the IRS or whatever. But then Gallery Cabaret got cockroaches. Seriously. There would be dozens of cockroaches just crawling around on the bar and tables. Years later, I hosted an event there for the Bucktown Arts Fest and to my astonishment, it STILL had cockroaches. I had to wonder if the owner Kenny ever heard of a freakin' fogger, but he didn't seem to mind them. As a matter of fact, he even had a cockroach shrine of sorts, as if he was proud the place had cockroaches. But, dude, having cockroaches isn't cool, you know, because they get in your backpack and up your pants leg and then you bring them home with you and then YOU have cockroaches. Now, granted, I haven't been to The Café since Kuypers took it over and I haven't been to Gallery Cabaret for just as long, so I'm just sayin'.

*Fri, Jan 20, 7:30 PM, The Book Cellar, 4736 N Lincoln Ave, hosts “Drowning in Paper” themed reading by Tallgrass Writers Guild poets.

*Sat, Jan 21, 8 PM, 3rd Saturday Coffeehouse, Unity Temple in Oak Park, 875 Lake Street in Downtown Oak Park, presents and open mic for poets, musicians, and storytellers, with special guest Randy Brooks, $3-$5 donation.

*Sat, Feb 18, 8 PM, 3rd Saturday Coffeehouse, Unity Temple in Oak Park, 875 Lake Street in Downtown Oak Park, presents and open mic for poets, musicians, and storytellers, with special guest Carlos Cumpian, $3-$5 donation.

*Fri, March 2, 7 PM, Tonight is a night of lit parties to kick off the AWP conference. Zenith Beast presents Reading Between the Lines: An AWP Offsite Event featuring a bunch of poets including Fred Arroyo, Sarah Carson, Larry O. Dean, Ben Tanzer, Snezana Zabic, and many, many other poets, at The Horseshoe, 4115 N. Lincoln Ave.

*Fri, March 2, 7 PM, The Beautiful Words AWP Event will take place at The Beauty Bar, 1444 W. Chicago Ave, and it also will feature a slew of poets, including Kim Addonizio, Vanessa Veselka, Stacy Bierlein, Tod Goldberg, Shannon Cason and many more, sponsored by ten great lit orgs including The Nervous Breakdown, Bookslut, Curbside Splendor, and Sunday Salon Chicago.

*Fri, March 2, 8 PM, and the night of lit parties continues at Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln Ave, with a party benefiting Young Chicago Authors, featuring Tim Kinsella, Dorothea Lasky, Mary Miller and more with hosts Zach Dodson and Lindsay Hunter and sponsored by School of the Art Institute of Chicago Writing Program, featherproof, Wave Books and a bunch of other great orgs

*Sat, April 28, ChicagoPoetry.com celebrates its 13th year with the release of Cram Volume 13 at the Poetry Fest at Harold Washington Library, details TBA.

*Coming in 2012: City of the Big Shoulders: An Anthology of Chicago Poetry (University of Iowa Press)

Lee Groban

2011-12-11T09:50:00.001-08:00

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Chicago Poetry is saddened to have to report that poet Lee Groban died at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, December 9. Mr. Groban was very ill for the last two months suffering from congestive heart failure and emphysema and recently had a pacemaker installed surgically. On Thursday his kidneys began to fail. He was with friends when his heart stopped; he died quickly without suffering.

Lee held a Bachelors Degree in Russian Language Studies and a Masters Degree in Library Sciences, and much of Lee's work is inspired by his avid interest in ancient ancestries and the cultures which surrounded them. Lee has been an integral part of the Chicago art community for more than three decades. If you have attended art events and street festivals in Chicago, you have seen Lee Groban, who also appeared for ChicagoPoetry.com sponsored events on several occasions (click here to listen to one of his performances). But, of course, Lee Groban is best known for The Cure for Insomnia, a 4,080-page poem that was turned into the 1987 film of the same title that was officially declared the world's longest movie by the Guinness Book of World Records. Running three days and fifteen hours in length, the film consists of Lee reading his poem spliced with occasional clips from heavy metal and pornographic videos. It was first played in its entirety at The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, from January 31 to February 3, 1987, in one continuous showing. In addition to his writing career, Lee Groban was also an accomplished visual artist and had been a featured artist in Pulp Magazine, the Chicago Reader, the Globe, and New City.

There will be a Celebration of Lee Groban's Life and Work on Sunday, December 18, 2011 from 1 to 4 at the Packer Schopf Gallery, 942 W. Lake St., Chicago, IL 60607. Friends and family are encouraged to bring their stories about Lee, as well as artistic, written or musical tributes, and to dress in Lee’s style if you wish. If you would like to make a presentation during the event, please email dickolson@comcast.net and cc dgo@esoplaw.com to allocate time. Lee's family asks that donations go to the endowment fund of the Circle Pines Center, 8650 Mullen Road, in Delton, Michigan, 49046.

State of the Poetry Scene Address

2011-11-29T12:19:00.000-08:00

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CLICK HERE TO READ THE ANNUAL POETRY ADDRESS
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The Contemporary American Poetry Award

2011-10-30T13:57:00.001-07:00

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The poems for Poetry Cram Volume 13, to be released free to the public at the Chicago Public Library Poetry Fest on Saturday, April 28, 2012, will be selected from the entries into the Contemporary American Poetry Prize contest.

Welcome to the inaugural round of the Contemporary American Poetry Prize sponsored by PoetryAward.org, the national wing of ChicagoPoetry.com. The CAPP Award offers substantial cash prizes for the best contemporary poetry of any style and is open to all poets living in the United States.

THREE BIG CASH PRIZES
The Contemporary American Poetry Prize Contest offers a Grand Prize, a Silver Prize and a Bronze Prize, as well as three Honorable Mentions.

THE POETRY PRIZE THAT GROWS WITH EVERY ENTRY
The CAPP Contest offers a Grand Prize in the form of a cash award of 40% of all entry fee donations collected during the submission period*. There is no ceiling to the CAPP Grand Prize. The more poets who enter the CAPP Contest, the higher the Grand Prize grows. The Grand Prize amount will be periodically updated on this page after it surpasses the minimum Grand Prize amount of $100.

The Silver Prize winner will receive 10% of all entry donations.

The Bronze Prize winner will receive 5% of all entry donations.

(Example of prize amounts: if at the end of the contest all entry donations add up to $2000, then the Grand Prize will be $800, the Silver Prize will be $200, and the Bronze Prize will be $100. In order to keep the prize amount transparent, a complete list of participating authors and poems submitted will be made available at the end of the contest.)

There will also be Three Honorable Mentions.

All winners, honorable mentions as well as a number of runners-up, will be published in Poetry Cram Volume 13, to be given away FREE at the Chicago Public Library Poetry Fest at Harold Washington Library in Chicago on Saturday, April 28, 2012. Winning poems and honorable mentions will also be permanently published at PoetryAward.org and at ChicagoPoetry.com for thousands of people to read.

HERE ARE THE SIMPLE RULES
--All poems entered into the Contemporary American Poetry Prize Contest must be the original work of the author submitting them. Copyright reverts back to the author after publication.

--Poems should be primarily in the English language. Beyond that, all style, form and subject matter will be accepted.

--Both short and long poems will be accepted but poems should not exceed 150 lines.

--Previously published poems and simultaneous submissions are acceptable. Once your poems are submitted, however, they cannot be withdrawn from the contest, so it is up to you to inform other publications or contests that may be concerned about simultaneous submissions or republishing.

--You may submit up to three poems into the inaugural 2012 CAPP Contest. Entry donation for your first poem is $15. Entry donation for your second poem is $10 ($25 total for two poems). Entry donation for your third poem is $5 ($30 total for three poems).

--*Submission period is November 1, 2011 through March 1, 2012.

--Winners will be announced on or before April 1, 2012.

JUDGE AND SPONSOR
Judge. The final decision regarding the Three Winners and Three Honorable Mentions will be determined by this year's judge, Charlie Rossiter.

Charlie Rossiter, host of the audio website PoetryPoetry.com, is an NEA Fellowship recipient and three-time Pushcart Prize nominee. He is the author of four books of poetry and numerous chapbooks, including The Night We Danced With the Raelettes and All Over America: Road Poems (FootHills Publications, 2009), which is based on 60,000+ miles or road trip experiences throughout U.S. and Canada. He is also the co-author of the book Back Beat, of which Lawrence Ferlinghetti said: "Back Beat beats everything for being beater than the Beats." Rossiter's poetry has also been featured on National Public Radio, the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival in New Jersey as well as at the Chicago Blues Festival. He is the book review editor for the Journal of Poetry Therapy and he has led poetry workshops all over the country. PoetryAward.org is proud to have Mr. Rossiter serve as the judge for the inaugural Contemporary American Poetry Prize.

Sponsor. PoetryAward.org and the Contemporary American Poetry Prize is sponsored by CJ Laity, twelve year veteran publisher of ChicagoPoetry.com, curator of the Poetry Cram Magazine contest and twenty year host of poetry events and festivals for such distinguished venues as the Chicago Public Library, the Poetry Foundation's Printers Ball and the Chicago Tribune Printers Row Book Fair.

ENTERING THE CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN POETRY PRIZE
Step 1. Make the appropriate entry donation through PayPal.

You may enter up to three poems into the CAPP Contest.

The CAPP Contest accepts submissions electronically. To enter the CAPP Contest, use one of the links below to make the proper entry donation through PayPal. If you do not have a PayPal account, you can still use PayPal to make your donation with a debit card, credit card or personal check. Entry donations will be processed by ChicagoPoetry.com, on behalf of its subsidiary PoetryAward.org. Please make your donation now . . .

CLICK HERE if you are submitting one poem into the CAPP Contest.

CLICK HERE if you are submitting two poems into the CAPP Contest.

CLICK HERE if you are submitting three poems into the CAPP Contest.

Step 2. Submit your poetry by email.

Create a text document (.doc, .wps, .rtf) and place your poem(s) in it. Do not put your name or contact information on the page(s) with your poem(s). Instead, include a short cover letter with your name, your address, your email address, your phone number (optional), and the title(s) of your submitted poem(s). You may include a short personal biography that may be used when the winners are announced, but your name and biography will not be forwarded to the judge. This is a process called blind judging and guarantees that all submissions will be treated equally.

After making the proper entry donation, email your submission to Publisher@ChicagoPoetry.com with a single attachment that includes both your poetry entries and your cover letter.

That's it. It's as easy as that.

Deadline is March 1, 2012. Winners will be announced on or before April 1, 2012. Current Grand Prize amount will be posted and updated as submissions are received.

May the best poetry win!

CJ Laity
CAPP Contest Sponsor

Guerilla Poets Declare War On Poetry Foundation

2011-09-29T12:22:00.000-07:00

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On Tuesday, September 27, during a question and answer session following a reading by Chilean poet Raúl Zurita sponsored by the Poetry Foundation at their multi-million dollar River North home, a small group of poets called the Croaton Poetic Cell went into the poetry library and dropped two banners. One of the banners read “What Would Have Happened if Emily Dickinson Had Been Prescribed Prozac?” (referring to the money the Foundation inherited from the Lilly Corporation), and the other banner said “VIVA CADA” (referring to the Chilean Colectivo de Acción de Arte of which Zurita was a founder and leader during the 70s). Click Here for video.

The Poetry Foundation security (which some witnesses describe as wearing CIA outfits), promptly ripped the banners down. The poetry activists then entered the reading room and passed out leaflets explaining that their banners were an attempt to honor "Raúl Zurita and the heroic spirit of CADA". The leaflets protested the arrest of activist Stephanie Dunn, who was charged with "disturbing the peace" for what the Croaton describes as a peaceful protest action during the "Collections and Cocktails" library opening at the Foundation a few weeks before. "To our knowledge, this is the first time that a supposed institution of poetics has pressed charges against a poet for what is essentially a poetic act," the fliers said. The flier continued: "To us, it makes perfect sense that an institution funded by a 100 million dollar grant from Lilly Pharmaceuticals, manufacturers of Prozac, would find any behavior beyond polite docility objectionable enough to call the cops." The leaflet then demanded "the Poetry Foundation spend the remainder of its drug money on the creation of two new poetry centers in existent disused buildings: one on the south side and another on the west side, whose mission it would be to support poetry in impoverished communities by any means necessary." If this demand is not met, the leaflet threatened: "These disruptions will continue . . ." The Poetry Foundation secret service men "chased and cornered" the poets in an attempt to physically apprehend them to be arrested for "trespassing" by police who were on their way, but the poets managed to "make a break for it". Click Here for video.

Poet and former State of Illinois Teacher of the Year, Kent Johnson wrote on the site montevidayo.com: " . . . this multi-million dollar Poetry institution called the cops on the activists for doing nothing but hanging some banners and peacefully passing out the statement [about] the astonishing, outrageous issue . . . that a young poet and performance artist from Chicago, Stephanie Dunn, who carried out a guerilla-poet’s-theater type act . . . is now apparently subject to charges pressed by the Poetry Foundation." Johnson went on to call the Poetry Foundation a "Happy Big-Tent House" that calls "the cops on brash young poets who step beyond the bounds of High Society protocol . . ." "What does it say when this institution attempts to suppress such radical (and in the history of poetry, venerably practiced) spirit by calling on the POLICE to arrest poets and have charges brought against them . . . the Poetry Foundation has put the Po back into Poetry . . ." Johnson continued, "I suspect there will be more actions coming . . ."

However, a well known Irish singing poet who was at the event and witnessed her get arrested claims Dunn was "not arrested for an essentially poetic act but because she was drunk and started provoking the guards by taking off her clothes." Other witnesses reportedly describe her action as disrobing and groping "an unwilling person in a public space." So far my invitation to the Croaton to describe Dunn's actions and explain what they have to do with poetry have not been accepted. Instead, I've been told that I "can read a detailed description of the events leading up to her arrest in the forthcoming issue of Sous Les Pa" (whatever that is).

--CJ Laity
This is a breaking story and is being updated as more information comes to the surface. Check back for updates.

Coming Soon

2011-09-29T10:51:00.000-07:00

Curtis Canino Killed at 600 N. Ashland

2011-08-04T18:51:00.000-07:00

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Read the story from the Chicago Tribune

I could go on every day like this, posting stories about people getting shot in Chicago. What's wrong with you guys out there? Stop the killing.

Poetry Slam Celebrates 25 Years

2011-07-31T20:44:00.001-07:00

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CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL REPORT

Dead Poets Society

2011-07-09T13:12:00.001-07:00

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Later this year, the self-proclaimed Chicago "Literary Hall of Fame" will for the second time celebrate the work of six dead people during another big, overpriced, megalomaniacal affair in which the Chicago Lit Scene's greatest seeker of financial dues, The Chicago Writers Association, carves in stone for us the names of six writers who we already know are important. I can save you the $45 or whatever outrageous amount of money they plan to solicit from you this year so that you can have the privilege of attending their gluttonous affair. I'll tell you right now who they have chosen as the 2011 "Inductees": Cyrus Colter (died in 2002); Theodore Dreiser (died in 1945); Harriet Monroe (died in 1936); Mike Royko (died in 1997); Carl Sandburg (died in 1967); and Ida B. Wells (died in 1931). These six inductees were chosen from 24 nominees, each and every one of them pushing up daisies. The writers who most recently lived that were nominated were Carolyn Rodgers and Kent Foreman (both of whom passed away in 2010). The committee of nominators who chose the names of the deceased 24 reflect the absurdity of this year's New City Lit 50 List, in that it consists of six white men, two white women and one man of African descent. These nine nominators then passed their 24 spirit names to five admittedly more diverse "Selectors" who then chose which six dead people would be honored this year. Whew! All of that just to tell us Carl Sandburg was a great Chicago writer.

In their mission statement, the great Hall (throw your money at them--they're a nonprofit!)--says "Our annual induction ceremony . . . will be an occasion for Chicago to crown past, present and future literary achievements." But of course, without one single living writer so much as nominated, all that is being honored by this power hungry behemoth are past, past and past literary achievements. Hey, I get what they're doing. It's as smart and as slimy as including the recognizable names of 34 "honorary committee" members on their website. They are concentrating on these dead names for the first few years because they believe that will give their fledgling Hall of Fame more credibility. Some day, when they've included just about every name of every great dead Chicago writer out there, they'll start sneaking in the name of a friend or two. And, oh boy, won't they be in charge then! What power they will have when they get to decide for us which living authors are worthy of praise, but most importantly, which ones are NOT.

My advice is, instead of wasting your money on some uppity organization's supermarket sushi and wine out of the box theatre presentation, spend the same amount of money buying one book written by each of the authors above--then celebrate their lives by actually reading their work.

My name is CJ Laity

Poetry House Opening

2011-06-26T14:59:00.000-07:00

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2011-06-12T12:30:00.001-07:00

Lit 50: Who Really Books in Chicago 2011???

2011-06-02T16:20:00.000-07:00

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Dear Chicago Poetry Scene,

Once again (days before the Printers Row Lit Fest) it is that one week of the year during which anyone I know cares about what that little free magazine that you line your birdcages with, NewCity, has to say. I'm sure everyone on the "Lit 50: Who Really Books in Chicago 2011" list is fully deserving in their own way, and I'm not trying to take anything away from them, but come on: the list is a complete joke.

This year's Lit 50 is simply a generic list of just about every editor, publisher, bookstore owner, academic chair and organizational head that the folks at NewCity could think of without giving it much thought. It is a list of 47 Caucasians, two African Americans (if you guessed the obvious, Haki Madhubuti and Quraysh Ali Lansana, you're right), and one single Latina / Hispanic (Moira Pujols of Contratiempo). I find it especially shocking that Erika Hilton of Poetry Center of Chicago--an organization that has barely hosted a half dozen events in the last three years--is included on this list, but Kimberly Dixon of Guild Complex--an organization that consistently sponsors lit programming, including a monthly bilingual poetry series--is not included on the list. It couldn't be that a few years back, the previous chair of the Guild criticized the very same list for not being inclusive enough, could it? Of course it could! And let's get my personal beef out of the way: the fact that I've never been included on the list couldn't date back some eighteen years to when the publication I worked for, Letter eX, criticized NewCity, could it? Well, let me stop there before Ray Bianchi accuses me of being nothing but a self promoting hack again.

The NewCity list is a clear representation of how Chicago's lit scene has been gentrified and whitewashed. It is truly a racist list that concentrates entirely on a nepotistic "industry" and ignores Chicago's neighborhoods and grassroots scene. It's not surprising that, in the opening statement, The Poetry Foundation is hailed in a paragraph that begins with the word "power." "Not only can we claim Poetry magazine, the premier publication of its kind anywhere, but its wealthy sibling the Poetry Foundation will open a whole building dedicated to the form later this month," says New City. As an afterthought, it continues, "Plus, this is the town that created the Poetry Slam as well as Louder Than a Bomb, the largest teen slam anywhere."

The new "power players" (i.e., people with money) in today's lit scene love to throw the poetry slam a bone once in a while, because they recognize the "power" that the slam has, but if you want to know what the "powers that be" truly think of the slam, just look at their list. Out of 50 people who "really book" in Chicago, two of them might be looked at as representing the slam (if you guessed the obvious, Kevin Coval and Robbie Q. Telfter, you're right). In the year that the Poetry Slam is celebrating its 25th anniversary, apparently Marc Smith isn't worthy of being on that list. The opening paragraph to this list can be translated as follows: we have a two hundred million dollar foundation now that supports the mainstream, academic, city approved downtown scene, so we don't need the rest of you troublemaking jerks, and there's no reason to pretend to be diverse or inclusive anymore. In case you didn't get that the first time around and to shove that message home, guess who is number one on the list of people who really book in Chicago? Is it an author of a bestselling title--Roger Bonair-Agard perhaps? Is it someone who has worked diligently and selflessly for years, perhaps Larry Sawyer of Milk Mag or Al DeGenova of After Hours? Maybe it's someone from Oyez or RHINO? Why, no, of course not, it's John Barr, ex-Wall Street mogul who once did work for Enron, who was hired to manage the Poetry Foundation not because he "books" (in fact one of his books of poetry was even criticized as being racist) but because he knows how to manage large sums of money (and probably spends quite a bit of it buying advertising from publications like NewCity). And if two nods to the Poetry Foundation weren't enough, Christian Wiman (Barr's editor) and Fred Sazaki (Barr's Printer's Ball man) are both on the list as well!

I tried to warn the poetry community about how the Poetry Foundation--as well as the city sponsored "ChicagoPublishes" (planning to define for the rest of us what the "new Chicago style" of poetry is at an upcoming event at the Cultural Center)--was threatening to whitewash the poetry scene. But instead of working together to keep the grassroots poetry scene alive, a lot of poets were simply played and were convinced to attack me for speaking my mind. And look at what we have now. Do you see Poetry Cram Mag on the list? Do you see the Neighborhood Writers' Alliance on the list? Proyecta Latina? How about the big shots from Waiting 4 The Bus or the Poets Club of Chicago or even Puddin'head Press--are any of those guys on the list? How about that? It's as if that entire scene doesn't even exist. Where's the gay/lesbian presses on the list for that matter? Where is anyone that represents the world of online publishing (other than Dan Sinker's fictional twitter handle @MayorEmanuel)? But, gee, some guy named Donald G. Evans, who last year compared the Chicago Poetry Fest to "a backyard barbecue" when I told him I couldn't afford to pay $45 to attend his exclusive Lit Hall of Fame--his name made it on the list. And Dominique Raccah, who runs a publishing house located in Naperville--she's on Chicago's list. And if you go on Facebook you can probably find people who are on the list congratulating a dozen of their closests friends who are also on the list. There you have it.

I hate to say I told you so, but I TOLD YOU SO!

Never silent,

CJ Laity

test joke

2011-05-28T13:28:00.001-07:00

Poetry Foundation House Half Done

2011-05-24T16:38:00.000-07:00

Richard Fammeree has passed away

2011-05-05T12:23:00.000-07:00

Chicago Poet Richard Fammeree has passed away.

http://fammeree.com/

http://www.universeofpoetry.org/

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Dear Friends,

This is Rachel, writing from Richard's account.

Richard passed away early yesterday morning after a valiant battle with the devastating illness, ALS. We are so glad that he is free from suffering. And we will miss him deeply and always.

He left us with a beautiful daughter, Adele Fammeree, hundreds of brilliant songs and poems, the website and non-profit foundation, UniVerse of Poetry, and awareness of our human magic and interconnectedness. He lived to create from heart and soul, and he mentored and inspired so many of us on his journey.

We will be celebrating his life with a memorial service next weekend, time and location to be announced. Please check the websites, fammeree.com or www.universeofpoetry.org for details. We'll also post on facebook.

Rest in peace beloved Richard. We will love you always.

Rachel

Poetry Cram 11 Release Event April 30, 2011

2011-05-01T11:03:00.000-07:00

Cafe Mestizo Keeps Poetry Open Mic Tradition Alive

2011-04-18T08:23:00.000-07:00

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2011-04-15T08:25:00.001-07:00

Chicago Poetry Open Mic Calendar for NPM

2011-03-24T16:35:00.000-07:00

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April is National Poetry Month, and nowhere in the world is the poetry scene so vibrant than it is in Chicago. Here is a detailed list of National Poetry Month events happening in Chicago, courtesy of CJ Laity, Publisher of ChicagoPoetry.com. Events are listed by venue and are updated frequently.

If you have a Poetry Month event and you would like it listed on this page, send the information to Publisher@ChicagoPoetry.com

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++CLICK HERE++
NOW ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS OF POETRY FOR CRAM VOLUME 11
TO BE GIVEN AWAY FREE AT THE BIG POETRY MONTH FESTIVAL

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Poetry Month Open Mic
When Fri, April 1, 7pm – 9pm
Where Highland Park Arts Center, 1957 Sheridan Road (side entrance), Highland Park, IL

Description Our Poetry Month celebration kicks off with a special reading by the adult poets selected by our judges from submissions to the 2011 Poetry Challenge focusing on Rhyme & Time. This reading is followed by our regular monthly open-mic. Poets may bring up to 6 poems to share in the open-mic. Everyone is welcome to attend.

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Enemies of Silence: a night of poetry & performance
Fri, April 1, 7:00pm – 8:30pm
Where Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington

Description Celebrating the power of women’s resilience and resistance in the face of violence, Rape Victim Advocates (RVA) presents a night of performances by local luminaries. This one-of-a-kind event draws on the fierce joy of survival to kick off Sexual Assault Awareness Month 2011. Featured artists include Kristiana Colon, Misty De Berry, KrisDeLaRash, Marty McConnell, Lani Montreal, Coya Paz, Patience Rowe and Sarwat Rumi! This event is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Off the Beaten Path: Violence, Women and Art. The free program series for the exhibition considers the global issue of violence against women through a series of innovative local programs organized by the Ellen Stone Belic Institute for the Study of Women & Gender in the Arts & Media; Rape Victim Advocates; and The Voices and Faces Project. This event is free and open to the public.

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April Fools Day Salon
When Fri, April 1, 8:00pm – 11:30pm
Where ACM HQ, 2608 W. Diversey Ave, #202

Description RSVP REQUIRED at: editors at anotherchicagomagazine dot net. The crowd will be capped at 80, so be certain to RSVP PROMPTLY. $10 suggested donation (or more if you’re feeling generous). Free booze. Featuring Patrick Culliton, Yvonne Strumecki, Alexander York, Jen Moore, Ryan
Kenealy, & Chris Bower.

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Uptown Poetry Slam
When Sun, April 3, 7pm – 10pm
Where Green Mill Jazz Club, 4802 N. Broadway Ave, (773) 878-5552 (map)

Description Where the Poetry Slam began.
Every Sunday evening from 7 to 10 PM: 7 PM open mic, 8 PM slam, 9 PM featured guests. $7 cover

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Weeds Poetry Open Mic
When Mon, April 4, 10:00pm – 11:59pm
Where Weeds, 1555 N. Dayton (map)

Description Adult Only Poetry Open Mic hosted by Gregorio Gomez. One of the longest running poetry open mics in the city of Chicago.

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Poetry Off the Shelf: Seeing Things
When Tue, April 5, 6pm – 7pm
Where Rubloff Auditorium, Art Institute of Chicago, 230 South Columbia Drive (after-hours entrance)

Description Mary Karr. Free admission. Award-winning poet and best-selling memoirist Mary Karr has drawn universal acclaim from sources as diverse as The Nation, Vogue, and USA Today. Her latest memoir, Lit, was an immediate bestseller and widely hailed as one of the best books of 2009. Karr is the Jesse Truesdell Peck Professor of Literature at Syracuse University and was the weekly poetry editor for the Washington Post Book World’s “Poet’s Choice” column. Co-sponsored with the Art Institute of Chicago

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Chad Sweeney and William Olsen read at Series A
When Wed, April 6, 7pm – 8pm
Where Hyde Park Art Center, 5020 S. Cornell Avenue

Description Come hear Chad Sweeney & William Olsen read from their work. Byob. Free parking. Easy public transit access. (Note: the reading starts and ends on time because the HPAC closes at 8.) For more info: series-a.org

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Encyclopedia Show
When Wed, April 6, 7:30pm – 9:30pm
Where Vittum Theatre, 1012 N Noble St,
Description Tickets at the door. $8 Adults, $5 Students. All ages. www.encyclopediashow.com

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In One Ear at Heartland
When Wed, April 6, 10:00pm – 11:59pm
Where Heartland Cafe, 7000 N. Glenwood Ave, 773-465-8000 (map)

Description Sign up @ 9:30pm, The show begins at 10:15pm, steps away from Chicago's Red Line 'Morse' 'L' stop. For all poets, musicians, comedians, performers and patient listeners interested in the second longest running open mic in Chicago! Cover is $3.

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CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT THE GWENDOLYN BROOKS WRITERS CONFERENCE FROM APRIL 7 THRU 9

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LGBT Poetry Reading & Panel Discussion
When
Fri, April 8, 7:00pm – 9:30pm
Where Center On Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted

Description On Friday, April 8th, 2011, the Center on Halsted observes National Poetry Month with a reading by LGBT poets (and a panel discussion) from 7-9:30 pm in the Hoover Leppen Theater and Irving Harris Reception Hall. The event will feature readings from poets Adam W. Hart, LeVan D. Hawkins, Marty McConnell, Robert McDonald, Betsy Merbitz, Nikki Patin, Gregg Shapiro, and avery r. young. The event is free and open to the public, though space for the performance/panel is limited. Reservations are highly recommended. Please RSVP to culture@centeronhalsted.org

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Rhino Release Reading
When
Sun, April 10, 2pm – 4pm
Where
home of Ralph Hamilton, 630 Clinton Place, Evanston (map)
Description free reading at private residence

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Woman Made Gallery
When Sun, April 10, 2pm – 4pm
Where Woman Made Gallery, 685 N. Milwaukee Ave. (map)

Description This reading will feature women writers with a notable record of publishing and other accomplishments. Participating readers include Susan Elbe, Rachel Contreni Flynn, Duriel Harris, Kathleen Kirk, Kristy Odelius, and Dee Sweet. The event is free to the public, but donations to the refreshment table are appreciated.

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Uptown Poetry Slam
When Sun, April 10, 7pm – 10pm
Where Green Mill Jazz Club, 4802 N. Broadway Ave, (773) 878-5552 (map)

Description Where the Poetry Slam began.
Every Sunday evening from 7 to 10 PM: 7 PM open mic, 8 PM slam, 9 PM featured guests. $7 cover

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Molly Malone's Poetry and Fiction Open Mic
When Mon, April 11, 7:30pm – 10:00pm
Where Molly Malone's, 7652 W. Madison Street, Forest Park, 708-366-8073 (map)

Description 2nd Monday of the month Poetry/fiction open mic with feature, $3 to $5 donation.Hosts Nina Corwin and Al DeGenova invite you to the Molly Malone's Open Mic and Reading Series. 7:00 -- open mic sign-up begins / 7:30 -- open mic (5 minutes per reader) / 9:00 -- featured reader.

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Casual Reading Opportunity
When Mon, April 11, 8:30pm – 9:30pm
Where Brando's Speakeasy, 343 S Dearborn (map)

Description Casual Reading Opportunity literay open mic series at Brando's Speakeasy (343 S Dearborn, second Monday monthly @ 8:30pm).

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Weeds Poetry Open Mic
When Mon, April 11, 10:00pm – 11:59pm
Where Weeds, 1555 N. Dayton (map)
Description Adult Only Poetry Open Mic hosted by Gregorio Gomez. One of the longest running poetry open mics in the city of Chicago.

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Safe Smiles At Trace Open Mic
When
Tue, April 12, 10:00pm – 11:59pm
Where
Trace, 3714 N Clark St (at Waveland Ave, 773-477-3400 (map)

Description Every second Tuesday. Performance Poetry Open Mic with Polyrythmic Collective. Nov 9, featuring Maya Marshal; Dec 14, featuring Korim Storm (poet from Austin by way of Madison). 10pm, 3 bux...

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Lounder Than A Bomb movie showing
When Wed, April 13, 6pm – 8pm
Where Harold Washington Library Center, Video Theater, Lower Level, 400 S. State Street (map)

Description Louder Than a Bomb tells the story of four Chicago high school poetry teams as they prepare to compete in the world’s largest youth slam. By turns hopeful and heartbreaking, the film captures the turbulent lives of these unforgettable kids, exploring the ways writing shapes their world, and vice versa. Louder Than a Bomb is not about “high school poetry” as we often think of it. It’s about language as a joyful release and irrepressibly talented teenagers obsessed with making words dance. While the topics they tackle are often deeply personal, what they put into their poems—and what they get out of them—is universal: the defining work of finding one’s voice. Winner of eleven film festival prizes, including seven audience awards, the film has been selected for the 2011 American Documentary Showcase and will have its television premiere later this year as part of the Oprah Winfrey Network’s “OWN Documentary Club.”

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Poetry Workshop w/ Cin Salach
When Wed, April 13, 6pm – 7pm
Where Bezazian Library, 1226 W. Ainslie Street (map)

Description The Poetry Committee and the Bezazian Branch of the Chicago Public Library welcome local poet cin salach for a very special two-part CityVerse poetry writing workshop. Part one focuses on writing and part two will concentrate on revising the work created during the first week. Please bring paper and pen.

cin salach has collaborated with musicians, video artists, dancers and photographers for over 20 years in such groups as The Loofah Method, Betty’s Mouth and ten tongues. Her first book, Looking for a Soft Place to Land, was published by Tia Chucha Press. She has been widely published in journals and anthologies, most recently, Starting Today: 100 Poems for Obama’s First 100 Days, Iowa Press. An Illinois Arts Council recipient and four-time Ragdale fellow, cin is also co-founder of Words@Play, a joint project with the Chicago Park District and the Children’s Humanities Festival. A recent Emmy nominee for her voice-over and on-screen narration of the PBS documentary “From Schoolboy to Showgirl”, cin is living happily ever after in Andersonville, memorizing the works of Dr. Seuss and performing them for her young son, Leo.

Registration:
Due to limited space registration is required. Please note that registration assumes one will attend both sessions. Please call the branch at (312) 744-6022or come in to register.

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Poetry Writing Workshop with Rachel Flynn
When Wed, April 13, 6pm – 7pm
Where Near North Library, 310 W. Division Street (map)

Description The Poetry of Witness: Writing Poems from Our Times

We have all lived through times of political and cultural change and have experienced them in our own personal ways. Our families have histories that are part of the history of this country and of the countries our ancestors came from. This workshop looks at some poems of “witness” – those poems that describe and explore history from a social and personal perspective – and will help inspire us to write our own poems that witness the changes, hardships, and triumphs we’ve experienced as part of our society. Many poems of witness are those of struggle, but many also describe hard-won success. Many poems of witness address social, racial, or cultural traditions head-on, while others approach these topics from a more day-to-day perspective in poems that show how ordinary people live through extraordinary times. We’ll read, write, discuss, write some more, and enjoy artwork and music of witness to spark our creative spirits. This workshop is for everyone who has a story to tell and share through poetry.

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Elizabeth's Crazy Little Thing Open Mic!
When
Wed, April 13, 10:00pm – 11:59pm
Where
Phyllis' Musical Inn, 1800 W Division (map)

Description Come see our feature Judith Wiker!
Perform at the open mic!
The theme will be "Trials by fire and trails of tears."
Interpret as literally or figuratively as you wish.

Judith Wiker lives in a suburb of Chicago. She has been a teacher of art and creative development at College of DuPage and remains an artist, writer, poet and singer/songwriter. She is currently in private practice and a consultant to physicians and psychologists in the field of Integrative Medicine.

Her collection of poems “Children of Fire” was released in 2009. Her upcoming collection “BEAT" is due out in the Spring. She is also working on a music album and has released 4 songs that appear on Itunes.

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In One Ear at Heartland
When
Wed, April 13, 10:00pm – 11:59pm
Where Heartland Cafe, 7000 N. Glenwood Ave, 773-465-8000 (map)

Description Sign up @ 9:30pm, The show begins at 10:15pm, steps away from Chicago's Red Line 'Morse' 'L' stop. For all poets, musicians, comedians, performers and patient listeners interested in the second longest running open mic in Chicago! Cover is $3.

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Identity and Dislocation: Achy Obejas
When
Thu, April 14, 6:00pm – 8:30pm
Where Lower-Level Classroom, Library; Northeastern Illinois University Main Campus, 5500 N St. Louis Ave (map)

Description A foremost Cuban-American author, Achy Obejas writes groundbreaking and provocative fiction, poetry and journalism. The recipient of two Lambda Literary awards, the Studs Terkel Award for Media and Journalism, a Pulitzer Prize for team journalism and several Peter Lisagor awards, Obejas explores identity, memory and migration in immigrant, LGBTQ, Jewish and women’s communities. She is the Chicago-based, world-renowned author of ...We Came All the Way from Cuba So You Could Dress Like This? (1994), Memory Mambo (1996), Days of Awe (2001), Havana Noir (2007), This is What Happened in Our Life (2007) and Ruins (2009) and has published in venues such as Revista Chicano-Riqueña, Review: Literature and Arts of the Americas, Washington Post, Vocalo, Indiana Review and Third Woman. She is Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz Chair in Latin American and Latino Studies and the Department of English at DePaul University.

We are thrilled to host "Identity and Dislocation" at NEIU. The talk will be followed by a lively Q&A. Refreshments will be served. Free parking available on the 4th and 5th levels of the main parking garage.

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La Esquina Del Poeta [Poet's Corner] open mic
When
Thu, April 14, 7pm – 9pm
Where NEIU - El Centro Campus, 3119 N. Pulaski Rd (map)

DescriptionIn honor of poetry month El Centro would like to invite everyone to it's open mic session. If you are a SPOKEN WORD ARTIST or POET then celebrate with us the art of expressive thought. The commencement of the evening will begin with our feature, Poet IasEL.

IasEL, is a spoken word artist/poet from the Logan Square/Humboldt Park area. In January of 2010 he co-founded and is the host of a monthly community open mic, Ponce At-Nite. IasEL is the producer/host of La Voz Del Barrio, an positive showcase of live music fused with spoken word. IasEL is a member of Yolanda Nieves', Vida Bella Ensemble and of the Buena Risa Social Club, a all Latino comedy sketch group.

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August Kleinzahler, Maureen McLane, Tom Pickard
When
Fri, April 15, 7pm – 10pm
Where The (New) Corpse, 1511 N. Milwaukee Ave. 2nd Floor (map)

Description Part of the Chicago Poetry Project’s short symposium on the work of British poet Roy Fisher.

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BIG POETRY SHOW!!!
When
Sat, April 16, 5pm – 7pm
Where
Cafe Mestizo, 1738 w 18 street (map)

Description CJ Laity will be a featured reader for Vito's show, reading from his new novel Point Nemo. And all Stella Vinitchi Radulescu will be celebrating the release of her new book, all seeds & blues. Also featuring Luis Humberto Valadez and Kim Berez. There will be an open mic.

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Poetry Off the Shelf
When Sat, April 16, 7pm – 8pm
Where Curtiss Hall, 410 South Michigan Avenue (map)

Description Poetry Off the Shelf: Ari Brown, Reginald Gibbons, Mabel Kwan, Christina Pugh, Ed Roberson, and Rachel Jamison Webster. $20; $10 students and seniors. Tickets go on sale to the public March 16; PianoForte members can purchase tickets now by calling 312.291.0291

Chicago poets and musicians present an evening in the arts. Ari Brown, a composer, arranger, and educator who has played with Chuck Berry, B.B. King, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, provides music inspired by the poetry of Christina Pugh and Ed Roberson. Pianist Mabel Kwan connects the words of Reginald Gibbons and Rachel Jamison Webster to her contemporary and exploratory music background. Kwan is a founder of the duo Nothing in Common and a member of Ensemble Dal Niente. Co-sponsored with PianoForte Foundation

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Tim Yu
When Sat, April 16, 7pm – 8pm
Where Myopic Books, 1564 N. Milwaukee Ave (map)
Description Free poetry reading.

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3rd Saturday Coffeehouse: Dorothy Terry
When Sat, April 16, 7:30pm – 10:00pm
Where Unity Temple, 875 Lake Street, Oak Park (map)

Description Open Mic sign up 7:30 / Open Mic 8 / Feature at 9. Dorothy Terry. Charlie Rossiter host. We are acoustic--no equipment provided. $3-$5 donation. Wheelchair accessible. Info at 708-660-9376.

Join us at 3rd Saturday Coffeehouse Open Mic Night
on April 16 featuring Chicago-area poet Dorothy Terry
Ms. Terry’s poetry has been published in The Thing about Second Chances,
Polyphony Press, Chicago; InPrint, Persiflage Press, Chicago; Zocalo,
Oaxaca, Mexico.; InPrint, Newberry Library, Chicago and most recently,
Oaxaca: Manana y Noche, Chicago. She was selected as an annual Newberry
reader in 2004, representing Brooke Bergan¹s workshop. She has been
writing poetry for many of her 80+ years, and currently lives with her
cat, Hermione.

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Uptown Poetry Slam
When
Sun, April 17, 7pm – 10pm
Where Green Mill Jazz Club, 4802 N. Broadway Ave, (773) 878-5552 (map)
Description Where the Poetry Slam began.
Every Sunday evening from 7 to 10 PM: 7 PM open mic, 8 PM slam, 9 PM featured guests. $7 cover

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Poetry Workshop with Alice George: Writing (Part One)
When
Mon, April 18, 6pm – 7pm
Where Sulzer Regional Library, 4455 N. Lincoln Avenue (map)

Description The Poetry Committee and Sulzer Regional Library welcome Alice George for a special two-part CityVerse poetry writing workshop. Part One will focus on brainstorming and writing with Part Two concentrating on revising and improving the work created during the first session. Please bring paper and a pen/pencil.

Alice George's first collection, This Must Be The Place, was published by Mayapple Press in 2008. Alice teaches poetry to students in K-12 classrooms independently and through Columbia College’s Project Aim and Northwestern University’s Center for Talent Development. She is also an instructor in the University of Chicago’s Graham School Certificate in Creative Writing program. George's work appears in eight anthologies, most recently 'Mentor and Muse' (SIU Press, 2010) and “Brute Neighbors: urban poetry, prose and photography” (DePaul Humanities Center, 2011). More information about Alice George's writing, teaching and art can be found at www.alicegeorge.org.

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Weeds Poetry Open Mic
When Mon, April 18, 10:00pm – 11:59pm
Where Weeds, 1555 N. Dayton (map)

Description Adult Only Poetry Open Mic hosted by Gregorio Gomez. One of the
longest running poetry open mics in the city of Chicago.

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Poetry Writing Workshop with Rachel Flynn
When Wed, April 20, 6pm – 7pm
Where Near North Library, 310 W. Division Street (map)

Description The Poetry of Witness: Writing Poems from Our Times

We have all lived through times of political and cultural change and have experienced them in our own personal ways. Our families have histories that are part of the history of this country and of the countries our ancestors came from. This workshop looks at some poems of “witness” – those poems that describe and explore history from a social and personal perspective – and will help inspire us to write our own poems that witness the changes, hardships, and triumphs we’ve experienced as part of our society. Many poems of witness are those of struggle, but many also describe hard-won success. Many poems of witness address social, racial, or cultural traditions head-on, while others approach these topics from a more day-to-day perspective in poems that show how ordinary people live through extraordinary times. We’ll read, write, discuss, write some more, and enjoy artwork and music of witness to spark our creative spirits. This workshop is for everyone who has a story to tell and share through poetry.

Please join us on April 13th and begin writing your own poems of witness and join us for the follow-up workshop on April 20th to discuss and revise your work

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Poetry Month at Book Cellar
When Wed, April 20, 7pm – 8pm
Where Book Cellar, 4736 N. Lincoln Ave (map)

Description Local Author Night becomes Local Poet Night, with readings by Robert McDonald, Richard Fox, Katie Phillips and Larry Baker.

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Guild Complex
When Wed, April 20, 7:30pm – 9:00pm
Where Humboldt Park's La Bruquena, 2726 W. Division (map)

Description Palabra Pura curated by David Hernandez, featuring his poetry band Street Sounds and other Latino writers, 7:30pm, La Bruquena, 2726 W. Division, free

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Words That Kill
When Thu, April 21, 7pm – 10pm
Where Creative Lounge, 1564 N. Damen Ave 3rd Fl., (map)

Description Lethal Poetry Presents W O R D S T H A T K I L L - a comedy / poetry series & omni-slam featuring local, national touring, and award winning comedians and poets every 3rd Thursday. Doors / Sign-up 7 PM / 7:30 - Open Mic / 8:00 - Poetry/ Comedy Showcase / 9:00 - Omni-Slam: open to all language-based arts. Theatrics and props are encouraged! !!!ALL AGES!!! Admission: $5 or FREE with canned goods donation.

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Arlington Poetry Project-Open Reading
When Sat, April 23, 7:30pm – 8:30pm
Where Borders, 1540 Golf Rd, Schaumburg, IL (map)

Description The reading is the 4th Saturday of the month. Arlington Poetry Project-Open Reading. 3 Rounds-Approximately 5 poems. Family friendly although some adult subject matter is read. Kids are encouraged to read. Read original work or covers.

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Uptown Poetry Slam
When Sun, April 24, 7pm – 10pm
Where Green Mill Jazz Club, 4802 N. Broadway Ave, (773) 878-5552 (map)
Description Where the Poetry Slam began.
Every Sunday evening from 7 to 10 PM: 7 PM open mic, 8 PM slam, 9 PM featured guests. $6 cover

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Poetry Workshop with Alice George: Revising (Part Two)
When
Mon, April 25, 6pm – 7pm
Where
Sulzer Regional Library, 4455 N. Lincoln Avenue (map)

DescriptionThe Poetry Committee and Sulzer Regional Library have welcomed Alice George for a special two-part CityVerse poetry writing workshop. Part One focused on brainstorming and writing. Part Two concentrates on revising and improving the work created during the first session. This Revising Workshop is for those who attended the Writing Workshop on April 18. Please bring paper and a pen/pencil.

Alice George's first collection, This Must Be The Place, was published by Mayapple Press in 2008. Alice teaches poetry to students in K-12 classrooms independently and through Columbia College’s Project Aim and Northwestern University’s Center for Talent Development. She is also an instructor in the University of Chicago’s Graham School Certificate in Creative Writing program. George's work appears in eight anthologies, most recently 'Mentor and Muse' (SIU Press, 2010) and “Brute Neighbors: urban poetry, prose and photography” (DePaul Humanities Center, 2011). More information about Alice George's writing, teaching and art can be found at www.alicegeorge.org.

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Weeds Poetry Open Mic
When
Mon, April 25, 10:00pm – 11:59pm
Where
Weeds, 1555 N. Dayton (map)
Description Adult Only Poetry Open Mic hosted by Gregorio Gomez. One of the longest running poetry open mics in the city of Chicago.

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"Write From the Heartland"WhenSaturday, Apr 30 thru May 1
Where The Cenacle, 513 Fullerton Parkway (map)

Description "Write From the Heartland" at The Cenacle, 513 Fullerton Parkway, Chicago, April 29-May 1, 2011. Gregorio Gomez will be our keynote poet, giving a FREE reading and presentation on 4/30 at 7:30-8:30p.m. The reading is Free, but reservations are necessary due to limited space. Contact Catherine Conway at www.heartspeaklisten.org or poemsheal@sbcglobal.net if interested in attending the writers workshop, ask questions or reserve a seat for the poet's reading. More info about the three day conference to come.

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SATURDAY APRIL 30
HAROLD WASHINGTON LIBRARY, POETRY FEST, 10 AM TO 4 PM

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National Poetry Month Cram
When Sat, April 30, 7pm – 9pm
Where Cafe Ballou, 939 N. Western Ave. (map)

Description National Poetry Month Cram
Saturday, April 30, 7 to 9 PM
(following the big poetry fest)
Café Ballou, 939 N. Western Ave.
Everyone gets a free copy of Poetry Cram Volume 11
Cram 11 Poets read, plus open mic!
Hosted by CJ Laity
visit http://poetrycram.com

++CLICK HERE++
NOW ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS OF POETRY FOR CRAM VOLUME 11
TO BE GIVEN AWAY FREE AT THE BIG POETRY MONTH FESTIVAL

CJ Laity: Point Nemo

2011-03-07T15:49:00.001-08:00

.
.
'Point Nemo' by CJ Laity is a sharp and funny satire of the insanity that passes for contemporary
American political and media sensibility in all of its collapsing imperial goodness. A great beach read . . .

--Larry Winfield, author of Banjo Strings

Joseph Engel is convicted of treason and strapped to a gurney in the Terre Haute federal death chamber. When the warden asks him if he has any last words, Joe begins talking non-stop, telling the strange tale of how he ended up there, challenging the warden to quote him a law that puts a time limit on a prisoner's final statement. What happens when a populated island called the Sovereign Nation of Aurora is discovered at Point Nemo, the point in the ocean farthest away from any land? What happens when the king of the island, a dreadlocked man named Harmon, hacks into the entire American communications infrastructure with a video stream offering a trade proposal? What happens when an America controlled by an insane government plots to invade the island and turn it into a military base? What happens when a senator's cook named Joe unwittingly finds himself the American Ambassador to the island? Joe is going to tell you what happens, as he stalls his execution as long as possible. Can Joe talk his way out of the death chamber? .

Order Point Nemo: $12 even PayPay ** $12 +ship CreateSpace ** $12 +ship Amazon
Help Fund Point Nemo's printing with $20 or more and get a signed copy, wow!

*click to order a book*

I
* KING HARMON *
18:00 in the death chamber.
On a rainy Saturday, July first, the curtain was pulled away and I could see the shapes of the witnesses behind the tinted window of the asparagus colored death chamber in Terre Haute. I reclined on a black gurney, strapped in, covered to my neck by a light gray sheet under which a heart monitor was connected to my chest, the IV waiting to carry the deadly three-drug combination into my bloodstream inserted into my leg. Warden Harvey Pickett stood at attention at my side facing the window and U.S. Marshal Andrew Freeman stood near a bright red phone that was on a metal tray next to a door. There was a white analog clock on the wall in front of me and a closed-circuit video camera watching me from the ceiling.

“Do you have any last words,” the warden hailed without facing me.

“I certainly do,” I said, my eyes desperately scanning the room. “I wish to make a final statement. First, I would like to say that if the Chinese had granted me asylum six and a half years ago, I wouldn’t be in the fix I’m in. I was picked up by a Ching Chiang class patrol ship, you know, after the helicopter that took me off the island crashed in the South Pacific. I was held in a brig with a Chinese prisoner who had brown birthmarks on his cheeks and who had an ear bigger than the other. He lay on a cot, his hands chained to the wall, and I sat on another cot across from him, my body free of restraints. I asked him if he knew what had started the international crisis and he merely smiled a mouthful of gray teeth at me. Amazed that he had been kept so ignorant, I began to tell him how it all began.

“‘The Sovereign Nation of Aurora sat in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean for weeks,’ I told him, ‘unnoticed by the other seven billion people of the world, while Murray Goldberger, the student from the University of Pennsylvania who discovered the island while studying cloud patterns, wrote a career making article that he easily got published in a leading scientific journal. That article was then republished in National Geographic, but still, nobody paid it any mind. It wasn’t until bold headlines at the supermarket checkout lines shouted “Prehistoric Island Surfaces” and “Atlantis Appears In South Pacific!” that I paid attention, and even then it was just for a laugh while waiting for the new kid to figure out how to properly scan a barcode. Of course, I assumed, the headlines were a joke. The buzz eventually moved from the tabloids to National Public Radio talk shows that featured experts debating the existence of “Point Nemo Island.” The loud and obnoxious cable news anchors weighed in next. They had photos taken by NASA satellites that seemed to prove that there was indeed an up until that point undiscovered island somewhere near the oceanic pole of inaccessibility, previously considered to be the point in the ocean farthest away from any land.’

“The Chinese prisoner’s glassy eyes blankly stared at me.

“‘Things in the world started to get hairy,’ I continued, ‘when Robert Rush, host of the cable show Oh Really! theorized that the mysterious Point Nemo land mass may not be an island at all, but maybe it was some type of giant warship, because its coordinates radically changed with each satellite photo taken of it. When Robert Rush’s touch of fear was added to the equation, everyone perked up and attached the letters WTF to a link on their Facebook pages.

“‘Scientists attempted to calm the American people. They enlarged a satellite image and showed us a forest and a massive mountaintop peeking up through the fog. They argued that the land mass could not have been manmade because it was about the size of Tokyo. They also debated Mr. Goldberger’s theory that it recently formed by means of a volcanic eruption, arguing that there were all sorts of foliage growing on the island and certain shadows in the photos, they said, suggested that wildlife existed there. What they couldn’t explain was why the island seemed to shift in location, and so far, despite the photos of bits and pieces of it appearing through the fog, nobody had actually set foot on it. So the wild theories persisted.’”

Warden Pickett grunted and his eyes rolled briefly toward me.

“‘The fog closed in around the land mass one day and no one could find it anymore, so stories ran about the elaborate hoax that was Point Nemo Island, and poor Murray Goldberger was about to kiss his fame goodbye; until, three weeks later, the fog dissipated completely and there it was, at a new set of coordinates, shaped like a 40 mile long banjo, with a thirty mile peninsula leading into a pyramid-shaped mountain of lush vegetation circled by sand. There wasn’t a newspaper in the states that didn’t have an image of the land mass taken from outer space on its front page,’ I told the Chinese prisoner, pretending to hold a newspaper in front of my face.

“‘The cable news anchors shouted at each other about whether the island should be preserved or turned into a military base. America became divided on this point and hysteria about the subject became contagious.’ The Chinese prisoner coughed. ‘People insulted each other on internet comment boards, calling each other “fascist right wing neocons” and “lefty liberal moonbats.” Somebody in Holly Pond, Alabama plucked someone’s eye out with a spoon in a diner as the two of them argued about the island and the incident made national headlines. The hysteria was isolated though, as no other country besides America had yet been able to confirm the existence of the island. Foreign news sources were giving it little attention, some even shrugging it off as yet another invention of the American government to justify a military invasion of some sort.

“‘President Nolin,’ I said, ‘you know, President Nolin?’ The Chinese prisoner smiled and shrugged his shoulders. ‘She addressed the nation during a live broadcast to assure us that an expedition of our top intellectuals led by the United States Military would soon be under way and that by the end of the week, America will have had set foot on Point Nemo Island. “There’s no telling’ what we’ll find but I’m bettin’ on a bunch of trees and not much else,” Nolin said. “This thing must-a been there all along. It seems impossible that with all our technoligy nobody noticed it before but that's just what musta happened. It’s a ginormous ocean you know.” President Nolin then went on for some time about how she planned to hunt down and kill terrorists wherever they hid and then she said a prayer and her little show was over.’”

The warden shifted his weight and grumbled, “If you’re holding out for a last minute stay, you should know that the judge who signed your death warrant has passed, so you’re only stalling the inevitable.”

“Warden,” I said, “what state was I convicted in?”

“You were convicted in Utah,” the warden answered with a slight sneer.

“Isn’t it true that, even though we’re in Indiana, pursuant to eighteen United States Code three five nine six, the method of execution to be used on federal prisoners is that of the state in which the conviction took place?”

“That is the law,” the warden barked.

“And isn’t it true that the ‘method of execution’ applies not only to the means, lethal injection, but to the method in which that means is carried out?”

“We have gone through painstaking efforts to proceed under the laws of Utah,” the warden assured me.

“Isn't it common practice in Utah to allow a capital offender the chance to say his peace before his execution?”

“It is.”

“What part of Utah’s code of criminal procedure puts a time limit on a prisoner’s last words?”

“What’s the law on that?” the warden huffed.

“I’m not sure,” said the marshal.

“Until you quote the law that stops me, I plan to proceed.

“‘Something extraordinary happened next,’ I told the Chinese prisoner,” I said as the warden turned and gawked at me. “‘Immediately following President Nolin’s speech, every television transmission and every internet connection in America was taken over by a broadcast of a speech from a happy looking brown man with dreadlocks, big white teeth and bloodshot eyes. He sat on a park bench over a bed of sand in front of a wall of multicolored rock, wearing a wrinkled and weathered shirt with palm trees printed on it. He blinked a lot and flung his locks out of his eyes with the back of his hand as he spoke. His speech appeared on every laptop in every internet café, on the big screen in Times Square, on fifty-seven different televisions at the local electronics store, even for those with digital converter boxes and rabbit ear antennas. His speech trumped all radio broadcasts and if you were on your cell phone during those few minutes, he spoke into your ear.’

“The Chinese prisoner seemed to be dozing off so I spoke up. ‘“People of America,” the happy man said, shaking his head and waving at us. “Please let me introduce myself. I am King Harmon of the Sovereign Nation of Aurora. For many centuries, the Nation of Aurora has existed in secrecy, independent of the rest of the world, because ours is a land of abundance and to be honest about it,” he winked an eye and a gold tooth glimmered from somewhere deep in his mouth, “there hasn’t been much you could offer us. We’ve always been a happy and peaceful nation without a care. Sadly, the time has come that our resources have run low, so we can no longer remain invisible to the world. So here we are, America,” he announced with formality, “self-proclaimed land of plenty, we make ourselves known to you in order to peacefully trade with you.” King Harmon flipped his hair out of his eyes and inhaled and exhaled with a firm nod of his head. “You will find that our needs are small compared to the vast resources we can offer in return.”

“‘A slender, dark skinned woman with braided hair briefly entered the frame to wipe some sand off of the king’s cheek with a little brush. One of her breasts plopped out of her kimono and it dangled there for a second before she disappeared into the sideline. King Harmon cleared his throat loudly.

“‘“American people,” he proclaimed, “we show ourselves in peace, and we anticipate the arrival of the expedition that your, uh, president talks about. Please however,” he said with a shrug and a grimace, squinting his eyes as if reading a cue card, “I am obligated to inform you that approaching Aurora without permission is impossible. No foreign vessels are allowed access to the shores of Aurora. We ask that your expedition rendezvous with the Royal Auroran Forces, where we will graciously pick up your council of representatives for, shall we say, a preliminary diplomatic meeting of the minds. If you’re down with that, please announce your intentions on any source of communication. We have access to it all.”

“‘King Harmon cleared his throat again and he looked straight into the eyes of each and every American. “We look forward to meeting and negotiating with the American people. Thank you and we now, how do you say it, resume you to your regularly scheduled programming.”'"

“Are you finished?” the warden pressed.

I ignored the warden and continued talking. “‘That evening’s news was dominated by the FCC promising to track down whoever was responsible for hacking into America’s communication infrastructure,’ I said as the Chinese prisoner yawned. ‘Diplomats and scientists assured us there was no populated island in the Pacific pole of inaccessibility, that the broadcast was a hoax. Raving talking heads speculated that since the broadcast only appeared within the United States, that it was the work of a foreign terrorist entity. Images of Osama bin Laden carrying a machinegun were aired while the talking heads talked, even when they weren’t talking about Osama bin Laden.

“‘On the other hand,’ I said, reaching over and tapping the Chinese prisoner’s knee, ‘the footage of King Harmon went viral on YouTube. Someone doctored the pitch of King Harmon’s voice to make his words sound as if they were sung to the theme to Gilligan’s Island: “People of America, introduce myself. King Harmon of Aurora. For centuries Aurora has exi-isted. In seee-eee-crecy.” The video received over one million views during its first day. Within a few more days posters and stickers of a likeness of King Harmon that resembled in style the work of Andy Warhol appeared on light poles and on abandoned buildings. By the end of the week, a riverboat casino in Illinois launched an advertising campaign: “Come and see the Aurora that really exists!”

“‘Some weeks later, as the buzz was dying down, President Nolin decided it would be wise to send Damodar Bhatnagar, her Chief Science Advisor, to CNM to be interviewed about why Point Nemo Island could not be located by anything other than a satellite. Damodar’s face was like an infant child, bloated with a too tight shirt collar, with bushy brows over deeply set eyes that seemed not to really look at anything.

“‘“We aren’t dealing with anything very mysterious here,” Damodar assured the anchorwoman who wore thick makeup and long, stiff hair. “The weather in that part of the world is atrocious. And the discrepancies in the island’s actual location are caused by magnetic fluctuations caused by solar flares playing havoc with our satellites. Once these conditions rectify themselves, which they naturally will, America will be setting foot on Point Nemo and we will proudly plant our flag there.”

“‘The anchorwoman pursed her lips and held her hand up to her ear, listening to a device that was in it. “Am I hearing this correctly?” she asked. “Do we actually have King Harmon live on video?”

“‘“What is this?” Damodar protested as he found himself on a split screen to the left of King Harmon, who was wearing a spectacular tie die shirt and jewel studded sunglasses, standing in front of a line of palms trees that flapped with a breeze.

“‘“I beg to differ,” King Harmon protested. “The weather here is quite lovely as always, as you can see,” and King Harmon’s camera strayed for a moment to show two children, a boy and a girl, who were completely naked, happily throwing stones into the foamy ocean waves with a beautiful blue sky beyond them.’”

“I’m really not sure what the time limit is in Utah,” the marshal quacked.

“Could you please find out?” the warden yapped.

Marshal Freeman picked up the red telephone receiver and he whispered into it.

“‘The broadcast swung back to King Harmon,’ I told the Chinese prisoner, swinging my arms at him as the patrol ship rocked. “As for our location,” and the king made a silly face and pointed downward at a caption that read: “Forty-eight degrees, fifty-two minutes, thirty-two seconds south; one hundred twenty-three degrees, twenty-three minutes, thirty-three seconds west.”

"'“Those are the coordinates, dude. Get a map,” the king laughed, “and draw a line from Ducie Island to Easter Island to Maher Island and back to Ducie and then plant a dot at the center of that triangle and that’s where the Royal Auroran Forces will meet you.”'"

“Hold on a second,” the marshal said with his hand over the receiver.

“‘“Hold on one second!” Damodar butted in, but King Harmon would have none of it,’” I said loudly over the marshal. “‘The king raised his voice as he continued!

“‘“Simply let us know when you intend to rendezvous with us and we’ll pick up your council for a preliminary meeting of the minds.”

“‘“Sir,” Damodar shouted back, “are you aware of the trouble you’re in?”

“‘“Mr. Bhatnagar,” King Harmon calmly said. “I am King Harmon of the Sovereign Nation of Aurora. I merely wish to discuss the possibility of a trade agreement. What possible trouble could come out of that?”

“‘“Sir, you are a phony and a fake!” Damodar raged as he flustered about. “You are an opportunist, perhaps a very talented hacker but nothing more. You’ll find yourself behind bars soon enough!”

“‘“Calm down, man,” the king said, clenching his teeth, his flat nostrils vibrating. He let out a long sigh. “Sheesh. Okay. I get it.”'"

“Do we have to stand here and listen to this?” the warden complained.

“‘“I’m not going to participate in this!”’” Damodar cried.

“They’re going to get back to us,” the marshal urged, slamming the phone down with a "Bangbing!"

“‘“To your eyes, we weren’t here yesterday, but now we’re here today. It all must seem like magic. How can that be, you want to know.” While the king spoke, behind him a topless, dark skinned woman in a dazzling gold head wrap, wearing a skirt made out of strings of beads, picked fruit from a small tree, putting them into a bowl that she held snugly under her arm.

“‘“Oh for heaven’s sake!” Damodar cried,’ I said to the Chinese prisoner,” I told the witnesses behind the tinted window, jinxing the warden.

“‘“I can’t give you all the answers, lickety split, just like that, man. At least have the courtesy to meet me face to face. I’ll tell you what, come to the coordinates and then send out one of those drones that I keep hearing about,” King Harmon proposed with inspiration. “I’ll let it enter our airspace,” and he flew his right hand over his left hand making propeller sounds with his lips, “to perform one single flyover—”

“‘“Are you on drugs?!”

“The Chinese prisoner jolted as if he thought I was about to strike him.

“‘“—during which you can snap as many photos as you like to prove to yourselves that we are indeed a nation of peaceful people. And then,” the king nodded his head, his locks swinging, “get back to us about when we can meet to discuss trade negotiations. Peace brothers.” King Harmon stuck up his hand and gave the peace sign, but I swear I saw his eyes express a bit of disgust behind his sunglasses, before his side of the screen went blank.

“‘The ticker tape at the bottom of the screen reported “King Harmon Invites U.S. Drone To Fly Over Point Nemo.”

“‘“Will the U.S. Government accept the offer?” the anchorwoman enquired.

“‘“This was an ambush,” Damodar objected.

“‘“Mr. Bhatnagar, will the United States be sending a drone to inspect Point Nemo Island?”

“‘“That’s not up to me. But I will say this person you are dealing with is undoubtedly a cyber terrorist and the United States of America does not negotiate with terrorists. Judging by that broadcast, that you should be ashamed to have aired, we should all be disturbed by the images of those nude children. I’m very, very concerned for their safety. It’s our obligation as Americans to protect those children from this madman.”

“‘A few days later,’ I said, winking at the Chinese prisoner, ‘a slender white drone was launched from a navy vessel toward the coordinates. As it flew away into the horizon, it undoubtedly faded into a sudden fog beyond which were waves of red and green light. The navy lost track of the drone and I imagine there was a lot of frantic manipulation of instruments and panicky voices shouting, until the drone reappeared and landed safely upon the vessel without a hitch.

“‘The photos taken by the drone were promptly leaked. They showed small villages made up of huts and tents, with some frame houses and stone structures as well, unpaved roads occupied by ox drawn carriages ridden by men and boys in triangular straw hats, as well as a few rectangular, rusty sedans and flatbed trucks of no known make or model. The photos also showed farm after farm with vast, healthy crops growing. Some photos showed populations of barely dressed people performing activities of work and play. One photo showed women washing fabric in a creek, and another, a man waist deep in water casting a fishing pole into the ocean. Some of the people appeared to be waving up at the drone with huge smiles on their faces.

“‘Most of the photos were taken over the five mile wide rolling jungle that stretched thirty miles from south to north. At the northernmost part of that peninsula, the land rose until it hit a gigantic four sided mountain circled by white beaches, piers and various boats.

“‘The photos that were taken of the mountain itself were nothing short of breathtaking. Magnificent waterfalls sparkled among the thick forest of it and winding roads and trails scarred all sides of it. The photos suggested that the mountain communities revolved around individual tasks. In one photo dozens of people gathered around a tremendous psychedelic rug woven out of a long machine made out of wood. Another village seemed devoted to maintaining a giant contraption of tubes and flasks with fires of various sizes underneath it and stacks of wood barrels near the still. Yet another photo showed a valley that boasted an elaborate stage with colorfully dressed people dancing and leaping into the air on it, while a crowd of others gathered on a lawn in front of it to watch.’”

“You could see all of that from a photo,” murmured the warden.

“Actually, when you looked at the photos on the internet, you could zoom in even closer to see all sorts of wildlife—monkeys and lions and foxes among them—in the forest, yes, but mingling about the people as well, who seemed to pay them no mind. You could see flocks of birds flying over the trees and schools of fish in crystal clear ponds. You could zoom in to see bananas and mangos and coconuts growing in the trees.

“‘Toward the top of the mountain,’ I continued with the Chinese prisoner, ‘some igloos could be spotted. The people at the farthest reaches of the mountain were of a lighter complexion and were fully dressed, most wearing coats, bushy hats and gloves. One photo showed about thirty of these fully dressed individuals waiting in a single file line to enter a cave. And at the very top of the mountain, everything disappeared into a barren, rocky peak that seemed to be sprinkled with glitter.

“‘To anyone in America with a pulse, the island was now called Aurora.

“‘But that didn’t stop certain people from yakking.

“‘“I think what we’re dealing with is some type of cult,” one expert professed. “Perhaps this lunatic who calls himself a king is a tax-evading millionaire who’s running a slave trading ring.”

“‘“Quite clearly Point Nemo is not occupied by a technologically advanced people,” another expert testified. “To assume that these natives in their loincloths with their campfires hacked into the entire communication infrastructure of the United States of America is pure folly. What we’re dealing with is a foreign entity, using this discovery as a negotiating tool. Perhaps Iran and North Korea are behind this!”

“‘“This is the real world,” yet another expert insisted. “An island does not move from point to point and it does not disappear and reappear. This isn’t an episode of LOST. If we look beyond the smoke and mirrors the bottom line remains: something is out there. If we increase the amount of vessels in the expedition and use our Air Force to scour the area, we’ll eventually run into this thing. Just get it done already!”

“‘The Sovereign Nation of Aurora was not recognized by the United States of America, which continued to call it Point Nemo. A dozen ships were sent out to find it, but each no doubt found itself wandering around, lost in the wafts and swirls of colorful lights as the island’s coordinates kept changing, and the Air Force no doubt flew around in circles looking down at nothing but glowing white fog. For months the hunt was on, until the New Madrid fault line slipped, giving Chicago one hell of a jolt.’”

“I remember that!” a muffled voice shouted from behind the tinted window.

“‘Then came Bondo Ongimba, President of Gabon, standing on the shore with a big smile on his face as he shook King Harmon’s hand. America turned red,’ I said, giving the Chinese prisoner another slap on the knee, ‘not from partisanship but from embarrassment, when a small African state of rainforests set foot on the mysterious island before it could. What I hear was, CIA operatives in Gabon found out a deal had been struck between the Gabonese and the Aurorans. Aurora would be allowed to retrieve one hundred tons of aluminum ore in exchange for some type of undisclosed technology. As preposterous as it sounded, the powers that be nearly had a collective stroke, and the match was thrown into the gasoline when other nations around the globe began thawing to the idea of Aurora’s existence.’

“I reached forward to tap the Chinese prisoner’s knee and he kicked his foot at me, so I sat back and continued.

Dear Reader,

I hope you have enjoyed reading the first 4000 words of my 62,000 word fiction novel, Point Nemo. I'm currently offering a limited number of self-published "collector's" editions to those who are interested, while I search for a permanent publisher for the story. The collector's editions will be professionally printed on demand in the form of 160 page, 8.5 x 5.5 books with glossy covers. They will most certainly be rarities after the manuscript finds its permanent publishing house.

Order Point Nemo: $12 even PayPay ** $12 +ship CreateSpace ** $12 +ship Amazon
Help Fund Point Nemo's printing with $20 or more and get a signed copy, wow!
After you read the book, feel free contact me to let me know what you think, because I will be collecting blurbs to help promote the book to publishers. Also, the manuscript has been entered into a major contest, so please wish me luck.

Yours in Poetry and Fiction too,

CJ Laity

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2011-03-07T15:29:00.001-08:00

Dan Sinker is Twitter's @MayorEmanuel

2011-03-03T15:05:00.000-08:00

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The following is a message from Young Chicago Authors that ChicagoPoetry.com received by email.

Young Chicago Authors thanks Dan Sinker, Mayor-Elect Emanuel

CHICAGO, IL - March 3rd, 2011 - Young Chicago Authors (YCA) wishes to thank Dan Sinker, the person behind the @MayorEmanuel twitter account, who has chosen YCA as the recipient of a $5,000 charitable donation from Mayor-Elect Rahm Emanuel. In addition, YCA thanks Causes.com who matched the contribution and WLS 890 AM hosts Roe Conn and Richard Roeper who added $1,000 each.

"Young Chicago Authors would like to thank Rahm Emanuel, Dan Sinker, Causes.com, Roe Conn and Richard Roeper for their generous donations. As we celebrate our 20th year of serving youth from all over the Chicago area, this gift will help us to continue our mission of transforming the lives of young people by cultivating their voices through writing, publication, and performance education," expressed Debbi Welch, President of the Young Chicago Authors Board of Directors.

During the course of 2010-11 mayoral campaign, Dan Sinker, an associate professor at Columbia College, humorously put up tweets posing as @MayorEmanuel. These tweets gained national notoriety for their profanity-laced take on several events surrounding the campaign. Those following the tweets included Emanuel, who promised to donate $5,000 to the charity of the tweeter's choice if he or she revealed who they were.

On Wednesday, March 2nd Sinker and Emanuel met on The Roe Conn Show with Richard Roeper on WLS - 890 AM. Sinker announced that he had chosen Young Chicago Authors as the recipient of the donation. Emanuel praised the decision because Sinker was helping kids "find their voice." Sinker also had high praise for the organization mentioning it's Louder Than A Bomb poetry festival, Saturday Writing Program and "Say What" Magazine which had featured Sinker years ago. Later in the conversation, the Mayor-Elect noted that he had attended Louder Than A Bomb. In fact, he can be seen in the audience of 2008 festival which was recently chronicled in the "Louder Than A Bomb" documentary film.

"As the proud mother of two YCA graduates and now as the board's president, I can attest to the tremendous impact and importance this program can have on young people's lives. Our organization is glad that Dan Sinker, Rahm Emanuel, Causes.com, Roe Conn and Richard Roeper feel the same. If you are interested in finding out more about our organization, we encourage you to visit our website youngchicagoauthors.org or call us at 773-486-4331. Also, please consider making a donation yourself."

Young Chicago Authors transforms the lives of young people by cultivating their voices through writing, publication, and performance education.

Poetry Fest at Harold Washington Library April 30, 2011

2011-02-22T07:22:00.000-08:00

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POETRY FEST IS COMING

Early warning. Mark you calendar for Saturday, April 30, because that is when the annual Chicago Public Library Poetry Fest will take place at Harold Washington Library, 400 S. State Street, from 10am until 4:30pm. Once again, ChicagoPoetry.com will be in the lobby all day giving away free copies of Poetry Cram Volume 11 (interested in being part of it? Check out PoetryCram.com). There will also be many other local presses representing in the lobby all day, and I have the heads up on some of the programming that will be offered for free as part of this National Poetry Month event.

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Dear You: A Poetry Writing Workshop with Rachel Javellana
Time: 10:00 am - 11:30 pm

Letter poems--or epistolary poems--speak a message that may be addressed to the living or the dead, cities, children, presidents, police or other poets. These letters can reach across the boundaries that separate us. We, as readers, are allowed to peek inside the 'letters' and see what they reveal. In this workshop, participants will read and discuss various approaches to the letter poem by diverse authors. We will explore the power of written letters and what the convention of letter writing has to offer to poetry and to us today. We will then create our own letter poems, drawing on our discussion. Please bring your own writing supplies. Writers of all levels are welcome and no experience is necessary.

Rachel Javellana is a poet and award-winning teaching artist in the Chicago community. Her poems have appeared most recently in The MacGuffin and Buffalo Carp.

Attendance is limited to the first 20 attendees.

Program will take place in Multi-Purpose Room A, located in the lower level.

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Haiku Festival: Reading and Awards Ceremony
Time: 10:00 am

The awards ceremony of the 7th annual Haiku Festival will feature readings by the winning poets, ages 8 to 14, and comments from this year's special guest, teacher and poet John S. O'Connor. The reading and ceremony are open to the public and appropriate for all ages.

To enter the Haiku Festival, students in grades 4-8 should submit one haiku poem to the event's coodinator by March 19. Instructions can be found on the event's website, http://www.haikufest.com.

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The Digital SpeakEasy
Time: 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

iRemix Spoken Word presents some of the best teen poets featured at YOUmedia's Lyricist Loft. Teens will showcase original works of poetry that bridge traditional spoken word with multimedia pathways. Come check out how teens are exploring and presenting poetry in the 21st Century.

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Marrying the Verse: The Poem in the Body: A Writing Workshop with Roger Bonair-Time: 12:00 pm

Learn how to draw upon your body and your voice when writing poetry. Using poems by Rachel McKibbens, Patricia Smith and Yusef Komunyakaa as examples, this workshop will explore the relationship between your written poetry as it exists on the page and your body's voice as it speaks from the stage. Two-time National Slam Champion Roger Bonair-Agard is a Cave Canem fellow, and has appeared on Def Poetry Jam and 60 Minutes; his latest book, Gully, is published by Peepal Tree Press.

Attendance is limited to the first 20 attendees.

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Nikki Giovanni
Time: 2:00 pm

Free admission; first-come seating begins at 1:30 PM.

Nikki Giovanni is the author of more than 30 books for adults and children. She published her first book of poetry, Black Feeling, Black Talk, in 1968. Her autobiography, Gemini, was a finalist for the National Book Award. One of Oprah Winfrey’s 25 “Living Legends,” Giovanni has received dozens of honorary degrees, and the Langston Hughes Medal for Poetry.

Co-sponsored by The Poetry Foundation.

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Open Mic Hosted by Brother Mike
Time: 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm

We are calling on the diverse body of poets from the Chicagoland area to represent their work or re-present the works of their favorite poets. We encourage the community to share new work and discover the works of poets contemporary and traditional.

This event will be held in the Reception Hall on the Lower Level.

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Haiku and Other Forms Writing: A Workshop with Regina Harris Baiocchi
Time: 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Haiku - a traditional form of poetry developed over three centuries in Japan - has been written and published in English since at least the 1930s. Learn more about this brief form and its relatives, and try your hand at other types of formal poetry, giving your writing shape and structure. Regina Harris Baiocchi is a composer and author whose works have been performed by the Chicago Symphony and around the world; Urban Haiku & Other Selected Poems was published by Susaami Books in 1994.

This workshop is open to the first 20 attendees.

Located in Multipurpose Room A, lower level.

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More events may be added to the Poetry Fest schedule.

Chicago Public Library Poetry Fest 2011

2011-02-21T09:02:00.000-08:00

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Here is a link with updates about the programming for this year's Poetry Fest at Harold Washington Library.

New Issue Of Muzzle

2011-02-15T13:09:00.000-08:00

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The new issue of Muzzle includes my review of Carlos Cumpian's new chapbook.

CLICK HERE TO READ IT and then use the link at the top of the page to read the rest of the Winter Issue.

FRIEDA FENSTER MURDER SOLVED

2011-02-08T19:01:00.001-08:00

Back in December of 1983, during my first year as a Writing Major at Columbia College, I was taking a journalism class and I had to write a human interest story. I chose a 77 year old woman named Frieda Stein Fenster as my subject, because she owned a used bookstore and magic shop that I liked to hang out in a few blocks from the Wabash campus. I talked with Frieda extensively, recording our conversations on cassette tape in order to write my article. During the winter break, only days after I turned my assignment in, I was back with my family in Aurora, IL, and I was watching television and there was the story of Frieda's murder. By the time I returned to school, Frieda's six story brick building and everything inside it was already torn down, hauled away and turned into a parking lot. That was my first experience of the often cold nature of big city life. I was so affected by it, that I even sponsored a poetry contest called the Frieda Stein Fenster Memorial Award from 2003 through 2007.

Today, February 8, 2011, 27 years later, a man who is already serving a life sentence for sexual assault has been charged with Frieda's murder after DNA linked him to the crime. I don't want to go over the grisly details of this poor woman's rape and murder or repeat the ugly comments the alleged perpetrated made when charged with the crime. Instead, let me tell you a little bit about Frieda Stein Fenster.

When I met Frieda, she was looking forward to the 100th anniversary of Stein's Books, established by her father Max Stein, who was brought to Chicago from Germany when he was ten years old. Max's father opened a cigar and magazine shop, which Max eventually took over and turned into a publishing house and paperback outlet that published 50 titles--including the infamous "Abe Lincoln Jokes"-- through the 20s and 30s as well as collectible postcards. It was first at 521 S. State but moved across the street to 526 S. State in 1954. The new building was previously occupied by a magician named Howard Thurston and Max bought the rights to Thurston's magic books and turned part of his bookstore into a novelty shop. Frieda lived in downtown Chicago all of her life, where she roller skated and sold Mexican jumping beans in the window of her father's bookstore. She went to high school in Hyde Park, and attended the University of Chicago as well as Northwestern. Frieda had a chance to work on a dictionary at Northwestern but passed it up to take over her family's business so that her parents could travel. These are some of the things that Frieda told me during our conversations 27 years ago.

--CJ Laity

Man Charged In Frieda Stein Fenster Murder

2011-02-08T17:22:00.000-08:00

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Back in December of 1983, during my first year as a Writing Major at Columbia College, I was taking a journalism class and I had to write a human interest story. I chose a 77 year old woman named Frieda Stein Fenster as my subject, because she owned a used bookstore and magic shop that I liked to hang out in a few blocks from the Wabash campus. I talked with Frieda extensively, recording our conversations on cassette tape in order to write my article. During the winter break, only days after I turned my assignment in, I was back with my family in Aurora, IL, and I was watching television and there was the story of Frieda's murder. By the time I returned to school, Frieda's six story brick building and everything inside it was already torn down, hauled away and turned into a parking lot. That was my first experience of the often cold nature of big city life. I was so affected by it, that I even sponsored a poetry contest called the Frieda Stein Fenster Memorial Award from 2003 through 2007.

Today, February 8, 2011, 27 years later, a man who is already serving a life sentence for sexual assault has been charged with Frieda's murder after DNA linked him to the crime. I don't want to go over the grisly details of this poor woman's rape and murder or repeat the ugly comments the alleged perpetrated made when charged with the crime. Instead, let me tell you a little bit about Frieda Stein Fenster.

When I met Frieda, she was looking forward to the 100th anniversary of Stein's Books, established by her father Max Stein, who was brought to Chicago from Germany when he was ten years old. Max's father opened a cigar and magazine shop, which Max eventually took over and turned into a publishing house and paperback outlet that published 50 titles--including the infamous "Abe Lincoln Jokes"-- through the 20s and 30s as well as collectible postcards. It was first at 521 S. State but moved across the street to 526 S. State in 1954. The new building was previously occupied by a magician named Howard Thurston and Max bought the rights to Thurston's magic books and turned part of his bookstore into a novelty shop. Frieda lived in downtown Chicago all of her life, where she roller skated and sold Mexican jumping beans in the window of her father's bookstore. She went to high school in Hyde Park, and attended the University of Chicago as well as Northwestern. Frieda had a chance to work on a dictionary at Northwestern but passed it up to take over her family's business so that her parents could travel. These are some of the things that Frieda told me during our conversations 27 years ago.

--CJ Laity

COMING SOON: POINT NEMO

2011-01-28T10:04:00.000-08:00

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As most of you know, for the last two months I've been working on my new novel of magical realism called Point Nemo that is now in the final stages of copyediting. As I await the results of a contest that it has been entered into and as I look for a permanent publisher for it, I will soon be sharing a limited number of self-published "review" editions to fans of ChicagoPoetry.com. The review editions will come in the form of a 160 page, 5.5' x 8.5' collector's book with a glossy cover, that will be available for purchase within the next couple of weeks, so keep your eyes peeled for a chance to read my intense political satire before it hits the shelves, what I feel is the best thing I've ever written. And thank you for the patience as I put the poetry biz on the backburner while possessed by the fiction muse. Rest assured, I'm still here.

Wednesday, January 5: Brains

2010-12-23T09:13:00.000-08:00

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Wed, Jan 5
7:30 PM
Vittum Theatre
1012 N Noble St,

THE ENCYCLOPEDIA SHOW PRESENTS SERIES 3, VOLUME 5:
BRAINS !

Chicago Slam Works brings to you the 2009 "Orgie Theatre Award" winning Encyclopedia Show.

Tickets at the door.
$8 Adults
$5 Students
All ages

www.encyclopediashow.com

This Month - BRAINS. With music, poetry, visual art and spoken word on the topic: BRAINS.

Featuring (Contributor - Theme):

James Tadd Adcox (Artifice Magazine) The Technium;

Mary Hamilton(Quickies!) Prosopagnosia;

Tasha Viets-VanLear (LTAB Finalist) Lucid Dreaming;

Mason Johnson (Silvertongue Reading Series) Krang (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles);

Caitlin Parrish (USC MFA Candidate) Toxoplasmosis;

Jim Dobson (International Forensics Superstar) Octopus Tentacle Peripheral Nervous Systems;

an original composition on Alzheimer's Disease by composer Roy Magnuson and performed by the Élan String Quartet;

and an interview with professional neurologist Dr. Rimas V. Lukas.

With hosts

Robbie Q Telfer (Author of Spiking the Sucker Punch) and

Shanny Jean Maney (Author of Our Brave Faces Were Just Smiles)

cast regulars:

Fact Checker Ian Belknap (Write Club);

Patrick Carberry (Fiction Writer);

Tim Stafford (HBO Def Poet);

Joel Chmara (HBO Def Poet);

Edward Thomas-Herrera(Boy Girl Boy Girl);

Evan Chung (Musician) - House Band Leader "The Encartagans";

and Emily Rose (Poetry Vet and House Manager) -as Jilted Emily Rose.

About The Encyclopedia Show
Winner of a 2009 "Orgie Theatre Award", The Encyclopedia Show is brought to you from the minds of poets and producers Robbie Q Telfer and Shanny Jean Maney. The Encyclopedia Show showcases visual art, comedy, music and spoken word on a wide variety of subjects related to a chosen topic. Each month a new topic is picked from the encyclopedia and related assignments are sent to a diverse group of writers, artists, poets and performers. Past contributors have included Bill Ayers, Marc Smith, Paul Sereno, Anis Mojgani, Idris Goodwin, Lisa Buscani, Cameron McGill, Kevin Coval, Cin Salach, Roger Bonair-Agard and Derrick Brown. For audio from previous shows and additional information, please visit www.encyclopediashow.com

The Encyclopedia Show draws its novice and notable talent from Chicago Area and National Artists in the Slam, Academic and Youth artists' communities. To date, the show has been staged in ten different cities around the globe from Austin to Vancouver to Seoul South Korea.

About Chicago Slam Works:
Chicago Slam Works brings together audiences, poets and arts organizations to promote the quality of oral tradition through well-crafted poetry. www.chicagoslamworks.com.

Another Chicago Magazine 50: The Chicago Issue

2010-12-15T16:13:00.000-08:00

Another Chicago Magazine #50 v.1
The Chicago Issue
Left Field Press
Reviewed by CJ Laity

I can remember first hearing about the calls for submissions for ACM’s Chicago Issue over a year ago. It promised a “playful jab” at Granta, a journal that was first published in 1889 at Cambridge and that was reinvented in 1979 as a magazine of new writing. At that time, Granta had recently come out with its own “Chicago issue” that was released locally with a lot of hoopla, hoopla that was quickly drowned out by critics who complained of its “lack of Chicago writers.” Throughout this year, ACM 50 became a labor of love for Editor-In-Chief Jacob Knabb and the other ACM staff, who set out to create something that showcased the local lit scene as it really exists, not as some publication located in London imagined it exists, so I think it is rather fitting that I picked up my copy of ACM at the recent Indie Lit Show, which was sort of a mini-bookfair held at Green Lantern Gallery, where several reps from our lit scene showcased their publications as a blizzard raged outdoors.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL REVIEW
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Guild Complex: Tour Guides

2010-12-10T21:36:00.000-08:00

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I just got back from the Guild Complex’s presentation of Tour Guides, a wonderful hybrid performance of poetry and theater, and I simply feel the need to defend it from a lazy, damaging and might I say completely bitchy review of it, written by some rookie Chicago Tribune reporter named Nina Metz. I don’t know much about this awful person who has only been on the staff of the Trib since mid-September, but judging by the quality of the writing in her article, she shouldn’t be allowed to review anything even vaguely related to literature. That the respectable Tribune would send such a closed minded reporter to express her biased, borderline racist opinions about such a gutsy, provocative and socially conscious performance, a performance that was presented by a struggling non-profit that certainly could have used the ten warm bodies that her dim-witted article sent away--well, that is quite frankly inexcusable. The Guild Complex exists to fill in what is missing in Chicago’s literary scene, not to examine “what neighborhood economic shifts mean” (wow, that would make for an exciting play, yawn), and since there is no shortage of gentrification in Chicago, I’d say what is missing is the voices from the victims of that gentrification. Furthermore, I found no clichés at all in Tour Guides (I dare her to name one cliché in all the poetry presented), and the Tribune ought to be utterly ashamed of itself for publishing such a misleading blurb that unfairly cuts down months of hard work by nearly a dozen of Chicago’s most talented poets. Reading the Nina Metz’s review, one would think Tour Guides is nothing but “gratuitous snickering at Lincoln Park” when in actuality, out of the entire hour of spoken word performances, there were perhaps four measly lines on that particular subject.

So here’s the real scoop on Tour Guides. Seven poets use nothing but their words, facial expressions, and body language (with minimal props and lighting) to tell the true stories of various Chicago neighborhoods. Their stories are relentlessly honest, unapologetic, and if you’ve lived in Chicago for any length of time, they are your stories as well. You will recognize them. You will say, I was there and I have seen that. The strongest aspect of this presentation is by far the writing. The brilliant writing is not only filled with vivid metaphors but it is also very daring. It’s not pc to write about how “you can’t take your white folks everywhere” but let's face it, that hits the nail on the head. And when you include lines about a neighborhood going from “Jewville to Jamba Juice” you are taking a huge risk, but let's be honest, these are brutal truths about Chicago. Tour Guides is one of the most gutsy plays I have ever seen. The topics in Tour Guides range from drive-by shootings, to permit parking, to the double meaning of the cost of living, to pizza, to churches, to the blues, to sports, to parades, to the ghost bike at Western and Augusta and to everything else Chicago. Tour Guides is a powerful and emotional experience. It’s an eye opener and I give it two really, really big quills up.

Tour Guides is one of the most important theater presentations playing in Chicago right now, but in order to see it, you have to hurry, as there are only three more presentations of it (December 11, 17 and 18 at 7:30 PM at Chicago Center for the Performing Arts, 777 N. Green St). You can buy tickets at the door or you can click here to purchase them online, but whatever you do, tell 'em ChicagoPoetry sent ya!

--CJ Laity

Chicago Mourns The Loss of Kent Foreman

2010-11-30T15:24:00.001-08:00

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Only yesterday, Monday, November 29, the Guild Complex sent out the unfortunate email letting everyone know that the venue that has hosted their Palabra Pura reading series, Decima Musa, was closing down and that the reading series would be temporarily suspended until they found a new location. At the bottom of that email was this link to their website where you can listen to excerpts from "Living History,” a tribute to Chicago poet Kent Foreman that they held on August 24 at the Jazz Showcase, where about a hundred people came out in the afternoon to hear readings by Regie Gibson, Roger Bonair-Agard, Marty McConnell as well as a lengthy set by Foreman himself. That performance would prove to be one of Kent Foreman’s last. Today, as if to seal the deal on a year that has witnessed the loss of one Chicago poet after another, Kent Foreman’s Facebook page is swarming with messages from loved ones saying their goodbyes, where Patricia Smith writes “Loving and missing you” and suggests Chicago should be renamed after him and Tyehimba Jess wishes him “peace.” After a year of battling lung cancer, Kent Foreman has passed away.

The poetry audio project reVerse calls Kent Foreman “a beat generation poet who helped pioneer the Chicago performance poetry scene.” In his long career as a poet, he performed onstage with the likes of Maya Angelou and Amiri Baraka, was mentored by Oscar Brown, Jr., and has been a mentor to an entire generation of performance poets. Online, his work can be found here at e-poets as well as on YouTube performing for Words That Kill and HBO’s Def Poetry Jam. In June 2004, over one-hundred poets joined ChicagoPoetry.com in a boycott of a local arts festival after vendors associated with the festival slung racial slurs at Kent Foreman as he read his award winning poem Chicago on an outdoor stage in Wicker Park. As a result, Kent’s photo appeared in a full page article in the Chicago Reader and also in a half page article in the Sun-Times, where they published the first 25 lines of his poem to show their support.

Kent Foreman’s gritty Chicago style of spoken-word poetry lives on in the work of the poets who he mentored, who have in turned passed the baton on to a new generation of performance poets. Presently, there is probably nowhere else where you are more likely to enjoy samples of Foremanesque poetry than at the Guild Complex’s presentation of Tour Guides, that opens this weekend at Chicago Center for the Performing Arts. Click here to learn more about this production.

--CJ Laity

Green Lantern Gallery

2010-11-11T19:54:00.000-08:00

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I keep hearing about The Green Lantern Gallery at 2542 W. Chicago Avenue. Every time I turn on the computer I get a Facebook notice about another event happening there, and I've been meaning to check out the space for quite some time. So I was excited when I found I had some free time on the evening of their first Super R-Type (Word Based Art) presentation, curated by A. D. Jameson, who is a passive host who gets straight to the point, helping to create a tight, fluid performance.Click Here for the story.
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City of Chicago To Launch ChicagoPublishes Website

2010-10-29T15:42:00.001-07:00

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Yes, it’s true. Chicago as a city is home to some of the finest artists in this country. Ah, but the City of Chicago itself--yeegads--it has a horrendous reputation for being anti-art. Many of us who were part of the poetry scene in the early 1990s can still remember when this city tried to shut down the Weeds open mic. because Gregorio Gomez didn’t have a “poetry permit.” In May of 2003, the Hot House (then on Balboa) featured a band that they shipped in from Cuba, and the City of Chicago raided the place and closed it down, a few minutes before the show was to begin. In July of 2007, the Chicago police swarmed into the Zhou B. Art Center and kicked everyone out of the annual Printers Ball. In May of 2009, the city’s graffiti blasters trespassed on private property and painted over a gigantic piece of mural art that had been commissioned and paid for, because some bigoted Bridgeport alderman didn’t like it. And in December of 2009, a man named Chris Drew was arrested for attempting to sell one dollar pieces of art on State Street, and subsequently he was charged with a felony for audio taping his own arrest; this Chicago artist could spend a decade in prison and that’s how much the city really supports the arts!

CLICK HERE FOR THE REST OF THE EDITORIAL
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CJ Laity Sports A Mohawk For Night Of The Living Poets

2010-10-23T20:46:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY
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The Chicago Poetry Calendar

2010-10-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE TO GO BACK TO CHICAGOPOETRY.COM

Muzzle Releases Issue #2

2010-10-17T17:04:00.000-07:00

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I admit there are very few online zines that I read every month in their entirety. It’s not that they aren’t worthy of my attention; it’s just that I publish my own online thing and I just don’t have an hour or two a day to keep up with the plethora of other online publications that are available. As a matter of fact, so much of my life’s energy is invested in the online poetry world, that when I want to relax, the last thing I want to do is sit at a computer and read poetry. I much prefer to watch a film and not think about poetry for a few hours. But along came Muzzle and now I’m hooked. I’m sure I will be reading every issue from now on, religiously.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE EDITORIAL

Chicago Literary Hall Of Fame Launches

2010-10-10T13:05:00.000-07:00

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Well, my dear poets, whenever an association takes on the self-proclaimed task of developing a "hall of fame" and announces it's annual event is "the beginning of a Chicago tradition" before it even begins, by the way, with a $45 a ticket "Business Casual" event, my skeptical button gets pushed. But, as you probably know, my skeptical button gets pushed a lot and it's not that hard to push it, so let's pause and take a look at the facts on this one

CLICK HERE OR THE COMPLETE ARTICLE
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Idris Goodwin's These Are The Breaks Release

2010-10-07T08:43:00.000-07:00

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On Saturday, October 23, 2010, from 6 to 8 PM, Chicago Urban Arts, 2229 South Halsted, will host a celebration for NEA award-winning playwright, HBO Def Poet, and critically acclaimed “indie” rapper Idris Goodwin's first book, a collection of prose, poetry and essays called These Are The Breaks (Write Bloody Publishing), which is described as "the literary mixtape of our cacophonous times." Although the book isn't scheduled to "hit the shelves" until March 2011, Goodwin has decided to share the work with Chicago, and he will have advance copies for sale at this prestigious event. Also on the program will by playwright Tanya Saracho and Lamar Jorden of the critically acclaimed documentary Louder Than A Bomb. There will be a $5 suggested donation but nobody will be turned away and students get in free.

What I Hear About Chicago Poetry

2010-10-06T10:58:00.000-07:00

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Hey poets, sorry I haven't delivered a column in a while. I was literally living in the woods surrounded by four crazy dogs, packs of yalping coyotes, three horses and gazillion stars aplenty. But now I'm back in the Windy City and I have found all the wonderful poetry information that you sent to my box. Thank you for helping me keep my ear to the poetry rail. I've been reporting about the Chicago Poetry Scene for a long, long time and I hear about everything. I siphoned through it all, and here is what I hear.

I hear a lot of poetry venues and poets are suffering loss because of the economy. Every time I turn around I hear of a venue closing or a poet losing funding. That's why it is important for poets to stick together and support each other even if we don't always see eye to eye. For example, recently the Outspoken Festival that was planned for September 25 was canceled because reportedly the grants for it didn't materialize. I think the worst of the horror stories that I've heard concerns a publish on demand queen who lost her book deal, lost her "official blog" status and lost her position on New City's Top 50 Lit; oh, but wait, that was due to a real shit attitude, not money, so never mind. Well, anyway, here's your chance to help save one of Chicago's longest running poetry venues. On Tuesday, October 12, from 7 to 11 PM, you can help support the Heartland Cafe, 7000 N Glenwood, during a benefit there for only $10. From what I understand, it may be closing down if it doesn't get the support it needs, and that would be a true loss.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THIS COLUMN
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CJ Laity to host Halloween Poetry Show

2010-09-24T09:50:00.001-07:00

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Free Chicago Poetry

2010-09-16T12:53:00.000-07:00

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Well, poetry fans, the summer slow down is slowing down and the Chicago Poetry Scene is getting back to business full force.

Last year, right about this time, The Guardian of the U.K. listed ChicagoPoetry.com in its Top Ten Free Things To Do In Chicago article (click to read it), and that's not surprising. This influential website that has been blogging before blogging had a name, has consistently listed free poetry events for going on eleven years now, and that's why it is the world's most trusted place to get information and opinions about what's happening in Chicago's poetry scene. So, here are my current top picks of FREE things to do (okay, some of them may have covers).

Oh, first off heads up everyone. Get out your calendar right now and reserve this date. ChicagoPoetry.com's poetry series at Cafe Ballou, 939 N. Western Ave, will be back in October for a special event called "Night of the Living Poets" to happen on the evening of Saturday, October 23. I'm looking for the best poets in Chicago to come out in droves, poetry cram style, to share your scariest, creepiest or weirdest poem (in costume if you like) for what promises to be the liveliest Halloween poetry event. If you are a "Living Poet" please join the party. More details will follow. Did I mention the event will be FREE and open to the public?

CLICK HERE FOR THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE

Poetry Therapy Conference Coming To Chicago

2010-09-14T11:16:00.000-07:00

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On the weekend of October 1 thru 3, the Midwest members of The National Association of Poetry Therapy will be hosting a conference called "Write From The Heartland" at The Cenacle Conference and Retreat Center, 513 West Fullerton Parkway, Chicago. It will be the goal of the conference participants to network and build up membership for NAPT while reaping a wealth of creative kinship and learning. All are invited to register and attend this unique and valuable learning experience.

The conference includes a dinner and meet and greet on Friday evening from 6 to 8:30 PM. Saturday's schedule includes: breakfast and introduction from 8 to 9:15 AM; an event called “Creative Arts Therapies in the Midwest: Expression and Communication from the Heart.” with Plenary Speaker, Susan Imus, Chair, Dance / Movement Therapy from Columbia College from 9:15 to 10:15 AM; a workshop called "Heartache Inn" with Jennifer Bosveld from 10:30 until noon, in which attendees will read from and discuss published works, and write in response to those works to begin to build a foundation for their healing sanctuary, followed by a lunch; then an experiential and didactic workshop called “Writing Therapy: Expressing the Psyche Through Creative Writing & Bibliotherapy" with Jerilyn Miripol from 1:30 to 3 PM, in which participants will work with the writing therapy techniques in small groups; followed by a workshop called "Poetry, Memoir & the Self" led by Charlie Rossiter from 3:15 to 5:30 PM followed by dinner; and then Haki Madhubuti (photo) will speak about how poetry has informed his life from 7 to 8:30 PM.

Sunday's schedule includes: breakfast followed by a Town Hall Meeting about "Works In Progress," focusing on ways to build a strong professional network among like-minded professionals, with co-facilitators Nessa McCasey and Catherine Conway from 8 to 10:15 AM; a workshop called "Creating Grief Landscapes" (a healing journey for people coping with dementia, care-giving & loss.) with Joy Cornelius-Klein from 10:30 until noon; lunch followed by a trip to the Lincoln Park Zoo where a workshop called "Animals as teachers, healers and guides for the soul" will be held until 4:30 PM; followed by a night at the Green Mill to relax and enjoy the Uptown Poetry Slam.

Registration for Write From The Heartland is $220 or $100 per day for Saturday or Sunday. You can register by clicking here or by contacting Catherine Conway at 630-220-8682 or by email at poemsheal(at)sbcglobal(dot)net.

Autumn Chicago Poetry Gossip

2010-09-09T10:24:00.001-07:00

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Hey poets! I may be running for Mayor of Chicago so that I can bring back the CTA bus transfer but that won't keep me from reporting all the juicy Chicago poetry gossip. Here is the latest!

CLICK HERE FOR AUTUMN POETRY GOSSIP

CJ Laity for Mayor of Chicago

2010-09-08T11:54:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT THE CHICAGO POETRY PARTY

September's Cool Chicago Poetry Happenings

2010-09-01T15:13:00.000-07:00

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Hey Chicago poetry fans, now that the weather promises to cool down it's about time for some cool Chicago poetry news. And you know if ChicagPoetry recommends it, it's cooler than cool.

CLICK HERE FOR THE POETRY SCOOP
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End Of Summer Chicago Poetry Gossip

2010-08-24T11:35:00.000-07:00

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Heya poets. I got wooed by some summer weather and I dropped off the radar for a bit, but here I am, once again delivering the poetry gossip for ya! Psyche!

CLICK HERE TO READ THE POETRY GOSSIP
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Ron Offen, Publisher of Free Lunch, 1930 - 2010

2010-08-10T08:32:00.000-07:00

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This year the Chicago Poetry News has often read more like an obituary column. We have lost so many wonderful poets in 2010. Effie Mihopoulos, Carolyn Rodgers, Gertrude Rubin, Dred Sista Ren, Prince Akbar, just to name a few. Today I am saddened to have to report that Ron Offen, longtime editor of Free Lunch, has passed away. The following is the announcement from his wife, Beverly.

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Ronald (Ron) Charles Offen, 79, of Glenview, Illinois, died on August 9th
in Glenview. The cause of death was cancer.

Ron was born October 2, 1930 in Chicago to Charles Offen and Ellen
Shirreffs Offen. He graduated from Austin High School, received an A.A.
from Wright College and an M.A. in English Language and Literature from
the University of Chicago. In the 1970s and 1980s he lived in Southern
California and was delighted to return to the Chicago area in 2001.
He was divorced from his first wife, Sharon Nealy; his second wife, Rosine
Brueckner Franke, died in 2001. He is survived by his third wife, Beverly
Kahling Offen, his sister, Pam (Charles) Veley, his children, Eric (Diane)
Offen and Deirdre (Don) Junta, Michele Offen and Darren (Beatriz) Offen,
five grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

Ron held many jobs, from taxi driver to insurance investigator to middle
school library assistant. But the force that gave his life meaning was
always the written word; he was an author, a poet, playwright, editor, and
theater producer.

In 1989, after a bout with cancer, he thought about how important poetry
had been to him and how much it had given him. To give something back to
poetry and poets, he started the magazine Free Lunch, with the commitment
to give all serious poets in the U.S. a free subscription and also to
comment on all work submitted to him. Free Lunch has published many of the
best-known contemporary American poets. In 2009, due to his illness,
publication of the magazine ceased.

Ron loved his wife, his children, his many friends, poetry, trees, the
color orange, playing the trumpet and the piano, cookies, contemporary art
and architecture, WFMT, caring for his collection of house plants, books,
turtles, jazz, Bach and Chopin, swimming, the Midwest, and evenings at
home.

There will no funeral services. A memorial celebration will be scheduled.
Ron’s papers are archived in Special Collections at the University of
Chicago. Memorial donations may be made to the University of Chicago with
an indication that they are intended for support of Special Collections.
Send to Judy Lindsey, Director of Development, University of Chicago
Library, 1100 East 57th Street, Chicago, IL 60637.

revolving door

2010-07-29T07:01:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE FOR CJ'S REVIEW OF REVOLVING DOOR
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Gertrude Rubin, 1921 - 2010

2010-07-28T05:47:00.001-07:00

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Beloved Chicago poet, writer, civil rights activist and author of The Passover Poems, Gertrude Rubin passed away on Saturday, July 24, 2010, at the age of 89. Rubin was one of the first contributors to ChicagoPoetry.com, submitting eleven poems for publication in the year 2000 that are archived here. Rubin was a member of the Poets Club of Chicago and the Poets and Patrons group.

Funeral Services will be held on Wednesday, July 28, at 2 PM, at The Piser Chapel, 9200 N. Skokie Blvd. (at Church St.) in Skokie (847-679-4740) and at Interment Memorial Park Cemetery, Skokie. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions made to Beth Emet Synagogue, 1224 W. Dempster St., Evanston, IL 60202 would be appreciated.

Poetry News You Can Actually Use

2010-07-25T10:27:00.000-07:00

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Hey Poetry Gang, here is some poetry news that you can actually use!

There is lots of poetry news brewing for and about the youngest generation of poets in Chicago and ChicagoPoetry.com is joining in the movement. Cram Volume 9 features work by four students from Joseph E. Gary Elementary School. You can pick up a free copy of Cram 9 at the Printers Ball or at the big release reading at Cafe Ballou, 939 N. Western Ave, on Saturday, August 14, 7 PM. The release is free and all ages.

The new management at the Poetry Center of Chicago is really making some waves. I hear they may start up the free members workshops soon. Also, they now have the complete Hands on Stanzas anthology of young poets published online! Click here to check it out.

Furthermore, there will be a Learn Then Burn Book Release Party on Thursday, July 29, at 7:30 PM, at Hull House Museum, 800 S. Halsted St. Learn Then Burn (Write Bloody Publishing) is an anthology featuring some of the nation's best spoken word poets including National Poetry Slam Champs, World Slam Champs, and Def poets. It is designed for teachers to use in the classroom (no "F" bombs). Performing at the release event will be Kevin Coval, Robbie Q Telfer, Marty McConnell, Dan Sully, Billy Tuggle, Joel Chmara, Sarah Morgan and Tim Stafford. It's free and all ages.

The National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE) Excellence in Poetry Committee recently named Mary Ann Hoberman and Linda Winston's anthology, The Tree That Time Built a Celebration of Nature Science and Imagination (Sourcebooks, with audio CD; juvenile poetry), one of the best poetry books published in 2009, and an excellent resource for the classroom. You can order it by clicking here.

And on Thursday, July 29, 8 PM, at Quenchers Saloon, 2401 N. Western Ave, Luis Humberto Valadez will be one of the many guests for Chicago HOPES Presents: Bright Lights for Bright Kids II. Chicago HOPES provides educational support, tutoring, and arts enrichment programs to students (K-12) living in Chicago homeless shelters. Click here to learn more. It's $10 suggested and 21 and over.

In other poetry scene news, the first issue of MUZZLE is now online. MUZZLE publishes poetry, art, comics, interviews, book reviews, and performance reviews, and is particularly interested in collaborative and multi-media pieces for the next issue. Learn about all the fun by clicking here. And in a related story, I've been hearing a lot of good things about the Vox Ferus After Dark Workshops. Click here to learn about them straight from the source.

Learn how to enter the RHINO 2011 Founders Prize by clicking here.

Learn about Tim Hunt's book, Redneck Yoga, by clicking here.

Let's take a look at some of the upcoming events happening around town.

Gregg Shapiro will be reading at The Cafe, 5115 N. Lincoln Ave, on Tuesday, July 27, with open mic, 8:30 PM.

On Wednesday, July 28, 8:30 PM, the Guild Complex will be hosting another BYOP event, this time featuring representatives from two different feminist literary organizations: Proyecto Latina and dancing girl press. It happens at California Clipper, 1002 N. California, and it's free but you have to be at least 21.

Join Kristiana Rae Colón, Natalie Edwards, Rebecca George and many others for the first Saturday Salon on August 7, 8 PM, at Rumble Arts Center, 3413 W. North Ave. The Division Collective hopes to create a space for artists to feel open, safe, and adventurous enough to put themselves out there – to share not only their work, but themselves.

On Friday, July 30, from 7:30 PM until Midnight, if you aren't at the Printers Ball picking up your free copy of Cram 9, you can check out Real Talk Live featuring avery r. young, burlesque dancer Chloe Beaujolais, and a huge cast of performance poets, with an open mic, at somebody's home at 4520 N. Monticello Ave. 18+ please!

On Friday, August 13, from 10 PM until 2 AM, there will be an event at The Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia, called "Chicago Translation: Lit, Music, Dance" sponsored by Requited Journal, Another Chicago Magazine and Artifice Mag. They say: " Join us as artists combine sound, syntax, and image to reinterpret Chicago and create contemporary meaning to familiar city-spaces." It's $10.

On Friday, August 13, from 6:30 to 9:30 PM, a free event called "poetry and memories in honor of Carlos Cortez's 87th birthday" that will take place at Carlos & Dominguez Fine Arts Gallery, 1538 West Cullerton (near Ashland Avenue & St. Pius Church), with poets and speakers Chris Drew, Raul Nino, Len Dominguez, Rito Martinez, and Carlos Cumpian. Sharing of photos will be available on a pushpin corkboard and copies of Cortez's rare art books and poetry will be for sale.

On Saturday, August 21, from 1:30 to 4:30 PM, join the Midwest Region of The Haiku Society of America at the Winnetka Public Library, 768 Oak St, Winnetka. At this informal meeting, the content and style of haiku will be reviewed. Beginning and experienced haikuists may read their poetry and have it critiqued. Participants without haiku to read may attend to listen to readings. The meeting is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is required. For more information, contact Charlotte Digregorio at 847-881-2664.

On Tuesday, August 24, from 5 to 7 PM, there will be "A Celebration with Kent Foreman" at Jazz Showcase, 806 S. Plymouth Ct. "The Guild is honored to host a celebration of Kent Foreman, veteran actor, performance poet, lyricist, screenwriter and winner of the Chicago Historical Society's esteemed Carl Sandburg Award. From be-bop to slam, he has performed with noted poets such as Amiri Baraka, Maya Angelou, Allen Ginsberg and Reggie Gibson, and influenced and mentored many more. The program will feature a performance by Kent as well as some of his fans and friends."

The next Poetry and Music will happen on Sunday, August 29, Noon to 2 PM, at 19 W. Quincy St., in Westmont, with poets Earl Valentine Fischer and Nancy Theresa Fischer with an open mic. It's $5.

Finally, I was so busy this summer helping to organize a boycott of the world's biggest polluter that I didn't even notice this year's New City Top 50 list. The performance poetry scene is especially ignored in it this year, but for what it is worth, a list about authors and their books sponsored by a free rag that the lit community is otherwise oblivious to during the other 51 weeks of the year, it is a much better list than we've seen in previous years. I think this might have been the first time a critic, Roger Ebert, received the number one spot. See what you think by clicking here. Perhaps the performance poetry scene ought to start up its own Top 50 list, hmm?

Don't forget. If you want even more Chicago poetry information at your fingertips, you can always use our direct link to the original or should I say "classic" Chicago Poetry Calendar -- ChicagoPoetryCalendar.com -- where you will get poetry news that you can actually use.

Signing out for now, peace and much love,

CJ Laity

Hot Summer Chicago Poetry News

2010-07-16T10:10:00.000-07:00

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Hey poets, the good news is Cram Volume 9 will soon be here! There will be a pre-release of over a hundred free copies at that upcoming Printers Ball thingy on July 30, and then the big release reading happens on Saturday, August 14, at Cafe Ballou, 939 N. Western Ave. You can pick up a free copy at either event. The final deadline for submission into Cram 9 is Sunday, July 18 at 11 PM, so don't be left out: click here for more info.

The other big news is that Tara Betts is coming to town. She will feature for Paper Machete, a "live magazine" addressing politics and culture, on Saturday, July 24, from 3 to 5 PM at Ricochets, 4644 N. Lincoln Ave. Then she will be the guest host for the feminist open mic at Music Lounge, 3017 W. Armitage, on Sunday, July 25, from 6 to 10 PM. And finally she will lead a workshop and feature for the POW-WOW series at Jeffrey Pub, 7041 S. Jeffrey Blvd, on Tuesday, July 27, 6:30 to 10 PM. Is the also featuring at the Revolving Door at Red Kiva the next day? That's what I hear.

Guess what? The Beast Women are back, on Saturday nights at 10:30 PM at Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. All shows are $15. Click here for the full schedule.

On Saturday, July 17, The Next Objectivists will be "reading poetry, describing their workshop and working with YOU to create poetry" during the Red Rover Series' Experiment #38: Poetics of the Multitude, to take place at 7 PM, featuring Adriene Dodt, Denise Dooley, Elizabeth Marinom Scott McFarland, Matthias Regan, Gene Tanta, Adam Weg and a few surprises. It happens at Outer Space Studio, 1474 N. Milwaukee Ave and there is a suggested donation of $4. They are not wheelchair accessible and there's no air-conditioning.

It's Poetry Slam time! On Monday, July 19, from 7:30 to 10 PM, the Butterfly Social Club at 722 W. Grand will Mental Graffiti (Marty McConnell, Emily Rose, Billy Tuggle, Andi Kauth, John Davis) vs. the Green Mill (Roger Bonair Agard, Robbie Q Telfer, JW Baz, Tristan Silverman, Amy David). This slam of the century will also include an open mic. It starts at 8 PM, there is a $5 cover, and it's 21 and over.

Then on Sunday, July 25, from 7 to 10 PM, at Green Mill Jazz Club, 4802 N. Broadway, the Green Mill team will perform before heading off to the National Finals. It's $6 and 21 and over.

On Wednesday, July 21, 8:30 PM, there will be a poetry open mic at Bon Bon Sandwiches, 2333 West North Ave. It's free and open to the public.

On Wednesday, July 28, from 9 PM until 1 AM, The Revolving Door Reading Series at Red Kiva, 1108 W. Randolph, will host a Chicago Magazine Pre-Release Party that will also feature poets Tara Betts, Quaraysh Ali Lansana, Bayo Ojikutu, Timothy Yu & much more! It's free.

On Sunday, July 25, Noon until 2 PM, poets Earl Valentine Fischer and Nancy Theresa Fischer will feature for the Poetry and Music series at The Brewed Awakening Café in Westmont. Contact Craig or Sylvia at (630) 852-2233 for more info.

On Tuesday, July 27, at 7:30 PM, the TallGrass Writers Guild Open Mic will feature Wisconsin's Catherine Fitzpatrick, a retired career newspaper journalist, at the Bourgeois Pig, 738 West Fullerton. It's $6.

Also on Wednesday, July 28 at 7 PM there will be a free Rose Metal Press and Barrelhouse event at Open Books, 213 W. Institute Pl, featuring James Tadd Adcox, Mary Hamilton, Philip Jenks, Simone Muench and Tim Jones-Yelvington.

On Friday, July 30, from 6 to 8 PM, Brother K, 500 Main St., Evanston, will present featured poets Nick Demske and Nina Corwin.

Also on Friday, July 30, from 6 to 10 PM, there will be a fundraiser for Puerto Rican mural artist Gamaliel Ramirez at Institute for Puerto Rican Arts & Culture, 3015 W. Division St. Call 773.782.0454 to purchase tickets for $25.

On Sunday, August 1, from 2 to 4 PM, Woman Made Gallery, 685 N Milwaukee Ave, presents a poetry reading featuring Robin Behn, Lucia Blinn, Kimberly Dixon, Simone Muench, Jennifer K. Sweeney, and Connie Voisine, hosted by Nina Corwin and recorded by Kurt Heintz for WBEZ's Chicago Amplified Series. It's free!

And finally, check this out! The Second Annual Cradle of American Haiku Festival will happen from Friday, September 10 to Sunday, September 12, at Foundry Books, 105 Commerce St., in Mineral Point, Wisconsin. The festival will include several workshops and presentations on the form and art of Japanese poetic forms, readings of haiku, and Japanese art. This year’s theme is “Remembering Robert Spiess—His Life and Work.” Spiess was a longtime haikuist and author, and former editor of “Modern Haiku,” an international journal of haiku and haiku studies. The cost of the festival is $30 which includes workshops, all activities, reception, and picnic. For more information, with a schedule of events and lodging options, contact Charlotte Digregorio, Midwest Regional Coordinator, The Haiku Society of America, at email cvpress@yahoo.com or by phone at 847-881-2664.

Seems like the poetry in Chicago is as hot as the weather! Take care.

--CJ Laity

More July Poetry News

2010-07-08T11:04:00.000-07:00

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Hey Chicago poetry fans, here's some more July news for ya.

In celebration of the opening of the new Language of Conservation exhibit at Brookfield Zoo, that displays poetry throughout the zoo's new seven acre Great Bear Wilderness, you are invited to a grand tour, followed by an evening of tapas, wine and a poetry reading in the underwater polar bear viewing room featuring CJ Laity, Bonnie T. Summers, Charlie Rossiter and Marilyn Peretti. This promises to be a once in a lifetime poetry event! It happens on Friday, July 30, from 6:30 to 9 PM. Tickets are on sale now for $80, to benefit the zoo, so click here to register or call (708) 688-8355.

Since July 30 is the same night as The Printers Ball, and since I will be taking care of business at the zoo, ChicagoPoetry.com will have two representatives passing out free copies of Cram 9 at that shindig. Look for Donna Pecore and Donna Kiser at the Ball to get your free copy of Cram. The final deadline for submission into Cram 9 is July 18: click here to learn more.

On Sunday, July 25, from 1:30 to 4:30, Rhino Magazine (now accepting submissions, click here) and the Evanston Public Library at Church & Orrington will present a Chapbook Workshop led by Allison Joseph in Room 108. A $5 to $10 donation is appreciated and no advance registration is required. Bring 15 or more copies (no longer than two pages) of work you want critiqued.

And speaking of workshops! The Next Objectivists is a free, open-to-the-public poetry workshop dedicated to the study & reproduction of the "outsidereal". They take this term from the “Black Mountain” poet Edward Dorn and their name from the second generation modernist poets associated with The Objectivist Press. They seek the poetry of the multitude, the poetry that tears away from the rule of singularity proposed by elites. Participants at the upcoming meetings are asked to bring a poem by someone else about a dream or dreaming and an account, in any genre or medium, of a dream they remember. You will discuss these poems, swamp dreams, and write together. All meetings begin promptly at 7 PM at the Mess Hall, 6932 North Glenwood Avenue, less than a block from the Morse Street Red Line station. Upcoming dates include July 22, August 12 and 26, and September 9 and 23.

On Monday, July 12, the featured poet for the Molly Malone's Open Mic at 7652 Madison Street, Forest Park, IL, will be Donna Vorreyer. It runs from 7 to 9:30 PM and there is a $3 to $5 suggested donation.

On Wednesday, July 21, the Guild Complex will take a step toward enhancing the dialogue and awareness of work coming out of the Latino and African American poetry communities. Palabra Pura, Chicago’s monthly Latino reading series, will initiate Palabra Pura Special Events by occasionally inviting African American poets to share its stage. Palabra Pura Special Events are the brainchild of Francisco Aragón, poet and Director of Letras Latinas at the Institute for Latino Studies at Notre Dame, and Quraysh Ali Lansana, poet and Director of the Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature & Creative Writing at Chicago State University. The vision is to have writers from these two communities come together to share their work and respond to each other’s work. The Palabra Pura Special Event series will begin on Wednesday, July 21, with acclaimed Latina poet María Luisa Arroyo reading alongside noted African American poet Roger Bonair-Agard. This month’s reading will be at Décima Musa, 1901 S. Loomis, Chicago. An open mic starts the evening at 7:30 PM; the reading begins at 8 p.m. Admission is free. All ages are welcome.

Click here to read a review of Simone Muench's new book, Orange Crush.

Highland Park Poetry says be sure to visit the Muses' Gallery by clicking here to see the results of their 2010 Funny Poetry Contest.

Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation (MAAF) kicks-off July with the opening of the poetry-themed online exhibition On Both Sides of Our Door available on the Mid Atlantic Artist Registry site July 1. The exhibition features works by Linda Blaskey, Emari DiGiogrio, Barbara Goldberg, Kathleen Hellen, Louise Kennelly, Joshua Poteat, and Pat Valdata. Click here to check it out.

And finally, this is a big one! It's a big year at the Tennessee Williams / New Orleans Literary Festival as they get ready to celebrate their 25th anniversary and the 100th birthday of Tennessee Williams. They are excited to announce their first ever poetry contest, with Louisiana Poet Laureate Darrell Bourque as judge. The prize is a thousand dollars, a VIP pass worth $500, publication and a featured reading. Click here to learn how to enter.

Until next time, peace and take care,

--CJ Laity

July Poetry Events

2010-06-28T12:40:00.000-07:00

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It may be the end of the world as we know it, but the Chicago Poetry Scene is doing fine. Here's some poetry gossip for ya!

There will be a summer poetry reading event showcasing John Murillo, Quraysh Ali Lansana, Toni Asante Lightfoot and Keli Stewart, on Monday, June 28, 7 PM at Chicago State University's Gwendolyn Brooks Center (Douglas Hall, RM 210-A, 95th & King Drive). This event is free and open to the public.

Beach Poets hosted by Cathleen Schandelmeier happens every Sunday through August 15 at Loyola Beach, Greeleaf and the lake, from 4 to 6 PM. This year is their 20 year anniversary. Some recommended dates include July 4 with Dina Stuart, July 18 with Paul Ryan, July 25 with Andrea Change, and a tribute to Effie Mihopolous on August 8.

The first floor of the Chicago Cultural Center has been transformed into the Chicago Publishers Gallery & Café and recently it nearly doubled in size, adding many themed nooks. Twenty-five Chicago publishers were added during the expansion, and the Gallery now features banner art and letterpress designs by Chicago artists. The Publishers Gallery is now accepting proposals for readings and book events. They are looking for events that showcase Chicago’s vibrant publishing and literary world for the Cultural Center’s audience—and that creatively use the Chicago Publishers Gallery & Café as a setting. Please be sure to visit the Gallery before submitting your proposal if you have not already. Events that are chosen will receive free space, marketing, and promotional support. If you would like to be considered for one of four quarterly slots, please send a one-page description of your event to danielle.chapman@cityofchicago.org by August 9, 2010.

Congratulations go out to Tristan Silverman, this year's Guild Complex Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Award recipient. The big bout at the Chopin Theatre also featured Lucia Blinn, Billy Tuggle, Sharrieff Muhammad, Robin Fine, Shontay Luna and a bunch of other poets.

Bill Allegrezza is currently reading work for the next issue of Moria, so if you have anything to send, go ahead and send it to wallegrezza@gmail.com. He's interested in poetry, vispo, poetry films, reviews, and essays.

On Tuesday, July 6, from 6 to 8 PM, there will be reading at King Branch Library, 3436 S. King Drive, for the release of "Into The Banks," the Spring 2010 Issue of the Journal of Ordinary Thought featuring writers from Alexandre Dumas Elementary School, Hall and King Branch Libraries, and San Lucas Church. Free and open to the public.

Also on Tuesday, July 6, 7 PM, Quimby's at 1854 W. North Ave will present poetry from Nicole Wilson, Kate Dougherty, and Patrick Culliton.

On Wednesday, July 7, at 8 PM, Black Rock Bar at 3614 N. Damen will present "I Love My Job; I Hate My Job," curated by Elizabeth Harper, with performances by Rich Experience, Faux Paul, Bob M, Kerry Flory, Allison Gruber, Rebecca Kosick, Sunny Byers and Brian Hurst.

Shit has hit the fan, America. We wanted oil and we got it. The AmperLanterProof Last Chance Literary Blast for the Endtimes will take place on Friday, July 9, from 7 to 9 PM at The Green Lantern Gallery, 2542 W Chicago Ave, featuring the Five Horsemen (and women), A. D. Jameson, Tim Jone-Yelvinton, Lindsay Hunter, Benjamin Lowenkron, and Adam Gallari.

On Saturday, July 10, 7 PM, Myopic Books, 1564 N. Milwaukee Ave, 2nd Fl, will present a Lit Bash with Roberto Harrison, Mike Hauser, Brenda Cardenas, Tom Hibbard, Caryl Pagel, Anthony Madrid, Larry Sawyer and more.

Check the Method is a summer spoken word camp led by Kevin Coval that will bring together some of the premier young writers from across Chicago and the Chicago-land area. This year there will be 2 weeks of camp. One week (July12-16) will be downtown in the Art Institute's new Modern Wing and the second week (July 26-30) will be at the historic Southside Community Arts Center. Guest faculty this year includes: Roger Bonair-Agard, Quraysh Ali Lansana, Krista Franklin, and Robbie Q. Telfer. Check the Method is open to writers age 15-21. Writers should have previous experience writing and performing poetry. For more information and to learn how to register click here for a pdf file.

On Tuesday, July 13, from 7:30 to 10 PM, Davis Schneiderman, Alex Bonner, Jason Bredle, Allison Gruber, Chris Bower, James Tadd Adcox, Rebekah Silverman, Jill Summers, Devin King, Barry Graham and Elizabeth Ellen will each give a five minute reading at The Innertown Pub, 1935 W Thomas, during the QUICKIES! Show.

The House on Real Talk Ave, 4520 N. Monticello, presents Derrick C. Brown for one night only on Thursday, July 15, 7:30 PM, with open mic. Derick is known for a moving show that incorporates poetry, minimalist music, and sound fx, Brown is unique for being an outstanding performer but is foremost a page poet. He is the president of Write Bloody Publishing, the first indie press to be reviewed with favor by Forbes magazine. Space is limited to 50 people. Send an email to jwbasilo@gmail.com

The DePaul University Summer Writing Conference happens from July 16 to 18 at DePaul’s Loop Campus and the Chicago Public Library. Writers of all experience levels are welcome. It's $260 or $110 for a single day, with thirty-six professional and award-winning writers, including professors from DePaul, Columbia College, the Art Institute, Northwestern University, and the University of Chicago serving as conference faculty. Click here for all the details. For more information, contact Chris Green at CGREEN1@depaul.edu
or (312) 362-8916.

On Monday, July 19th, 6:00 PM, Gallery Café at 1760 W. North Avenue will host Dream Horse Press authors Kyle McCord and Keith Montesano. The event is part of the DHP First Book Tour. It's free.

The next Night of Sight and Sound with Lethal Poetry is Saturday, July 31, at Beat Kitchen, 2100 West Belmont Ave. Get your tickets by clicking here.

On Sunday, July 25, at 6 PM, Music Lounge at 3017 W. Armitage will present a "Feminist Open Mic." hosted by Tara Betts.

And on Wednesday, July 28, The Revolving Door series at Red Kiva, 1108 W. Randolph, will feature Tara Betts, Quraysh Ali Lansana, Toni Asante Lightfoot, Bayi Ogikutu and Timothy Yu. Wow, far out.

On Sunday, August 1, from 2 to 4 PM, Woman Made Gallery will host Women In Print, an event curated by Nina Corwin. It is free and open to the public.

Finally, heads up. Chicago's new poetry and spoken word festival, Outspoken, will take place from noon until 10 PM on September 25 at The Art Institute Auditorium. Want to participate? Please send your inquiries to outspokenfestival@gmail.com

--CJ Laity

June Poetry Events

2010-06-06T07:48:00.000-07:00

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Hey Chicago Poetry fans,

I've been in the trenches lately helping to wage a national boycott of the world's worst polluter, an oil company called BP that has devastated our Gulf Coast. If you see a pretty green sign that says bp don't give them a single penny. But in the midst of it all, poetry goes on. So here's my picks for upcoming local poetry events in June.

On Wednesday, June 9, at 7:30 PM, Danny's Tavern at 1951 West Dickens St, will feature John Beer and Suzanne Buffam. It's free but you have to be at least 21.

And also on Wednesday, June 9th, 6:30 PM, the new management of the Poetry Center of Chicago continues is momentum with a reading by 2009 Tor House Poetry Prize Winner Sharon Fain, at SAIC Ballroom, 112 S. Michigan Avenue. It's free.

And it's Pride Month, so it's a big month for the poetry POW-WOW every Tuesday at Jeffrey Pub every Tuesday, 7041 S Jeffrey. For a $5 donation you get food from 7 to 8 PM and then the big show from 8 to 10 PM, including women of Dyke March on June 8; Haki Madhubuti and Raymond Berry on June 15; Lucy Smith and a pride celebration on June 22; and Achy Obejas on June 29.

And also on Wednesday, June 9, 7:30 PM, The Vittum Theater, 1012 North Noble St, will present the final Encyclopedia Show for the season. This time the topic is The Circus. It's $6.

On Thursday, June 10, 7 PM, Quimby's, 1854 West North Ave, will host a free reading featuring Sonja Ahlers and Anne Elizabeth Moore.

Of course, Saturday and Sunday, June 12 and 13, is the Printers Row Lit Fest (formerly known as the book fair), with so many things going on that I'd have to take up half of this page to list them all, so why don't you just click here to view the schedule at Chicago Tribune.

After the big lit fest, on Saturday, June 12, at 7 PM, the first installment of the Chicago Poetry Showcase reading series will launch at Cafe Ballou, 939 N. Western Ave. The Chicago Poetry Showcase will take the place of the second Saturday Poetry Cram open mic occasionally, in order to give poets a venue in which they can share more than a few minutes of their work. The June 12 Showcase will feature six poets, reading fifteen minutes each, with no open mic. The featured artists will be: Donna Pecore, Paul Martinez Pompa, GPA from LOEP, Pete Dederick, Udayan Das and Beatriz Badikian-Gartler. The event is free and open to the public.

And on Sunday, June 13, 7 PM, Myopic Books, 1564 North Milwaukee Ave, presents a free reading with Debrah Morkun and Kim Gek Lin Short.

On Tuesday, June 15, from 7:30 to 9:30 PM, Adam Hart will be celebrating the one-year anniversary of the online journal Apparatus, with a free event at Winston's Internet Cafe, 5001 N. Clark, featuring readings by Amy David, Cynthia Gallaher, Daniel Godston, Divya Rajan, Donna Vorreyer, Ellen Placey Wadey, Gregg Shapiro, Jacob Saenz, John Paul Davis, Richard Fox, Robert McDonald and more.

The next big Palabra Pura event features Luis Alberto Ambroggio an Frank Varela on Wednesday, June 16, 7:30 PM, at Decima Musa, 1901 S. Loomis Ave. It's free and open to all ages.

Thursday, June 17, 7 to 9 PM, is the Words That Kill Slam Finals, Lilly's Bar, 2513 N. Lincoln Ave, with Tristan Silverman, Vincent Paschke, Morris Ink, Billy Tuggle, Andi Strickland and Gregory Pickett. It's $5 or canned goods donation.

The 17th annual Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Poetry Award will happen on Wednesday, June 23, at 7 PM, at Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St. Twenty poets will read to compete for a $500 prize. It's $7, $5 for students.

On Sunday, June 27, the Rhino Poetry Workshop returns to the Evanston Public Library, located at Church and Orrington. This time the workshop leader is Anne Becker, whose topic will be "a Bodily Function: How to make Poem that moves." It goes down from 1:30 to 4:30 PM in Room 108. Bring 15 or more copies (no longer than two pages) of work you want critiqued and a $5 to $10 donation is appreciated.

Now, let me get back to fighting the good fight so that I can kick some corporate butt,

CJ Laity

More Poetry Gossip

2010-05-26T15:33:00.000-07:00

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CLICK HERE FOR THE POETRY GOSSIP
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The New Mississippi Delta

2010-05-26T12:46:00.000-07:00

Poetry Exhibit Opens at Brookfield Zoo's Great Bear Wilderness

2010-05-23T09:44:00.001-07:00

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CLICK HERE FOR THE STORY THAT GOES ALONG WITH THESE PHOTOS

Sergio Mayora "Moves On"

2010-05-21T11:47:00.000-07:00

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It has been confirmed. The unimaginable has happened. After 23 years of co-hosting and bartending the Monday night poetry open mic, Sergio Mayora is no longer at Weeds.

Cabini Green may be getting razed and the nightclubs may be moving in, but for the last two decades the inside of Weeds Tavern at 1555 N. Dayton, near North and Halsted, has remained like a time capsule. My first experience at Weeds was when I stumbled into the dive, perhaps in 1989, to use the bathroom. I was freaked out by Gregorio Gomez, dressed up like the Pope, performing his poem "The City" on stage, so I stuck around for a few beers to hear Sergio Mayora, the bartender, recite the two poems he wrote in his life: "My People" and "Shivering Through". Some twenty years later, I walked into the bar again for the hundredth time, and Gregorio was still there reciting his parody of The Lord's Prayer, amongst the bras hanging from the ceiling and the tequila being poured into shot glasses; by then, everyone knew Sergio's two poems by heart. But over the last few years the seedy decor began to vanish and it seemed the "yuppie beer garden" was no longer a joke.

Now I've learned that Sergio Mayora, who once ran for Mayor of Chicago, has had some type of falling out with his relative who owns the bar and that he has "moved on." Sergio "moving on" from Weeds is like Marc Smith moving on from the Slam. It's unthinkable. The question now stands, is Weeds still Weeds without Sergio Mayora? You can find out on Monday, May 31, when Gregorio will host the 11th Off The Wall Poetry Contest, or any Monday night for that matter, as the open mic continues--without Sergio Mayora.

Levato Leaves Poetry Center

2010-05-20T14:15:00.000-07:00

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It seems The Poetry Center of Chicago has very quietly parted ways with their Executive Director Francesco Levato, and Levato is shrouding himself in just as much mystery over what's going on as he did when he held his job. Today I noticed that on the Poetry Center Staff & Board" page on their website, Johnpaul Higgins is listed as Managing Director. There is no mention of Mr. Levato, not even a mention of the position of "Executive Director" for that matter. I did a Google "cache search" and found that identical page existed as far back as May 10.

What? When did this major change so silently happen? I have my ear practically glued to the poetry scene's train track yet this comes as a surprise to me. Admittedly, I'm a bit baffled, but no more baffled than I've been by anything else related to Levato that has happened in the last two and a half years. I did quite a bit of searching around, trying to discover if any official announcement regarding this change in leadership was ever made, but I came up empty handed. I am on the Poetry Center's email list, but saw nothing there either. I then took a look at Francesco Levato's personal website, hoping to find a clue, and I noticed that all mention of his position as Executive Director of The Poetry Center of Chicago has vanished. He doesn't even mention in his biography that he is the "former" Executive Director. It's as if his time at the Poetry Center didn't even exist.

"Formerly the Program Facilitator and Development Director for the Poetry Center, [Johnpaul Higgins] has a thorough, working knowledge of the organization and a firm grounding in non-profit fundraising and management," the Poetry Center says of their new Managing Director. Despite this Twilight Zone-ish start, I am going to be optimistic about this apparent news. If this is all true, I view this as a positive move on the Poetry Center's part. Quite frankly, Mr. Levato had a rare opportunity and he blew it. He was in the position to do some great things with his leadership role, but instead he made it all about himself. I have been very outspoken regarding my views about what Levato was up to, and if my frankness helped this changing of the guards to come to be, then I am relieved to have helped. However, the time for criticism seems to be coming to an end. Perhaps now is a good time to show the Poetry Center's new leadership some support. Perhaps it is not too late to fix the Poetry Center of Chicago and bring it back to its former self.

chicago poetry calendar

2010-05-17T13:40:00.000-07:00

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In Poetry Slam news, the Mental Graffiti Slam Finals will take place on Monday, May 17, from 7:30 to 10 PM, at Butterfly Social Club, 722 W. Grand, during which "8 of the year's top slammers are going to duke it out to see who is the Chicago Grand Slam Champion," including Marty McConnell, Rik Vasquez, Sharieff Muhammed, Mojdeh, Andi Kauth, Emily Rose, John Davis and Billy Tuggle. The top 4 will represent Chicago at the National Poetry Slam this year in St. Paul, MN. This event also includes performance by Roger Bonair Agard, Robbie Q, JW Baz and 2010 LTAB College Champ Susie Swanton, with DJ Itchie Fingers. No open mic, $5, 21 and up.

Tuesday, May 18: Jenny Boully will be giving a talk for The Chicago Poetry Project at Green Lantern Gallery, 1511 N. Milwaukee Ave, on Tuesday, May 18, at 7:30pm.

Wednesday, May 19: Poetry Center of Chicago Juried Reading

The next Palabra Pura event will be on Wednesday, May 19, 7:30 PM, at Decima Musa, 1901 S. Loomis Ave. There will be a short open mic and then readings by Javier Villasenor Alonso and Levi Romero.

The next Revolving Door Reading will be on Wednesday, May 19, 7:30 to 10:30 PM, at Red Kiva, 1108 W. Randolph St, featuring Larry O. Dean and Lauren Pretner, who was a finalist in the 2007 Sundance Theater Lab for Chicago.

On Wednesday, May 19, 7 PM, Gerber Hart Library, 1127 West Granville Ave, will present an event honoring the late Lorraine Hansberry. Local writers will read from her work and discuss Hansberry's influence on their own literary development. Writers scheduled to participate include Carmen Abrego, C.C. Carter, Nikki Pattin, and Avery R. Young.

On Thursday, May 20, 7 PM, the Words That Kill poetry / comedy series will present a "Geek" Show with an open mic at Lilly's Bar, 2513 N. Lincoln Ave. Admission is $5 or free with canned goods donation for this 21 and over event featuring Tim F'n Stafford, Awesomemonster, Billy Tuggle and hosts Mojdeh Stoakley and John Paul Davis.

If you are on the Northside on Friday, May 21, from 7 to 9 PM, Cafe Ballou, 939 North Western Ave, will present Cafe Cabaret, a night of Poetry, Spoken Word, Performance Art, Comedy and Music hosted by Janet Kane and Roberta Miles and featuring Jill Erickson, Robin Fine, Kelly Anchors, Angela Oliver, Scott Sones, and Cecelia Ras and company. There is a suggested donation of $10.

If you are on the Southside on Friday, May 21, from 8 to 10 PM, The League of Extraordinary Poets will present an open mic event called "The Takeover of The Quaker House" at 5616 South Woodlawn. Donation is $3 to $5. You may recall GPA from the League reading his prison poem at the big Harold Washington Cram.

On Friday, May 21, at 8 PM, the 123 Collective will present a poetry reading and open mic called "Goodevening" with Zach Kolodjeski, Kat Sanchez and John Franklin Dandridge, to be held at a place called Post (look for "Post" on a mailbox), at 1816 S Racine, in the Pilsen neighborhood. It's a bring your own beer type of affair.

Sandra Alcosser, who is the former Poet Laureate of the State of Montana, will discuss her role in choosing the poems in the Brookfield Zoo's new Language of Conservation exhibit and she will read some of her own poetry on Friday, May 21 at 6 PM at the Brookfield Public Library, 3609 Grand Boulevard. To register to attend this free event, please call the library at 708-485-6917 or click here then click on the May 21 event to sign up online.

The Brookfield Zoo's new Language of Conservation Exhibit, that will permanently display poetry throughout their new 7 acre Great Bear Wilderness, will officially open at 10 AM on Saturday, May 22. If you were thinking of visiting the zoo this year, that would be a good day to do it. There will be poetry activities with the Hamill Family Play Zoo staff from 11 to 1, a poetry reading and discussion by Chicago Zoological Society poet-in-residence Sandra Alcosser and visiting poet Joseph Bruchac at Riverside Library, 1 Burling Road, at 1 PM, and another reading in Great Bear Wilderness at 3 PM. You can pay for admission to the zoo online by clicking here or pay at the gate.

On Saturday, May 22, or Sunday, May 23 (it's still not very clear yet), at 4 PM, The Parlor's 2nd Annual Emerging Writer's Festival at The Green Lantern, 1511 N. Milwaukee, will take place: 4 PM, Sarah Terez Rosenblum (Where She Is); 4:30, Jeanie Chung (Cuts and Folds); 5, Peter Anderson (One Son Resists); 5:45, J.D.K. Goodman (Another Places Another Time); 6:15, Jessie Morrison (The Queens of the Northwest Side). Hopefully they will correct the error in the date at this link some time soon.

On Sunday, May 23, at 2 PM, Fine Arts Building, 410 South Michigan Ave, will host an "art song" event by Singers On New Ground, a Chicago organization that is dedicated to the performance of American Contemporary Art Song. According to the press release "an 'art song' is poetry that is set to music . . .a beautiful collaboration between the poet, composer, singer, and instrumentalist. This concert is especially unique because it features a set of works by poet Jill McDonough that was entered into a contest held by Memorious.org online literary journal. The winner of the contest had poems set by composer Randall West and performed by Chicago musicians. The editor and founder R. Morgan Frank will give a pre-concert lecture at 1:15. The concert will also feature art songs set on poems by Carl Sandburg and Billy Collins."

Myopic Books, 1564 N. Milwaukee Ave, has been hosting a lot of readings in their 2nd floor space thanks to Larry Sawyer's skill at finding great authors to feature. Sunday, May 23, Andy Fitch, Jon Cotner, and David Trinidad The readings always take place at 7 PM.

On Sunday, May 23, 1:30 to 4:30 PM, The Rhino Workshop returns to Evanston Public Library (at Church & Orrington, room 108), with this month's workshop leader, Katia Mitova who will be discussing "Funny Poems that Are Not Funny". Bring 15 or more copies (no longer than two pages) of work you want critiqued. It's only a $5 to $10 donation.

On Monday, May 24, from 7 to 10 PM, there will be a Packingtown Review Release Party and Fundraiser at Jak's Tap, 901 W. Jackson St. The event will include readings by Joshua Marie Wilkinson, Matt McBride, Tasha Marren, Andrew Farkas, Roxanne Pilat, Chad Heltzel and others, along with music, silent auction and book fair. There is a $10 suggested donation.

On Tuesday, May 25, at 7:30 PM, TallGrass Writers Guild welcomes Dan Godston as the feature for their open mic at The Bourgeois Pig, 738 W. Fullerton. Cover charge for the evening is $6, $5 for students, and everyone is welcome to perform up to 10 minutes.

And then on Wednesday, May 26, from 8 to 11 PM, The Poetry Bomb comes to Chicago (they are actually putting poems into the shell of a bomb), during the Chicago Slam Works Launch Party and benefit for the Outspoken Performance Poetry Festival. It's at Chopin Theater, 1543 W. Division, and is $10 at the door.

On Wednesday, May 26, starting at 5:30 PM, the Chicago Cultural Center, Preston Bradley Hall, 78 E. Washington St, will host a benefit for the Journal of Ordinary Thought with cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and a dialogue between critically-acclaimed novelist and poet Achy Obejas and Tony Sarabia. Tickets can be obtained by making a donation here.

On Wednesday, May 26, at 8:30 PM, The Guild Complex will host a "literary mash-up" at California Clipper, 1002 N. California. BYOP: Bring Your Own People (or Poetry, if you prefer), will host a convergence of three popular but very different reading series. It's a 90-minute “literary cocktail party” to be held three or four times a year, in which literary work will be sampled. The May features include The Encyclopedia Show with Shanny Magnuson and Patrick Carberry, Reconstruction Room with Erin Teegarden and Allison Gruber and Rhino Reads! with Ralph Hamilton. This totally awesome way of bringing the poetry scene closer is free but it's 21 and over since it's being held in a bar.

Thursday, May 27: Deadline for entry into Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Awards. The Guild Complex is now accepting entries for the annual Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Awards with a $500 cash prize. Entries need to be postmarked by May 27 and you must be available to read at the Chopin Theatre, 1534 W. Division, in late June.

Thursday, May 27: Jenny Boully and Simone Muench at Poetry Center

And then on Thursday, May 27, 7 PM, Rose Metal Press will present Joe Bonomo, John Bradley, Maurice Kilwein Guevara, David Lazar, Gary McDowell, Amy Newman, F. Daniel Rzicznek, and Michael Robins at Book Cellar, 4736 North Lincoln Ave.

On Thursday, May 27, at 7 PM, Women & Children First, 5233 North Clark St, will present "Help for Haiti: A Reading by 7th Graders from Helen C. Peirce Elementary School." When the tragic January 2010 earthquake struck Haiti, the images of the disaster profoundly affected the 7th grade students of Helen C. Peirce Elementary School's Room 301. While working in collaboration with Free Street Theater and its Act/Write residency program, the students were asked to choose a topic they wanted to explore through writing. The students chose to write about the Haitian crisis and asked if they could do a fundraiser to help. On May 27 the bookstore will present the creative visions and voices of Room 301 for a special reading and fundraiser, benefiting continued recovery efforts in Haiti. Now that's cool.

Do you want to attend a workshop at Ragdale House for a measly fifteen bucks? On Thursday, May 27, from 9:30 AM until Noon (I hear you can actually stay until 1:30 if you want to stroll around), Ragdale House, 1260 North Green Bay Road, Lake Forest, will present a workshop facilitated by Sue Roupp. Enrollment is limited. You may want to contact one of these email addresses— sroupp@gmail.com or astudillogilles@yahoo.com — to make sure it's not filled up, and then send a check for $15 payable to Ragdale Foundation along with a piece of paper that includes your name, contact info (e-mail or phone), your choice of what to do with your check if not enrolled (donate to Ragdale or return check) and indicate if you’re staying until 12 or 1:30 PM, and send it all to Almira Gilles at 3479 Regent Drive, Palatine, IL 60067-4744. Please bring a clipboard or something, as there will be no tables, and feel free to bring lunch.

This month's Rhino Reads Series has a really cool double feature in store for us. On Friday, May 28, from 6 to 8 PM, Brother K at 500 Main Street in Evanston will present and open mic and readings by Kimberly Dixon (Managing Director of The Guild Complex) and Jacob Saenz (of Columbia College Poetry Review)..

On Sunday, May 30, at 7 PM, Brenda Cardenas will be reading from Boomerang, her first full collection of poetry, published by Bilingual Review Press. The poetry party, organized by March / Abrazo Press, that will also feature a reading by Roberto Harrison, goes down at a new venue called Dragonlady Lounge, 3188 N. Elston (at Belmont and California). It's free, there will be an open mic, and there will be a cash bar. Brenda Cardenas is also the author of a poetry chapbook, Tongues of Brick and Stones, and she is the co-editor of the women’s anthology Between the Heart and the Land. She is an assistant professor at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

The Guild Complex will also be holding a free Palabra Pura writing workshop on Saturday, June 5, 11 AM to 2 PM at Pros Arts, 1119 W. Cullerton. Contact the Guild at 877-394-5061 or ppworkshop@guildcomplex.org to sign up or get more information. Please provide your full name, contact phone, email, and specify if you are a beginning or experienced poet and whether you prefer to work/write in English, Spanish or both. All are welcome.

On Saturday, June 12, at 7 PM, the first installment of the Chicago Poetry Showcase reading series will launch at Cafe Ballou, 939 N. Western Ave. The Chicago Poetry Showcase will take the place of the second Saturday Poetry Cram open mic occasionally, in order to give poets a venue in which they can share more than a few minutes of their work. The June 12 Showcase will feature six poets, reading fifteen minutes each, with no open mic. The featured artists will be: Donna Pecore, Paul Martinez Pompa, GPA from LOEP, Pete Dederick, Udayan Das and Beatriz Badikian-Gartler. The event is free and open to the public.

Luis Alberto Ambroggio will be reading for the Guild Complex's Palabra Pura event on Wednesday, June 16 at 7:30 PM at Decima Musa. He will be reading from his recently published bilingual anthology Difficult Beauty. Selected Poems (1987-2006). And if that ain't cool enough, Frank Varela will be joining him. Wow.

“Ekphrastic Nexus: Visual Art and Creative Writing” will take place at Chicago Urban Art Society, 2229 South Halsted, on Friday, June 25, 6 PM. Part of the “Studio Chicago” calendar of events and curated by Dan Godston, Ekphrastic Nexus will include a text image / visual art panel discussion, followed by performances. Participants include Annie Heckman (StepSister Press), Krista Franklin, Kathryn Born (Chicago Art Magazine), Valerie Wallace and Gene Tanta. For more, click here.

Jenny Boully and Simone Muench at Poetry Center

2010-05-17T11:22:00.001-07:00

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The Poetry Center of Chicago is FINALLY hosting a poetry reading. I hope this is a sign that some improvements will be taking place. The Poetry Center started out 37 years ago, as a reading series and poetry their readings ought to be their first priority. On Thursday, May 27, at 7:30 PM, they will present readings by Simone Muench and Jenny Boully, at the School of the Art Institute Ballroom, 112 S. Michigan Ave.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE
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Even More May Poetry News

2010-05-11T08:42:00.000-07:00

Hi poetry fans. I've been a bit busy and haven't had the chance to organize the actual "calendar" portion of this, the real, eleven year old Chicago Poetry Calendar, but all the information can be found on our homepage, even if it is not exactly in chronological order. Thanks for your patience. Here's some more poetry updates for the month of May.

On Sunday, May 30, at 7 PM, Brenda Cardenas will be reading from Boomerang, her first full collection of poetry, published by Bilingual Review Press. The poetry party, organized by March / Abrazo Press, that will also feature a reading by Roberto Harrison, goes down at a new venue called Dragonlady Lounge, 3188 N. Elston (at Belmont and California). It's free, there will be an open mic, and there will be a cash bar. Brenda Cardenas is also the author of a poetry chapbook, Tongues of Brick and Stones, and she is the co-editor of the women’s anthology Between the Heart and the Land. She is an assistant professor at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

The next Revolving Door Reading will be on Wednesday, May 19, 7:30 to 10:30 PM, at Red Kiva, 1108 W. Randolph St, featuring Larry O. Dean and Lauren Pretner, who was a finalist in the 2007 Sundance Theater Lab for Chicago.

On Friday, May 21, at 8 PM, the 123 Collective will present a poetry reading and open mic called "Goodevening" with Zach Kolodjeski, Kat Sanchez and John Franklin Dandridge, to be held at a place called Post (look for "Post" on a mailbox), at 1816 S Racine, in the Pilsen neighborhood. It's a bring your own beer type of affair.

Myopic Books, 1564 N. Milwaukee Ave, has been hosting a lot of readings in their 2nd floor space thanks to Larry Sawyer's skill at finding great authors to feature. On Saturday, May 15, the features will be – Brandon Downing and MacGregor Card; on Sunday, May 16, Daniela Olszewska and Aaron Fagan and on Sunday, May 23, Andy Fitch, Jon Cotner, and David Trinidad. See what I'm talking about. The readings always take place at 7 PM>

On Monday, May 24, from 7 to 10 PM, there will be a Packingtown Review Release Party and Fundraiser at Jak's Tap, 901 W. Jackson St. The event will include readings by Joshua Marie Wilkinson, Matt McBride, Tasha Marren, Andrew Farkas, Roxanne Pilat, Chad Heltzel and others, along with music, silent auction and book fair. There is a $10 suggested donation.

See you out and about!

Chicago Poetry News For May 2010

2010-05-10T11:10:00.000-07:00

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Hey Chicago,

Spring is finally here (well it's been here for over a month already but you wouldn't know that by the weather) and the Chicago Poetry Scene is coming alive! A few weeks ago we broke the all-time cram record by featuring 57 poets in a two hour show at Harold Washington Library. If you missed it, you can listen to the entire thing by clicking here. What an amazing way to kick off this new season of poetry.

SO CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE POETRY NEWS YOU CAN USE
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Jennifer Karmin's aaaaaaaaaaalice: a review

2010-05-09T11:26:00.000-07:00

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aaaaaaaaaaalice
by Jennifer Karmin
flim forum press
Reviewed by CJ Laity

At the end of aaaaaaaaaaalice (that's eleven letter "a"s, the same number of poetic chapters in this manuscript), Jennifer Karmin explains that the poems in her book (many of which are collages derived from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and a book called Beginning Japanese Part 2), described as a "travelogue in 11 cantos," are "word scores for polyvocal improvisation" that are "intended for reading, sound, and performance experiments." The author suggests, "every reading of this text-sound epic should produce new results."

Well, that may be the intention, but the bottom line is this is a book of poetry. Since it has two covers and is made out of paper, I am going to look at Karmin's book as a book, a book that will be read by its audience silently like any other book.

What we have here is something extremely experimental and completely anti-narrative. But just as it is within the chaos of subatomic particles that everything physical is formed, even within the randomness of these words a story develops. This story may be different for each reader, as the author seems to be suggesting, so I can only share with you the story that I get out of it.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL REVIEW
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Poetry Center's 16th Annual Juried Reading & Award Ceremony

2010-05-07T07:50:00.000-07:00

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Last year, the Poetry Center took forever to come up with a Juried Reading event, but this year the contest was rushed through like crazy. They only accepted submissions for about two months. To our surprise, they claim to have received nearly 300 submissions in that time, which, if true, means they made a sweet $2000 profit. But for a long time I've felt like the Poetry Center hasn't exactly been honest about their state of affairs, shrouding themselves in secrecy and isolating themselves from the greater poetry scene, so who really knows what is the truth?

From what I understand about the process of a "Juried Reading" contest, sub-judges reject nearly all submissions while only seven submissions are actually forwarded to the judge, which in this case is a guy from New York named Mark Nowak. I don't know what it is about Nowak's photo, but seeing him peering down through his glasses like that scares the hell out of me. Maybe it's that judgmental expression on his face that doesn't seem very inviting to me.

On Wednesday, May 19, at 7:30 PM, the struggling Poetry Center will take a breather from all the "let's declare Natalie Merchant a poet" hype to hold their award ceremony at SAIC Ballroom, 112 S. Michigan Avenue. At least The Poetry Center has accomplished something interesting this time. Even though four white guys and three white gals will represent their "300 submissions", at least we are being introduced to some new and interesting voices this time. It took me quite a while trying to figure out how to navigate their website, but I finally found information about each finalist at poetrycenter.org, so if you click on the name of each finalist, you will get a bio. and sample poem. The finalists are: E.G. Cunningham, Steve Davenport, Adam Day, Julius Kalamarz, Stephen Pettinga, Ruth Williams and Susan Yount.

--CJ Laity, telling it how it actually is.

May Poetry News

2010-05-02T10:19:00.001-07:00

Hey Chicago Poetry fans,

I was out of town for a week and when I got back there was a sheet-load of cool poetry news on my desk. So here we go and feel free to click on the links.

If you have any cool work pertaining to the sea, here's a good tip on how to get published: SeaStories.org.

You also want to check out this cool site dedicated to poetry broadsides.

Hey, check out thiis cool article about Women & Children First Bookstore.

Two cool words. Jack Hirschman. Thanks to Neighborhood Writing Alliance, Jane Addams Hull-House Museum, Mess Hall, Guild Complex, Curbstone Press and City Lights Books, Jack Hirschman is visiting Chicago. He will be participating in the Neighborhood Writing Alliance workshop at the King Branch Library, 3436 South King Drive, on Monday, May 3, at 4 PM. And later that day he will be appearing with Kevin Coval and poets from the Louder Than A Bomb youth poetry festival at the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum, 800 South Halsted, at 7:30 PM. And then on Tuesday, May 4 at 7:30 PM at Mess Hall, 6932 N. Glenwood, hear Jack Hirschman read from and discuss his work. Pot luck dinner precedes the reading/discussion.

Two words that will forever remain cool: Carolyn Rodgers.

On Tuesday, May 4, at 7 PM, the Gerber Hart Library (which is developing a reputation as Chicago's cool gay library), at 1127 West Granville, will present a Lambda Literary Awards Reading, featuring four of this year’s nominees for outstanding work: J.E. Knowles, Kristin Naca, Tracey Richardson and Deborah B. Gould.

Also on Tuesday, May 4, at 7:30 PM, The Hopleaf at 5148 N Clark St will present readings by John Beer, Connor Coyne, Gina DiPonio, Jett McAllister, & Daryl Murphy.

On Wednesday, May 5, at 8 PM, the Rec Room Series at Black Rock Bar, 3614 N. Damen, will present a show called "The Underdog" curated by Gretchen Kalwinski. In honor of Cinco de May, comedians, fiction writers, and musicians will perform brief underdog-themed works.

Across town on May 5, at 7 PM, the Hyde Park Art Center, 5020 S. Cornell Ave, will present a Series A reading at 7 PM featuring Susan Slaviero, Heather Momyer and Garin Cycholl (that cool guy who read in the recent poetry cram).

The next Encyclopedia Show at Vittum Theatre, 1012 N. Noble, will have a "Wyoming" theme on Wednesday, May 5, 7:30 PM. It will feature Bill Ayers, Diana Slickman, Kelly Tsai, Adam Hart, avery r. young and many other cool special guests. Hey, I coulda swore I suggested Buffalo Bill as a sub-topic. Where's my free ticket?

The next Future Perfect event at Katerina's Street of Dreams, 1920 W. Irving Park, will be on Thursday, May 6, at 7:30 PM, and will feature poets from the anthology "Where We Find Ourselves: Jewish Women Around the World Write About Home." Bring money.

On Saturday, May 8, at 8:30 PM, the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N State St, will present the Chicago premiere of "Ferlinghetti" -- a new documentary about the legendary Beat poet. It's ten bucks.

But how are you going to see the movie if you are at The Mother of All Poetry Crams open mic event at Cafe Ballou, 939 N. Western Ave, 7 to 9 PM? Guess you'll have to wait until it comes out on video.

Poet Gertrude Rubin will turn 89 on May 9. Cool, huh? Here's what I found on my desk from Beth Staas, president of Poets and Patrons: "Although Gert is still in the nursing home, she hopes to go home on May 1st. She had been sent there after a nasty fall in the bathroom, landing face forward on the tub, causing considerable bruising. But she's recovered nicely and they're working to enhance her strength through exercise. Meanwhile, her daughter, Bonnie, is putting together a memento to present on her birthday. Bonnie is asking for any feedback that might be included: vignettes and anecdotes to please, surprise and delight. If that includes a poem, all the better. Of course, you must be aware that Bonnie may or may not choose everything, depending on the focus she has established. If you want to submit something, be sure to do it promptly. Send it to Bonnie Baron, 6072 Del Cerro Blvd., San Diego, CA 92120.

On Monday, May 10, 8 PM, at the Tonic Room, 2447 North Halsted, Fast Geek Press will presents a release party for John Franklin Dandridge's chapbook Further Down Rd. which is described as "an examination of an artist’s relationships, rivalries and exaggerated perception of the future painted on the geographical canvas of Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood."

The next Quickies! event will be on Tuesday, May 11, at 7:30 PM, at The Innertown Pub, 1935 West Thomas, and will feature Sara Levine, Matt Trupia, Jonathan Messinger, Natalie Edwards, Amanda Marbais, Barry Graham and Sam Pink each doing a really quick reading of flash fiction.

On Sunday, May 16, from 6 to 8 PM, Cole's Bar, 2338 N. Milwaukee Ave, will host a book release party for Jennifer Karmin's Aaaaaaaaaaalice (Flim Forum Press). The event will also feature Joel Craig, Kathleen Duffy, Krista Franklin, Chris Glomski, Laura Goldstein, Lisa Janssen & John Keene. It's free but 21 and over. Hey! I just checked my mail and guess what. I gots me a comp. copy of this cool book courtesy of the press. I guess I'll just have to review it soon, huh.

On Sunday, May 23, at 2 PM, Fine Arts Building, 410 South Michigan Ave, will host an "art song" event by Singers On New Ground, a Chicago organization that is dedicated to the performance of American Contemporary Art Song. According to the press release "an 'art song' is poetry that is set to music . . .a beautiful collaboration between the poet, composer, singer, and instrumentalist. This concert is especially unique because it features a set of works by poet Jill McDonough that was entered into a contest held by Memorious.org online literary journal. The winner of the contest had poems set by composer Randall West and performed by Chicago musicians. The editor and founder R. Morgan Frank will give a pre-concert lecture at 1:15. The concert will also feature art songs set on poems by Carl Sandburg and Billy Collins."

On Wednesday, May 26, starting at 5:30 PM, the Chicago Cultural Center, Preston Bradley Hall, 78 E. Washington St, will host a benefit for the Journal of Ordinary Thought with cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and a dialogue between critically-acclaimed novelist and poet Achy Obejas and Tony Sarabia. Tickets can be obtained by making a donation here.

On Thursday, May 27, at 7 PM, Women & Children First, 5233 North Clark St, will present "Help for Haiti: A Reading by 7th Graders from Helen C. Peirce Elementary School." When the tragic January 2010 earthquake struck Haiti, the images of the disaster profoundly affected the 7th grade students of Helen C. Peirce Elementary School's Room 301. While working in collaboration with Free Street Theater and its Act/Write residency program, the students were asked to choose a topic they wanted to explore through writing. The students chose to write about the Haitian crisis and asked if they could do a fundraiser to help. On May 27 the bookstore will present the creative visions and voices of Room 301 for a special reading and fundraiser, benefiting continued recovery efforts in Haiti. Now that's cool.

Psst. Carlos Cortez's birthday observation is planned for the weekend of August 13 thru 14.

Word is that the Guild Complex is still cool after all these years. On Wednesday, May 19, at 7:30 PM, the Guild Complex's Palabra Pura series will present Levi Romero and Javier Villasenor at Decima Musa, 1901 S. Loomis Ave. The Guild Complex will also be holding a free Palabra Pura writing workshop on Saturday, June 5, 11 AM to 2 PM at Pros Arts, 1119 W. Cullerton. Contact the Guild at 877-394-5061 or ppworkshop@ guildcomplex.org to sign up or get more information. Please provide your full name, contact phone, email, and specify if you are a beginning or experienced poet and whether you prefer to work/write in English, Spanish or both. All are welcome.

But that's not all. The Guild Complex is now accepting entries for the annual Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Awards with a $500 cash prize. Entries need to be postmarked by May 27 and you must be available to read at the Chopin Theatre, 1534 W. Division, in late June. Click here for all the details. Ah, but there is more! Luis Alberto Ambroggio will be reading for the Guild Complex's Palabra Pura event on June 16 at 7:30 PM at Decima Musa. He will be reading from his recently published bilingual anthology Difficult Beauty. Selected Poems (1987-2006). And if that ain't cool enough, Frank Varela will be joining him. Wow.

Mmmmm. Natalie Merchant? Isn't she the lead singer of 10,000 Maniacs or something? Didn't know she was a poet. Don't have much to say about that. Perhaps some day the Poetry Center will start hosting cool poetry readings again. I dunno.

Oh, yeah. If I don't say it, who will? The Poetry Foundation is spending over twenty million dollars on a poetry venue in the upscale River North neighborhood, scheduled to open in June 2011. Must be nice not to have to struggle. The rich foundation says their new "home for poetry" will be "one of only a few public spaces in the nation built exclusively for the advancement of poetry." Poetry? Really? What kind of poetry? Sure, they trick us into thinking they support a wide range of poetry styles by including a bit of our info in an email blast from time to time (but not on their website of couse), and they try to be hip by throwing a Printers Ball shindig once a year (when they're not being shut down by the police) during which we're expected to give away our valuable products for free (but hey, free beer), but the ultimate mission of this behemoth not for profit is to support mainstream, safe, nonpolitical, academic dust. They've been doing it for nearly a hundred years now and they ain't about to change. So don't get a woody yet over some fancy-schmancy house that is really designed to reverse all of the hard grassroots work of the performance poets of Chicago. Sure, I'll go there if something cool is happening, but I'll go there knowing that all the shiny marble, Lysol and uppity attitude is actually taking poetry out of the community, so that a multi-million dollar foundation can serve it up to rich folks. Why doesn't Poetry Magazine get some guts and plant poetry where it will make a difference, like Englewood? Pull the curtain back on that Wizard of Oz and you'll see the great big Wal-Mart of Chicago Poetry. Like I said, must be nice not to have to struggle, but I propose that it is within the struggle that poetry finds its soul.

Yours in poetry,

CJ Laity

Brookfield Zoo's New 7.5 Acre Great Bear Wilderness Event

2010-04-30T09:03:00.000-07:00

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Hurry. Tickets are expected to sell out!
Join us for an exclusive tour of Great Bear Wilderness and Language of Conservation at
Brookfield Zoo's Wild Wild Nights—“What’s Poetry Got to Do With It?”
On Friday, July 30, from 6:30 to 9 PM, Chicago poets will go where no poet has gone before: to the new underground polar bear pool viewing room at the Brookfield Zoo. In celebration of the opening of the new Language of Conservation exhibit that will display poetry throughout the zoo's new seven acre Great Bear Wilderness, you are invited to a grand tour, followed by an evening of tapas, wine and poetry featuring CJ Laity, Bonnie T. Summers, Charlie Rossiter and Marilyn Peretti. This promises to be a once in a lifetime poetry event! Tickets are on sale now for only $80 but they are limited, so click here to register or call (708) 688-8355.

ABOUT THE POETS:

Marilyn Peretti has written two books of poetry about cranes, of which many species are endangered. Her poems have been published in Seeding the Snow, Christian Science Monitor, Black Bear Review, Prairie Light Review, California Quarterly, and Poetry Cram Magazine. ChicagoPoetry.com named Marilyn Peretti's book Let Wings Take You, one of the Seven Wonders of the Poetry World. For more information about Marilyn Peretti, see pagesbyperetti.com.

NEA Fellowship recipient Charlie Rossiter hosts the audio website poetrypoetry.com. He is the author of four books of poetry and is also the co-author of the beat poetry retrospective Back Beat. His performance poetry has been featured on National Public Radio and at the Chicago Blues Festival. Rossiter is a recipient of a Red Wheel Barrow Award from Pudding House Publications for his collection What Men Talk About.

Bonnie T. Summers is a member of the International Women’s Writing Guild and the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators. Her poetry has appeared in Woman Made Gallery's Her Mark Calendar, Moon Journal Magazine, After Hours Magazine and Peninsula Pulse. She has been a recipient of the Guild Complex Prose Series Award. Among other things, she writes about grizzly bears, giraffe's, serpents and seals.

CJ Laity is the publisher of ChicagoPoetry.com and has been active as a poetry advocate in the city of Chicago for over two decades, organizing, hosting and participating in poetry events for the Chicago Tribune Printers Row Book Fair, the Poetry Foundation's Printers' Ball, the Chicago Public Library's Annual Poetry Fest, the AWP Conference, the Society of Professional Journalists' Conference, and for many other events over the years.

POETRY IS COMING TO BROOKFIELD ZOO.
Poetry will be coming to the Brookfield Zoo. The Language of Conservation will include 35 pieces of poetry—full length, stanzas, and one liners—carved in stone, etched in glass, burned in wood and placed on plaques throughout Great Bear Wilderness, a new seven acre exhibit set to open in the spring of 2010. As part of the exhibit, there will be various poetry readings throughout the year. The overall point of the project is to use poetry to inspire conservation and empathy for nature. There will be an opening reception in late May and an event co-sponsored by ChicagoPoetry.com in late July. The project is funded through Poets House of New York and a three-year grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The plan is to "permanently infuse poetry with the zoo, showing our guests that poetry is an accessible art form and encouraging poets to think of Brookfield Zoo as a venue and support network."

Recently I was given a personal, advance tour of the Brookfield Zoo's Great Bear Wilderness. Poems and lines of poetry from poets such as Pablo Neruda, Joy Harjo, Gwendolyn Brooks, Sylvia Plath, Emily Dickson and many others, will be displayed throughout the zoo. Similar exhibits will also be displayed at zoos in New Orleans, Milwaukee, Little Rock and Jacksonville, Mississippi.

CJ Laity Hosts Record Breaking Poetry Event

2010-04-25T17:31:00.000-07:00

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Allow me to toot my own horn. ;<))

On Saturday, April 24, 2010, fifty-eight poets read in a two hour and fifteen minute Poetry Cram at the Harold Washington Library's Poetry Fest, completely pulverizing the previous cram record of 53 poets that was set last year. Here are some images of a few of the poets who helped break the record.

Thanks to the following 58 poets for helping us break the all-time Poetry Cram record: Garin Cycholl, Steve Halle, Ray Bianchi, Divya Rajan, Al DeGenova, Norm Nanstiel, Lance Wilcox, Teresa Doyle, Donna Kiser, Mary Kaye, Earlene Srickland, Laurie Blum, David Hirt, Daniel Ridges, Ruth Elliott, William Allegeza, Udayan Das, Timothy Rey, Larry O. Dean, Stella Radulescu, Christine Cassello, Sheila Donovan, Jeffrey Jaephree, Marita DeMarinis, Shontay Luna, Donna Pecore, Sharon Bentley, Marianne Shaefer, Kim Berez, Doree McNulty, Jenny Santellano, Rae Timothy, Liz Paveza, James Graham, Ellen Savage, Chalotte Digregorio, Clare McCloskey, Jayson Nessi, Chris Reid, Michael Landau, Luis Valadez, GPA, Luis Pelayo, Robin Fine, Stavrula Harissi, Fred Wilson, PJ Destin, Ruth Goring, Miller T, Jean Mayer, Lula, Michelle Brinckerhoff, Alexis Hoard, Parish, Dr. Groove, Michael Lemay, Sidd Yiddish and John Quirk.

CLICK HERE FOR SOME PHOTOS
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Literary Death Match at Columbia College

2010-04-19T15:47:00.000-07:00

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On Tuesday, April 27, 2010, at 7 PM, Columbia College Chicago will present Literary Death Match, an off-the-wall literary extravaganza and competition co-sponsored by Opium Magazine. The event will be held at the Conaway Center, 1104 S. Wabash, 1st Fl, and is free and open to the public. Literary Death Match is described as a marriage between Def Poetry Jam and American Idol. Four writers will perform their work before a live audience and a panel of four judges: Lindsay Hunter, Robbie Q. Telfer, Jason Bredle, and Chris Bower. After each pair of readings, the judges—focused on literary merit, performance and intangibles—will take turns spouting off about the writing and then they will select their favorite to advance to the finals. The two finalists then compete in the Literary Death Match finale, which trades in the show’s literary sensibility for an absurd and comical climax to determine who takes home the Literary Death Match crown.

The event will also feature the high-energy, comedic word performance group, Speak Easy Ensemble, featuring Dan Sully, Joel Chmara, Molly Meacham, and Robbie Q. Telfer. Earlier in the day, at 2 PM, Todd Zuniga, president of Opium for the Arts will host the Workshop: "How to start a literary publication and Literary Death Match," in the Film Row Cinema, 1104 S. Wabash, 8th Fl. This day of events is produced by Silver Tongue, Columbia College’s word based reading series, and the Student Programming Board, a student organization that produces. All events are free.

CRAM VOLUME 8 IS HERE

2010-04-19T10:17:00.000-07:00

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POETRY CRAM VOLUME 8 POETS SELECTED
Congratulations go out to the 32 poets who have been selected for inclusion in CRAM VOLUME 8: POETIC CHICAGO. Cram 8 will be released on Saturday, April 24, 2010, from 10 AM until 2 PM, at the Harold Washington Library, 400 S. State Street, during the annual National Poetry Month Festival, where hundreds of copies will be given away FREE to the public.

Selected poets who are unable to attend the release event are entitled to a free copy to be delivered by mail upon request. In addition, a limited number of copies will be set-aside for selected poets who desire additional copies to be sent by mail or for others who can't be at the fest to receive a free copy. In the past, the mail order copies have been ordered and exhausted very quickly, so if you wish additional copies by mail, please use the following links as soon as possible.

CLICK HERE to order one copy of Cram 8 for $6.

CLICK HERE to order two copies of Cram 8 for $10.

CLICK HERE to order five copies of Cram 8 for $20.
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CLICK HERE to order ten copies of Cram 8 for $35.

Many of the Cram 8 poets will be reading their selected poem during the 3 PM set at the Harold Washington Library during the Poetry Fest on April 24: click here for more about the Fest.

Sam Hamill at Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illiniois

2010-04-18T10:04:00.000-07:00

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ALSO CHECK OUT THE REPORT HERE

Here are some photos taken from last night's big Sam Hamill reading in Oak Park.

Poetry at Brookfield Zoo

2010-04-10T10:48:00.001-07:00

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On Friday, July 30, from 6:30 to 9 PM, Chicago poets will go where no poet has gone before: to the new underground polar bear pool viewing room at the Brookfield Zoo. In celebration of the opening of the new Language of Conservation exhibit that will display poetry throughout the zoo's new seven acre Great Bear Wilderness, you are invited to a grand tour, followed by an evening of tapas, wine and poetry featuring CJ Laity, Bonnie T. Summers, Charlie Rossiter and Marilyn Peretti. This promises to be a once in a lifetime poetry event! Tickets are on sale now for only $80 but they are limited, so click here to register or call (708) 688-8355.

ABOUT THE POETS:

Marilyn Peretti has written two books of poetry about cranes, of which many species are endangered. Her poems have been published in Seeding the Snow, Christian Science Monitor, Black Bear Review, Prairie Light Review, California Quarterly, and Poetry Cram Magazine. ChicagoPoetry.com named Marilyn Peretti's book Let Wings Take You, one of the Seven Wonders of the Poetry World. For more information about Marilyn Peretti, see pagesbyperetti.com.

NEA Fellowship recipient Charlie Rossiter hosts the audio website poetrypoetry.com. He is the author of four books of poetry and is also the co-author of the beat poetry retrospective Back Beat. His performance poetry has been featured on National Public Radio and at the Chicago Blues Festival. Rossiter is a recipient of a Red Wheel Barrow Award from Pudding House Publications for his collection What Men Talk About.

Bonnie T. Summers is a member of the International Women’s Writing Guild and the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators. Her poetry has appeared in Woman Made Gallery's Her Mark Calendar, Moon Journal Magazine, After Hours Magazine and Peninsula Pulse. She has been a recipient of the Guild Complex Prose Series Award. Among other things, she writes about grizzly bears, giraffe's, serpents and seals.

CJ Laity is the publisher of ChicagoPoetry.com and has been active as a poetry advocate in the city of Chicago for over two decades, organizing, hosting and participating in poetry events for the Chicago Tribune Printers Row Book Fair, the Poetry Foundation's Printers' Ball, the Chicago Public Library's Annual Poetry Fest, the AWP Conference, the Society of Professional Journalists' Conference, and for many other events over the years.

Gurlesque

2010-04-02T15:48:00.000-07:00

GURLESQUE
the new grrly, grotesque, burlesque poetics
Saturnalia Books
Reviewed by CJ Laity

Citing a poetic tendency that cropped up through publications such as Fence, Chain, and Tinfish, the editors, Arielle Greenberg (who coined the term in 2001) and Lara Glenum, says the Gurlesque anti-movement inspires radical change by "incorporating the grotesque and cruel with the spangled and dreamy." If there were a mission to the Gurlesque anthology, it would be to begin a conversation that uses the "collision or collusion of fantasy and ethics" to ultimately expose America as a "rape culture," and by doing so, to take back language, girlhood, and women's lives. But a mission would suggest a camp, clique or club, and the editors insist that this tendency has not become that.

So far I've read some critique, debate and discussion, but women who seem to think that the book's biggest flaw is that it doesn't have more lesbian poetry in it have so far been the dominant voices on the matter. My notion is that the book's intention is to challenge the stereotypes create by men, so the book is intended to be read and talked about by men. So I emailed Saturnalia Books and asked for a review copy and was impressed that I received it within days.

This is a review for men, written by a man. Since I plan to cite many quotes here, naming every poet and poem referenced would be quite tedious; so in most cases I will merely include the number of the page that the quote is found on.

This review has been slightly rewritten. To read the review in its entirety, CLICK HERE.

2010 NATIONAL POETRY MONTH EVENTS

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To Navigate This Information More Easily, CLICK HERE
April is National Poetry Month, and nowhere in the world is the poetry scene so vibrant than it is in Chicago. Here is a detailed list of National Poetry Month events happening in Chicago, courtesty of CJ Laity, Publisher of ChicagoPoetry.com. Events are listed by venue and are updated frequently.

If you have a Poetry Month event and you would like it listed on this page, send the information to Publisher@ChicagoPoetry.com

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++CLICK HERE++
NOW ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS OF POETRY FOR CRAM VOLUME 8
TO BE GIVEN AWAY FREE AT THE BIG POETRY MONTH FESTIVAL

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NATIONAL POETRY MONTH AT THE CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARIES

Of course, for the past decade the big Poetry Month event in Chicago has been the Chicago Public Library's Poetry Fest. This year the fest will happen on Saturday, April 24, from 10 AM to 4 PM at the Harold Washington Library. Local poetry presses will exhibit in the lobby throughout the day, including A Small Garlic Press, After Hours Press, Cracked Slab Books, March Abrazo Press, Neighborhood Writing Alliance, Poetry Magazine, Puddin’head Press, RHINO, Swan Isle Press, Third World Press, Virtual Artists Collective, River Oak Review, and Shakespeare’s Monkey Revue. The Poetry Fest is a wonderful opportunity for local poets and poetry organizers to work together to present poetry to the public. It's a really good representation of the diversity of the Chicago Poetry Scene. This year's festivities will also include a Poetry Wheel led by the Poets Club of Chicago, a reading by Cornelius Eady, and a huge Poetry Cram featuring representatives from the featured presses as well as plenty of guest poets including Stella Radulescu, Shontay Luna, Ruth Goring, Larry O. Dean, Christine Cassello, Jeffrey Jaephree, Anne Godden-Segard, Udayan Das, PJ Destin, Timothy David Rey, Bill Allegrezza, Garin Cycholl, Steve Halle, Ray Bianchi, David Alan Hirt, Daniel Ridges, Laurie Blum, Donna Kiser, Mary Kaye, Ruth Day Elliott, Earlene M. Strickland as well as poets from Young Chicago Authors and many, many others. The fest is free and open to the public, so don't miss it.

Click Here to Learn More About the Poetry Fest At Harold Washington Library on April 24 and about other Library Events

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"Food for Thought: Poetry About Food" Cook up some delicious new poems in this workshop in which cooking or writing experience is not required. Poet Cynthia Gallaher leads this mini-workshop on Sat. April 17, 2010 from 2:00 p.m.to 3:00 p.m. at Chicago Public Library Logan Square branch. Open reading from 3:00 to 3:30 p.m. Free. http://bit.ly/9DO7e9 Part of the CityVerse events for Poetry Month hosted by the Chicago Public Library.

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A Release Reading for "Whistle Talk," the Winter 2010 issue of the Journal of Ordinary Thought
When: Wed., March 31, 6 p.m.
Harold Washington Library Center, Chicago Authors Room
Loop 400 S. State St.
IT'S TIME! Announcing a release reading for "Whistle Talk," the Winter 2010 issue of the Journal of Ordinary Thought the event is FREE and includes a copy of the journal!

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NATIONAL POETRY MONTH AT THE GWENDOLYN BROOKS CENTER
AT CHICAGO STATE UNIVERSITY

Click Here To Learn about the 20th Annual Gwendolyn Brooks Black Writers' Conference Featuring Nikki Giovanni from April 1 thru April 3 at Chicago State University
You can also celebrate National Poetry Month by attending Chicago State University's presentation of "Builder of Positive Reality: A Celebration of the Lifelong Achievements of Dr. Haki R. Madhubuti & the 20th Anniversary of the Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Creative Writing." It will happen on April 1st thru April 3rd and it will feature Angela Jackson, JoAnne Gabbin, Trudier Harris, Maryemma Graham, R. Dwayne Betts, Randall Horton, Jericho Brown, John Murillo, Marcus Jackson, Tony Medina, John Fountain, Jabari Asim, Treasure Williams and many others, with "Giant’s Day Honoree" Nikki Giovanni. For information on registration please contact the Gwendolyn Brooks Center at 773-995-4440 or gbrookscenter@gmail.com.

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NATIONAL POETRY MONTH POETRY CRAMS

**Sat April 10: National Poetry Month Poetry Cram, Cafe Ballou, 939 N. Western Ave, 7 to 9 PM, bring your best poems to share, free and open to the public.

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Saturday, April 24, 2010
Harold Washington Library
Lower Level Reception Hall
400 S. State Street
Poetry Cram: Open Mic Hosted by C.J. Laity
To be recorded for UniVerse of Poetry / WBEZ Chicago Amplified
2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Harold Washington Library Center
Lower Level Reception Hall

Discover new voices, share new work, and see diverse Chicago poetry styles on display. The Poetry Cram is an open mic event where every attempt will be made to “cram” as many poets into one performance as possible. Published poets from several local presses and representatives from local poetry organizations will also read their works.

Advance registration is recommended at the ChicagoPoetry.com exhibitor table in the Grand Lobby, where you can also pick up a free Cram chapbook, or in the Lower Level Reception Hall before the start of the program. Each poet will be allowed to read for three minutes or less.

C.J. Laity is the publisher of ChicagoPoetry.com and has organized, hosted and been featured at various literary events in Chicago over the last two decades, including events for the 2009 AWP Conference, the City of Chicago Blues Festival and the 2009 Printers’ Ball.

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NATIONAL POETRY MONTH WITH VOX FERUS

If you have questions contact: voxferus@gmail.com

For National Poetry Month, Vox Ferus has decided to blow your mind with fabulosity.

The schedule's getting scooted around a bit to accommodate the April awesomeness... mark your calendars now!

Friday, April 2, Emily and Geoff Kagan-Trenchard will lead a bonus Vox Ferus After Dark Workshop. Both accomplished poets and teaching artists (see their bios at the end of this email), the dynamic duo will split up to handle both workshop sections, ensuring that everyone gets a little piece of the KT's. Suggested donation (as usual, voluntary,) $10.

Saturday, April 3, Emily Kagan-Trenchard will lead a Vox Ferus Aloud performance workshop. Registration will be limited to ensure that each participant receives individual feedback. Just $10! Email for details.

Friday, April 9, one section of our regular VFAD workshop will be led by Karen Finneyfrock, author of the newly released "Ceremony for the Choking Ghost" and widely sought-after teaching artist (see bio below!) Because there is only one of Karen (alas,) one workshop will be led by her and other by Marty. Pre-registration for Karen's section is $15 -- any spots not filled by pre-registration will be assigned on a lottery basis, and sliding scale donations accepted as usual.

Following that parade of awesome, we'll take a brief break and be back with a regular Vox Ferus After Dark workshop on Friday, April 23.

Guest Poet bios:

Emily Kagan Trenchard’s work fuses poetry and science, the personal and the political, the magical and the natural. Her poems critique and reconfigure traditional notions of femininity, history, religion and the body, drawing on images and stories from both her own life and the mainstream media. Emily’s work on page and in performance has earned her a place on the championship National Collegiate Poetry Slam team from UC Berkeley, the renowned San Francisco National Poetry Slam team, and a position as co-curator and slammaster of the long-running and highly respected louderARTS Project reading series in New York City. Her writing synthesizes the experimental nature of her native California, the discipline and knowledge gained while earning her Masters of Science in Science Writing from MIT, and the attitude nurtured by her adopted home, New York City. Emily’s poetry has been published in such anthologies as “The Birth of Verse” and “Word Riot 2009.” She was part of HBO’s Def Poetry Jam in 2003 and 2004, and has featured at colleges, universities, and poetry slam venues from coast to coast. She currently lives in Brooklyn and tours the country performing and facilitating workshops

Geoff Kagan Trenchard has performed poetry on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, at universities throughout the United States and in numerous detention facilities. As a mentor for Urban Word NYC, he taught weekly poetry workshops in the foster care center at Bellevue. He has also taught creative writing workshops in Rikers Island with Columbia University’s “Lyrics on Lockdown” Program. The National Poetry Slam Anthology, Tea Party Magazine, Kitchen Sink Magazine, The Worcester Review, November 3rd Club and 12th Street have published his poems and essays. He is a recipient of a fellowship from the Riggio Writing and Democracy program at the New School and the first ever louderARTS Writing Fellowship. As a member of the performance poetry troupe The Suicide Kings, he has toured internationally with their hip-hop theater piece “In Spite of Everything”. He currently works as a guidance counselor at an alternative high school in Brooklyn.

Karen Finneyfrock is a novelist, poet and teaching artist living in Seattle, Washington. Karen is the author of two books of poetry including the recently released, Ceremony for the Choking Ghost (Write Bloody Press.) She is a Writer-in-Residence at Richard Hugo House and teaches for Seattle Arts and Lectures’ Writers-in-the-Schools. Her first young adult novel, Celia the Dark and Weird, will be released by The Viking Press in summer of 2011. A member of three National Poetry Slam teams, Karen was honored as a “Slam Legend” at the National Poetry Slam in 2006.

If you have questions about Vox Ferus workshops (such as location) contact: voxferus@gmail.com

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NATIONAL POETRY MONTH WITH RHINO

Celebrate the release of RHINO 2010
at our annual spring reading & reception!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
2:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Ralph Hamilton residence
630 Clinton Place
(one block West of the Evanston Arts Center)
Evanston
Phone: 847.492.1106
Poets from RHINO 2010 will read &
all RHINO poets are invited to perform at an Open Mic
Dina Elenbogen, Brett Foster, Marc Frazier, Marguerite Harrold, Larry Janowski, John Jiambalvo, Steve Schroeder y madrone
Purchase RHINO 2010 by cash/check or click on the RHINO cover to order
online. This year’s RHINO cover is designed by the celebrated illustrator,
muralist & artist David Csicsko.
EAT, DRINK & BE POETRY
RSVP to rhinopoetry@gmail.com

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NATIONAL POETRY MONTH WITH URBAN SANDBOX

Urban Sandbox / Sully's Birfday Party
Friday, April 9, 2010 from 7:30pm to 12:30am
Empathy Lodge
1800 S. Peoria (18th St Entrance)

DescriptionUrban Sandbox is back! Last month was a such a great event we couldn't resist doing another. This month your features are Motep and Tim Stafford.

If you don't know Motep you're missing out. His music is amazing and his presence on stage is unlike anything you've ever seen. He's recently returned to Chicago and we're lucky to have him.

Tim Stafford is a goon from the mean streets of Lyons, IL. His poetry is the lovechild of the Notre Dame leprechaun logo and Mike Ditka. He hates zombies but loves words.

We'll also be celebrating Sully and Whitney's birfdays!

The open mic will be first come first serve. Sign up at the door. Get there early as space is limited.

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NATIONAL POETRY MONTH IN OAK PARK

Click Here For Sam Hamill At Unity Temple on April 17

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NATIONAL POETRY MONTH EVENTS AT COLUMBIA COLLEGE

11th Annual Citywide Undergraduate Poetry Festival
April 1, 2010 5:30pm
Columbia College Chicago,
Ferguson Hall, 600 South Michigan, 1st Floor

The Columbia College Chicago Citywide Undergraduate Poetry Festival brings together 12 poets from Chicago-area colleges and universities to read their work. Schools include Columbia College Chicago, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago State University, DePaul University, Loyola University, National-Louis University, North Central College, Northeastern Illinois University, Northwestern University, Roosevelt University, University of Illinois-Chicago, and University of Chicago. A reception follows the reading.

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Elma Stuckey Memorial Reading Featuring Poet Ed Roberson
April 14, 2010 5:30pm
Columbia College Chicago, Hokin Hall, 623 South Wabash, Room 109

ED ROBERSON (b.1939 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is author of eight books of poetry. His most recent book, The New Wing of the Labyrinth was published by Singing Horse Press in 2009. City Eclogue, was published spring 2006, Number 23 in the Atelos series. His collection, Voices Cast Out to Talk Us In, was a winner of the Iowa Poetry Prize; his book Atmosphere Conditions was a winner of the National Poetry Series and was nominated for the Academy of American Poets’ Lenore Marshall Award.

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Columbia Poetry Review No. 23 Reading & Release Party Headlined by Zachary Schomburg
April 29, 2010 5:30pm
Columbia College Chicago, Ferguson Hall 600 South Michigan, 1st Floor

Headlined by poet Zachary Schomburg, contributors to the 23rd issue of Columbia Poetry Review, the English Department’s student-edited, nationally distributed poetry magazine, read their work.

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NATIONAL POETRY MONTH AT ROOSEVELT UNIVERSITY

Click Here to learn about a reading with Mary Jo Bang on April 27

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NATIONAL POETRY MONTH OPEN MICS

**Every Monday: Weeds Poetry OpenMic

**Every Tuesday: Safe Smiles at Trace

**Every Wednesday: In One Ear at Heartland Cafe

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NATIONAL POETRY MONTH AT NORTHEASTERN

A Reading and Discussion with Alejandro Morales
April 15, 2010
Northeastern Illinois University

Alejandro Morales, a major voice in United States literature and a leading Chicano novelist, will read from his work and engage the audience in a vibrant discussion of his work and other literary and cultural issues.

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The Department of English Presents
SPRING 2010 LITERARY BASH
Monday, April 19, 2010
6:00pm - 10:00pm
Golden Eagles Room, Northeastern Illinois University
5500 N. St. Louis Ave.

Please join us for FOOD, FRIENDS and FINESSE
The First English Department Literary Spring Bash
The evening will feature readings from your beloved NEIU English Department professors, alumni and graduate students
Poetry, Prose, Musical Intermezzo, Anecdotes, Philosophical Musings

Readers include: Debra Bruce, Michelle Steil, Olivia Cronk, Jen Besemer, Elizabeth Marino, J.J. Tindal, Larry Dean, Harry White, Ryan Poll
Bring your poems. OPEN MIC follows the slated readers.
For more information contact Chi: c-eze@neiu.edu
Free parking, 5th floor of parking garage

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NATIONAL POETRY MONTH IN HYDE PARK

Saturday, April 17, 12:30 PM

Chicago Poetry Symposium 2010
Special Collections Research Center
The Joseph Regenstein Library
University of Chicago
1100 East 57th Street
Free admission

Now in its third year, the Chicago Poetry Symposium is an annual conversation on the history of Chicago poetry. The event highlights the Special Collection Research Center’s strong archival and book holdings in the history of Chicago poetry, including the papers of Harriet Monroe, founder of Poetry magazine, as well as of Paul Carroll, Ralph J. Mills Jr., and Michael Anania, and works published by the Chicago Review and Flood Editions, among others. Featured speakers include Stephanie Anderson, Garin Cycholl, Al Filreis, Phil Jenks, Nancy Kuhl, and Don Share. The symposium will discuss such figures as Alice Notley, Sterling Plumpp, Henry Rago, and Margaret Anderson.

This event is supported in part by the William Martin Card Trust.

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NATIONAL POETRY MONTH "POETRY OFF THE SHELF" EVENTS

Thursday, April 1, 6:00 PM

Poetry Off the Shelf: Derek Walcott
Fullerton Hall
Art Institute of Chicago
111 South Michigan Avenue
Free admission

Derek Walcott won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1992, with the Nobel committee citing his work as “a poetic oeuvre of great luminosity, sustained by a historical vision, the outcome of a multicultural commitment.” Since the 1950s Walcott has divided his time between Boston, New York, and his native Saint Lucia. His work resonates with Western canon and island influences, sometimes even shifting between Caribbean patois and English, and often addressing his English and West Indian ancestry. He has published 10 books of poetry, including The Prodigal, The Bounty, and Omeros. His forthcoming collection is White Egrets.

Co-sponsored with the Art Institute of Chicago

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Tuesday, April 13, 6:00 PM

Poetry Off the Shelf:
Cave Canem Fellows
Indigo Moor, Roger Bonair-Agard, and Kelly Norman Ellis
Jazz Showcase
806 South Plymouth Court
Dearborn Station
Free admission

Indigo Moor’s second collection, Through the Stonecutter’s Window, is the inaugural winner of the Cave Canem–Northwestern University Press Poetry Prize. It is a sustained and impressive dialogue with the visual arts, history, the natural world, and the poet’s dreams and nightmares. Always in motion, Moor’s polyrhythmic lines are choreographed to make sense of all that is most elusive in meaning: music, violence, love, anger, and desire. His first book of poetry, Tap-Root, was published in 2006 as part of the Main Street Rags Editors Select Poetry Series. He is a Cave Canem fellow and a graduate member of the Artists Residency Institute for Teaching Artists.

Roger Bonair-Agard, a native of Trinidad and Tobago, is a Cave Canem fellow and the co-founder and artistic director of the LouderARTS Project. His most recent collection of poetry is GULLY (Cypher Books/Peepal Tree Press, 2010).

Kelly Norman Ellis is an associate professor of English at Chicago State University. A recipient of a Kentucky Foundation for Women writer’s grant, she is a Cave Canem fellow and a founding member of the Affrilachian Poets.

Co-sponsored with Cave Canem and Northwestern University Press

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Saturday, April 24, 12:00 PM

Poetry Off the Shelf: Cornelius Eady
Cindy Pritzker Auditorium
Harold Washington Library Center
400 South State Street
Free admission

Many of Cornelius Eady’s poems contain a musical quality drawn from blues and jazz, and allude to traditional African American hymns as well as to the compositions of modern musicians such as Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis. His published works include Victims of the Latest Dance Craze (1985), winner of the Lamont Poetry Prize from the Academy of American Poets; The Gathering of My Name (1991), nominated for a Pulitzer Prize; and Brutal Imagination (2001), a National Book Award finalist. Hardheaded Weather: New and Selected Poems appeared in 2008 and was nominated for a NAACP Image Award. In 1996 Eady and poet Toi Derricotte founded Cave Canem, a nonprofit organization that supports emerging African American poets. At present he is an associate professor of English and director of the Creative Writing Program at the University of Notre Dame.

Co-sponsored with the Chicago Public Library

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NATIONAL POETRY MONTH WITH 123 COLLECTIVE

Click Here To Learn about the 123 Collective reading on Friday, April 2

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NATIONAL POETRY MONTH "REC ROOM SERIES"

Mark of the Beast! Rec Room's 6th Anniversary Show
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
8:00pm - 11:00pm
3614 N. Damen

curated by rec room inner circle

April 7 2010, rec room celebrates its 6!6!6! year of life. The Bible tells us "There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name." Are you having trouble sleeping? Have you been touched by a demon? Did you recently slay a dragon? Think you’re gonna make it to heaven? In honor of our sixth birthday, we invite rec roomers, saintly and damned, to share tales, lyrics, etc. that grapple with good and evil.

With performances by: Ellen Wadey, Allison Gruber, Krista Franklin, Matthias Regan, Carina Farerro, Louie Holwerk, Jacob Saenz, Erin Teegarden, Eric Elshtain & Mikey Peterson as "The Duende Bros" with contributions from:Nicolette Bond and Idris Goodwin

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NATIONAL POETRY MONTH "WORDS THAT KILL"

Comedy & Poetry Showcase & SLAM
Thursday, April 15
7-9pm
LILLY'S BAR
2513 N LINCOLN

We've just introduced the "OMNI SLAM!" We still intend on taking a team to the National Poetry Slam in 2010, BUT we will also welcome any performers that focus thier work in literary performance to compete in the slam as well (i.e comedians, story tellers, theatrical performances, etc). Whatever you do, keep in mind that it should be a 3min or less monolog-type performane. Please arrive 6:45 to sign up for the OMNI slam!

Cover is $5 or FREE! IF you bring canned goods for us to donate to a Chicago Women's Shelter. Remember to bring friends, because THE MORE PEOPLE WE HAVE THE MORE PEOPLE WE FEED!

THIS MONTH is National Poetry's History Month, so in honor of this wonderful celebration, we have several talented poets Marc Kelly Smith, Michael Kadela, Scott Deringer, Cameron Esposito.

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POETRY MONTH WITH RED ROVER SERIES

Red Rover Series
{readings that play with reading}
Experiment #35:
Fairy Tales
SATURDAY, APRIL 3rd
7pm / doors lock 7:30
Featuring:
Jenny Boully
Kate Zambreno
at Outer Space Studio
1474 N. Milwaukee 3rd floor
suggested donation $4

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NATIONAL POETRY MONTH EVENTS IN HIGHLAND PARK

National Poetry Month is almost here and Highland Park Poetry is seeking poets to read at several poetry month events. Please contact Jennifer Dotson
at jennifer@highlandparkpoetry.org if you are interested and available for any of the following Highland Park events.

Friday, April 2 at 8:00 p.m. - it's our monthly poetry open-mic at Borders Books & Music (595 Central Avenue) and everyone is welcome to come and share up to 6 poems. No need to alert me in advance - just come and sign up.

Monday, April 5 at 10:30 a.m. "Poetry In Bloom" program for HP Senior Center at the Public Safety Building, 1677 Old Deerfield Rd. We do an annual reading for HP Seniors and you cannot imagine a more warm and receptive audience. If you are available for this special one-hour daytime event, please contact me and provide me with a brief bio statement so I may prepare my introduction.

Thursday, April 8 at 7:00 p.m. Highland Park Poetry and East On Central are collaborating with the Highland Park Public Library to present a hands-on poetry writing workshop titled, "Creating a Poem with a Picture and a Picture With Words."

Friday, April 23 at 7:30 p.m. "Caught In The Act: An Evening of Performance Poetry" at The Art Center (1957 Sheridan Road). This exciting evening of performance poetry hosted by Sue Roupp & Jennifer Dotson features Nikki Patin, Jacquleyn Harris, Amy David and more. There is an open-mic at the beginning of the evening and advance registration is required. Please e-mail me if you want a chance with the microphone. There will be a reception, too, with light food and beverages.

Thursday, April 29 - "Poem In Your Pocket Day" This National Poetry Month initiative encourages everyone to select a poem, pocket it, carry it and share it with family, friends, and coworkers throughout the day.

* * * Visual Artist Alert * * * Highland Park Poetry needs photography and art work for this year's Poetry Challenge display throughout the month of April at the First Bank of Highland Park as well as on our website. This year's themes are Superheroes and "in my deepest heart." Please contact me as soon as possible!

Many thanks,

Jennifer Dotson

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NATIONAL POETRY MONTH EVENTS IN NAPERVILLE

www.napervillewritersgroup.org

The Naperville Writers' Group will be featuring Jenene Ravensloot at our monthly literary event on Friday April 30th, Barnes & Noble, 631 E. Boughton Road, Bolingbrook, IL 60440. 7 - 9 pm, emceed by Ruan Wright and Steve Cesario.

The Naperville Writers' Group will feature Jared Smith at Anderson's Book Store on Jefferson Street in downtown Naperville on Saturday April 24th from 2 - 4 pm. There will also be an open mic. NWG chair, Ruan Wright, will introduce Jared, and also read some of her own poems.

On Wednesday 14th April, NWG from 7 - 9 pm will host an open mic at Lou Malnati's Restaurant, also on Jefferson Street in downtown Naperville, emceed by NWG co-chair, Ray Simon.

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POETRY MONTH IN KANKAKEE

Monday, April 26, 6 PM - Kankakee Public Library
201 E. Merchant Street, 4th Floor, Kankakee, IL 60901 Tara Betts is the special guest in her hometown of Kankakee, Illinois for the Teen Poetry Night.

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NATIONAL POETRY MONTH WITH UNIVERSE OF POETRY

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010
7:30 PM - 11:30 PM
National Poetry Month Celebration
Katerina's Street of Dreams
http://www.katerinas.com
1920 W. Irving Park Rd.

“UniVerse of Free Expression: A Festival of National & International Poetry & Music”

SAINT CLOUD [http://saintcloud-theartband.com/] appears in concert featuring Richard Fammerée, poet, singer-songwriter, composer, (guitars, piano) [http://fammeree.com/]; poète-chanteuse Carrie Ingrisano (bass, piano) [http://www.myspace.com/carrieingrisano]; Paul Christopher Greene (production, violin, electronica); Meg Thomas (exotic percussion), Victor Sanders (electric guitar, electronica) and Nicolau dos Santos (acoustic guitar). Saint Cloud will share new songs/poem-songs/contemporary (fusion/infusion lit rock) art songs.

FUTURE PERFECT Poetry + New Media Series
“UniVerse of Free Expression: A Festival of National & International Poetry & Music”
also presents poets

Roger Bonair-Agard
"Roger Bonair-Agard is a native of Trinidad and Tobago and a Cave Canem fellow. A two-time National Poetry Slam Champion, Roger is also co-founder and Artistic Director of the LouderARTS Project."
http://www.universeofpoetry.org/trinidad-tobago.shtml

Stella Vinitchi Radulescu
Celebrating the release of her new book of poetry "Le jour en équilibre" aux Editions du
Cygne, avec une présentation de Laurent Fels.
Stella Vinitchi Radulescu was born in Romania where she first published poetry and literary criticism. She is the winner of two international poetry prizes for her poetry. http://www.universeofpoetry.org/romania.shtml

Rachel Jamison Webster
Rachel Jamison Webster is a poet, educator and activist. In 1997, she won both the Academy of American Poets’ Young Poets Prize and the Association of University Women Award. Her poetry is widely published including Poetry Magazine. She is a professor at Northwestern University.
http://racheljamisonwebster.blogspot.com/

Tristan Silverman
Activist, educator, and poet Tristan Silverman occupies the space where gender, sexuality, Judaism, and art converge. Trained as a documentary filmmaker, screenwriter, and novelist, Tristan’s poetry addresses the humanness of flaw, the fluidity of identity, and the reality of coming of age queer and American.
http://silverspooky.com/wp-content/themes/clean-home/presskits/TS%20one%20pager.pdf

Susana Sandoval
Poet, arts promoter, developing musician, non-profit manager....I am into many things. A participant in the exhibit "Double Vision: A Print and Text Collaboration with Fourteen Native American and Latino Poets", with original visual artwork by Jeff Abbey Maldonado.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1435000656
+
Richard Fammerée, Carrie Ingrisano & Saint Cloud
http://fammeree.com
http://saintcloud-theartband.com/
+
Brazilan singer-songwriter Nicolau M Dos Santos
http://www.facebook.com/Nicolau4
+
French Art Songs by Natalie Ingrisano
+
"The World in My Eye," a projected exhibit of the exquisite, international, fine art photography of Susan Aurinko
http://www.aurinkophoto.com/
+
"Degrees of Solitude," a projected exhibit of the evocative, fine art of Michelle Heyden
http://www.michelleheyden.com/
+
Ballerina Jeanette Aylward
&
Tango masters Stephan Pressling & Sabine Gourgue

UniVerse of Poetry wishes to thank the ILLINOIS HUMANITIES COUNCIL for their active support for this historic evening. This program is made possible in part by a grant from the Illinois Humanities Council, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Illinois General Assembly.

FUTURE PERFECT Poetry + New Media Series
will be recorded live for
Chicago Public Radio/Chicago Amplified & UniVerse of Poetry

==========================

MORE NATIONAL POETRY MONTH EVENTS

**Tue March 30: at 6:30 PM, Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton St, will be host to a free Women's History Month event, with performances of Emily Dickinson's poetry with music, dance, and theatre inspired by her life and work. The winners of the Caffeine Theatre "Poetry to Take Your Head Off" competition will also be performed. No reservation required, but seating is limited. And Caffeine Theatre's Wild Nights with Emily runs through April 11.
**Tue March 30: There will be a "She Slam" at Chicago State University, Douglas Hall, Breakly Theater, 9501 S. King Dr, on March 30 from 7 to 9 PM. The She Slam will be hosted By CC Carter and it promises the "fiercest lineup of queer and queer allied women poets in Chicago" including Deana Dean, Marty McConnell, Tristan Silverman, Tai Freedom Ford and many others
**Thu April 1 thru Sat April 3: Chicago State University will present "Builder of Positive Reality: A Celebration of the Lifelong Achievements of Dr. Haki R. Madhubuti & the 20th Anniversary of the Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Creative Writing." It will happen on April 1st thru April 3rd and it will feature Angela Jackson, JoAnne Gabbin, Trudier Harris, Maryemma Graham, R. Dwayne Betts, Randall Horton, Jericho Brown, John Murillo, Marcus Jackson, Tony Medina, John Fountain, Jabari Asim, Treasure Williams and many other, with "Giant’s Day Honoree" Nikki Giovanni. For information on registration please contact the Gwendolyn Brooks Center at 773-995-4440 or gbrookscenter@gmail.com.
**Thur April 1: 6 PM, Derek Walcott at Fullerton Hall, Art Institute of Chicago, 111 South Michigan Ave, free. Derek Walcott won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1992.
**Thur Arpil 1: it's good to see that the Future Perfect series will continue in 2010 at Katerina's>, 1920 W. Irving Park. The events always happen on the first Thursday of the month from 7:30 to 10:30 PM, feature multi-media performance art including music from the spoken word band St. Cloud, are recorded for Chicago Amplified and I believe there is a $7 cover. April 1 the "poetry month" special guests will be Roger Bonair-Agard, Ibtisam Barakat, Stella Vinitchi Radulescu and Rachel Jamison Webster.
**Sat April 3: On Saturday, April 3, from 7 to 11 PM, Elastic Arts Foundation, 2830 N. Milwaukee Avenue, 2nd Floor, will present a book release reading for John Murillo's Up Jump The Boogie, with special guests Roger Bonair-Agard, Paul Martinez Pompa, Cristina Correa, Kevin Coval, Toni Asante Lightfoot, Erin Teegarden, Krista Franklin and many others. That's really hip. It's also really hop.
**Fri April 9: On Friday, April 9, Billy Lombardo will be celebrating the release of his new novel, The Man With Two Arms at The Latin School of Chicago, 59 W. North Ave, from 6:30 to 9:30 PM.
**Sat April 10: National Poetry Month Poetry Cram, Cafe Ballou, 939 N. Western Ave, 7 to 9 PM, bring your best poems to share, free and open to the public.
**Sun April 11: There will be a RHINO release party at the home of Ralph Hamiltonm 630 Clinton Place, Evanston, on Sunday, April 11, from 2 to 4:30 PM.
**Tue April 13: 6 PM, Indigo Moor and Cave Canem Fellows at Jazz Showcase, 806 South Plymouth Court, Dearborn Station, free.
**Sat April 17: Okay, I don't mean to sound like the guy going on and on about how he walked five miles barefooted through the snow to get to school, but I can remember when I use to see David Sedaris read for five bucks in Wrigleyville. Now if you want to see him read his essays you have to pay $25 to $75. Click here if you can afford to see him at the Auditorium Theater on April 17.
**Sat April 17: SAM HAMILL AT UNITY TEMPLE, CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS
**Sat April 24: at noon, the Poetry Foundation will bring Cornelius Eady (photo) to the annual Chicago Public Library Poetry Month Festival. Eady will read in the Cindy Pritzker Auditorium, Harold Washington Library Center, 400 South State St. The fest is free.
**Sat April 24: Of course, for the past decade the big Poetry Month event in Chicago has been the Chicago Public Library's Poetry Fest. This year the fest will happen on Saturday, April 24, from 10 AM to 4 PM at the Harold Washington Library. Local poetry presses will exhibit in the lobby throughout the day, including A Small Garlic Press, After Hours Press, Cracked Slab Books, March Abrazo Press, Neighborhood Writing Alliance, Poetry Magazine, Puddin’head Press, RHINO, Swan Isle Press, Third World Press, Virtual Artists Collective, River Oak Review, and Shakespeare’s Monkey Revue. The Poetry Fest is a wonderful opportunity for local poets and poetry organizers to work together to present poetry to the public. It's a really good representation of the diversity of the Chicago Poetry Scene. This year's festivities will also include a Poetry Wheel led by the Poets Club of Chicago, a reading by Cornelius Eady, and a huge Poetry Cram featuring representatives from the featured presses as well plenty of guest poets including Stella Radulescu, Shontay Luna, Ruth Goring, Larry O. Dean, Anne Godden-Segard, Udayan Das, PJ Destin and many, many others. The fest is free and open to the public, so don't miss it.

Roosevelt University to Present Mary Jo Bang

2010-03-24T10:48:00.000-07:00

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On Tuesday, April 27, from 5 to 6 PM, Roosevelt University's Gage Gallery at 18 S. Michigan Avenue will present a reading by Mary Jo Bang.

Bang is the author of six collections of poems, including Louise in Love, The Eye Like a Strange Balloon and Elegy. Her poetry has also appeared in The New Yorker, The New Republic, Paris Review and in three volumes of Best American Poetry, among many other publications. Bang has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Bakeless Prize and a Hodder Fellowship from Princeton University. She teaches at Washington University in St. Louis.

The Gage Gallery Reading Series is sponsored by the Creative Writing Program at Roosevelt University, Oyez Review and the Department of Literature and Languages.

123 Collective: Good Evening

2010-03-22T11:39:00.000-07:00

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ChicagoPoetry.com has the first word about an exciting new poetry venue. The 123 Collective--founded by Nicole Wilson, Joe Bly, and Kelly Forsythe--was created to become a center for regular events, exhibits, film screenings, and reading series; our their series, Good Evening, will occur once a month and pull from a list of volunteer and solicited readers. The hope is to open a space that fosters the wonderful community of writers and artists this city contains.

On Friday, April 2, at 7 PM, The Good Evening Series will take place at Post, 1816 S. Racine (look for the word "Post" on the mailbox), with a poetry open mic with featured readers Jacob Mays, Dolly Lemke, and Aaron Flanagan. Poets will bring work by their favorite poets, and work of their own to share in a reading which defies the focus of the individual and turns it towards the enjoyment and appreciation of the audience. The atmosphere is meant to be a lucid, eclectic, and free exchange of ideas and positive intellect which encourages pleasure and enjoyment over the awkward and pedantic, for fun and love of language. Fans of ChicagoPoetry.com are encouraged to check it out. BYOB.

Jacob Mays, from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, is a junior in the BFA Poetry Program at Columbia College Chicago. Dolly Lemke is a second year candidate in the MFA Poetry Program at Columbia College Chicago where she teaches freshman composition, works as a Student Advocate, and is one of the coordinators of a Classroom Based Tutoring Pilot Program. She also works as the Publicity Coordinator for the small local feminist press, Switchback Books. Her work has been published in Blue Canary, Burdock, Columbia Poetry Review, wicked alice, and forthcoming in Best American Poetry 2010. Joe Bly describes Aaron Flanagan as “a cool dude who likes High Life and Netflix according to his wall posts...he def loves soccer (football).”

National Poetry Month Chicago Schedule

2010-03-19T09:17:00.000-07:00

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Click Here For National Poetry Month Events

Click Here to Learn about the Jounral Of Ordinary Thought Release

Click Here to learn about Switchback Books' Gatewood Prize chapbook contest for women.

Women's History Month

2010-03-12T18:11:00.000-08:00

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The Chicago Poetry Scene has gone wild over National Women's History Month. Several monthly poetry gigs have dedicated their March event to the lovely ladies of Chi-town and beyond. Here's your guide to Chicago's March poetry events, so that you won't miss out on any of the action.

On Monday, March 15, Mental Graffiti will celebrate National Women's Month with their feature Dane Kuttler from Seattle. There will also be a poetry slam for the final slots in the team. This groovy gig is hosted by Emily Rose, Tim Stafford, and Amy David and it goes down at Butterfly Social Club, 722 W. Grand, from 7:30 to 10 PM, with a $5 cover.

On Wednesday, March 17, The Guild Complex's esteemed Palabra Pura biligual reading series will present Linda Rodriguez and Latina Poets of Columbia College, with Jan Peña-Davis, Jennifer Patiño and Lisa Cisneros. Remember, Palabra Pura is always held on the third Wednesday of every month at Décima Musa, 1901 S. Loomis, with an open mic at 7:30 PM. It is free and all ages are welcome. Upcoming Palabra Pura features include Gabriela Jauregi on April 21, Levi Romero on May 19, Luis Alberto Ambroggio on June 16, and a little birdie told me to expect a reading by Frank Varela on July 21.

Words That Kill is celebrating Women's History Month as well with an all-woman poetry slash comedy slam at Lilly's Bar, 2513 N. Lincoln Ave, on Thursday, March 18, from 7 to 9 PM. The performers include Molly Meacham, Leslie Lee, Stacy Fox, Emily Lake, Robin Fine and Janet Kane. It's $5 or canned goods and it promises to be a heck of a good time.

On Friday, March 19, Josephinum Academy Theatre, 1501 N Oakley, 2nd Floor, will present HerStory, a performance of original poetry, rap, and monologues by Josephinum's junior and senior classes. Josephinum Academy is a multicultural, values-based community that strives to empower young women to become leaders by nurturing their talents and instilling within them a social awareness that motivates them to make a difference. HerStory, directed by FM Supreme, is part of an annual celebration of Women's History Month. It happens from 7 to 8 PM and it's $5. Call to reserve seats 773-261-1261.

According to the Poetry Foundation's web-blast, Maria McCray will be the featured poet for the next Third Saturday Coffeehouse at Unity Temple, 875 Lake Street in Oak Park. It happens on Saturday, March 20, and begins with an open mic starting about 7:30 PM. It's $3 to $5 donation. What better way to celebrate Women's Month than with MaMa?

Of course, WomanMade Gallery, 685 N Milwaukee Ave, will celebrate Women's History Month as well, with a reading on Sunday, March 21, from 2 to 4 PM. featuring a dynamic line-up of poets including Brenda Cardenas, Angela Jackson, Jacquelyn Pope, Jennifer Sweeney and Lina Ramona Vitkauskas. That's really exciting stuff.

On Tuesday, March 23, at 6:30 PM, the Performing Arts Center at Oakton Community College, 1600 E. Golf Road, Des Plaines, will present The Zookeeper's Wife: An Evening with Diane Ackerman, part of Women's History Month at Oakton, sponsored by the Women's and Gender Studies Program. It is free and open to the public.

On Friday, March 26, from 6 to 9 PM, The School of The Art Institute of Chicago Ballroom, 112 S Michigan, will host a panel discussion, with open mic and performances, called A Generation of Screamers: Youth Empowerment through Spoken Word, featuring Marty McConnell, Niki Patton and the 2010 winner of the Louder Than a Bomb spoken word contest.

And to wrap up Women's Month, on Tuesday, March 30, at 6:30 PM, Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton St, will be host to a free Women's History Month event, with performances of Emily Dickinson's poetry with music, dance, and theatre inspired by her life and work. The winners of the Caffeine Theatre "Poetry to Take Your Head Off" competition will also be performed. No reservation required, but seating is limited. And Caffeine Theatre's Wild Nights with Emily runs through April 11.

In other news, check out the new issue of Moria by clicking here. It's jam-packed with the good stuff.

Swam Isle Press was kind enough to send me a copy of their new title, a 200-page hardcover edition of Frivolous Women and Other Sinners, by Alicia Borinsky, translated by Cola Franzen. Check out a review of the book by clicking here.

PoetrySpeaks.com not only offers you a mug shot of Tony Trigilio on its homepage, but they are also sponsoring a poetry film contest. First prize is $150 and Robert Pinsky is one of the final judges. You can go directly to YourMic.com and click on the Reel Love Poetry Film Contest image for all the details. The deadline has been extended until April 30.

Speaking of contests, Click Here to enter the Helen Schaible International Shakespearean / Petrarchan Sonnet Contest.

And Click Here to enter the Poets and Patrons Chicagoland Poetry Contest.

Lyn Lifshin is still at it. She has some poetry published in the new issue of Unlikely Stories.

Did you know that Idris Goodwin's new CD, Break Beat Poems, can be downloaded for $8.99 by clicking here. Well now ya' do.

Dan Godston has also been putting up some great audio files on the internet. For example, if you click here you can listen to Sonic Bridge, a music presentation that happened last year that includes poetry by Carlos Cumpian.

Why don't we take a look at some of the other upcoming events in March.

On Saturday, March 13, from 10 AM until 5 PM, The Conoway Center, 1104 S Wabash, hosts the Chicago Zine Fest. Click here for more.

After the Zine Fest, why not head on down to the Cafe Ballou, 939 N. Western Ave, for the Saint Patty Poetry Cram, happening from 7 to 9 PM with open mic? It's free and it's cool so don't miss it.

If you like your poetry a bit subtler, you can check out Myopic Books, 1564 N. Milwaukee Avenue, 2nd Floor, as they present two special readings, both at 7 PM. On Saturday, March 13, the features are Lina ramona Vitkauskas and Jamie Kazay. And on Sunday, March 14, the features will be William Allegrezza and Chris Glomski. And then: on Saturday, March 20, Lewis Freedman and Seth Landman will feature.

The Silver Tongue Reading Series returns on Tuesday, March 16, from 7 to 10 PM at 731 S. Plymouth Ct. The featured poet is Robbie Q. Telfer and this month's theme is "Workin’ For a Livin’". Silver Tongue is a student curated monthly reading featuring Columbia College student’s word based work.

The new Revolving Door Reading Series has a great line-up this month as well: Jacob Knabb, Coya Paz, and Avery R. Young (all in lower case letters). It happens at Red Kiva, 1108 W. Randolph St, on Wednesday, March 17, from 7:30 to 9:30 PM. Nice.

Mojo's Pen Open Mic happens on Thursday, March 18, from 7 to 9 PM, at the University of Illinois, Chicago African American Cultural Center, Addams Hall, Suite 207. It's free.

Also on Thursday, March 18, at 8 PM, Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia, will present MAKE: A Literary Magazine Issue 9 “Myth, Magic, & Ritual” Party. It's $8 and 21 or over. I hear that Joel Craig will be the late-night DJ for the event.

Also on Thursday, March 18, at 6 PM, DePaul University, McGaw hall, Room 313A, 802 W. Belden Ave, will host a poetry reading by Joseph Lease. Joseph Lease's critically acclaimed books of poetry include Broken World and Human Rights. Lease is an Associate Professor of Writing and Literature and the Chair of the MFA Program in Writing at California College of the Arts.

On Sunday, March 21, at 6 PM, the Orange Alert Series will present a reading by Kathryn Regina at The Whistler, 2421 North Milwaukee. It's also free.

On Friday, March 26, at 6 PM, Open Books, 213 West Institute Place, will present a free "Poem Off the Shelf" event featuring David Baker, author of Never-Ending Birds (W.W. Norton).

On Sunday, March 28, from 1:30 to 4:30 PM, Alice George will lead the monthly Rhino Workshop. The poetry workshop always happens on the fourth Sunday of the month at the Evanston Public Library at Church & Orrington (Room 108). Alice’s topic will be A Fine Excess: The poetry of Bob Hicok. She will bring a few poems by this contemporary poet to the group and lead a discussion on the poetic techniques of extravagance, anger and mess. Bring 15 or more copies (no longer than two pages) of work you want critiqued. *$5-$10 donation appreciated

And here are a few additions to the poetry calendar for April.

On Saturday, April 3, from 7 to 11 PM, Elastic Arts Foundation, 2830 N. Milwaukee Avenue, 2nd Floor, will present a book release reading for John Murillo's Up Jump The Boogie, with special guests Roger Bonair-Agard, Paul Martinez Pompa, Cristina Correa, Kevin Coval, Toni Asante Lightfoot, Erin Teegarden, Krista Franklin and many others. That's really hip. It's also really hop.

On Friday, April 9, Billy Lombardo will be celebrating the release of his new novel, The Man With Two Arms at The Latin School of Chicago, 59 W. North Ave, from 6:30 to 9:30 PM.

There will be a RHINO release party at the home of Ralph Hamiltonm 630 Clinton Place, Evanston, on Sunday, April 11, from 2 to 4:30 PM.

And, finally, on Saturday, March 20, enjoy some music at the Heartland Cafe, 7000 North Glenwood Ave, from 9 to 11 PM. Blues / jazz / rock vocalist, singer / songwriter, and electronic composer Kat Zwick (and The Shift) will be featured. The experience is described as "stripped down, soulful instrumentation, swampy intense blues, and playful but sometimes shockingly profound turns on pop tunes." What's that got to do with poetry? Uh-dunno. Sounds cool though.

--CJ Laity

PS, don't forget to get your Cram submissions in. Cram 8 will be given away free at the Harold Washington Library on April 24. Here's the link to the guidelines.

correction

2010-03-05T13:19:00.001-08:00

In a previous version of this paragraph, I listed an event at Woman Made Gallery, 685 N Milwaukee Ave, that will happen on Sunday, March 21, from 2 to 4 PM. Since then I received another press release from the gallery listing a completely different line up of poets for that event. I don't know what the screw up was, but here it is straight from the gallery: "This reading will feature woman writers with with a notable record of publishing and other accomplishments. Readers include Brenda Cardenas (Bilingual Press), Poet Laureate of Milwaukee; Angela Jackson (Triquarterly Books, winner of 2 American Book awards), Jacquelyn Pope (Marsh Hawk Press), Jennifer Sweeney (Perugia Press, winner of the James Laughlin award); and Lina Ramona Vitkauskas (Ravenna Press)."

**Apparently the line up for the May show was accidentally listed for the April show.

March Poetry Gossip

2010-03-02T12:43:00.000-08:00

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March is here. Now if only the winter would march away. Here's some poetry gossip to warm you up.

The Tuesday Night POW-WOW at Jeffrey Pub, 7041 S Jeffrey, is still going strong with powerful feminist voices. It happens from 8 to 10:30 PM with a $5 cover. March's features include Jenn Christy on March 2; Hip Hop Poetry on March 9; an event called "Men Talk Vaginas" on March 16; and the one and only Nikki Patin on March 23. There will also be a "She Slam" at Chicago State University, Douglas Hall, Breakly Theater, 9501 S. King Dr, on March 30 from 7 to 9 PM. The She Slam will be hosted By CC Carter and it promises the "fiercest lineup of queer and queer allied women poets in Chicago" including Deana Dean, Marty McConnell, Tristan Silverman, Tai Freedom Ford and many others. How about that for the new math of poetry?

Do you want to be a winner? Well, you can either write a haiku and try to win a block of cheese by clicking here or you can write something really nasty, weird or otherwise "off the wall" and try to win $100 cash at the next open mic contest at Weeds, 1555 N. Dayton, on Monday, March 29—sign up around 9:30 PM.

The buzz is that Lethal Poetry has been really rocking with the events that they organize, including the Words That Kill series. I have it from a good source that they're attempting to collaborate with other local organizations in an attempt to start up some type of annual spoken word poetry festival that may happen later this year. Now the Lethal Poets have their own radio program as well. It's called Lethal Amplitude and it airs on Thursdays at 7 PM on 89.5 FM WBEW and on Vocalo.org. To listen or for more about that, click here.

Check out Polvo Magazine's new blog.. They are looking for poetry, essays and short stories.

Ray Bianchi wants you to check out The Book Table bookstore in Oak Park, so click here.

Two With Water, a Chicago-based literary and art magazine that can be found at Quimby's, Myopic Books, Book Cellar, Women and Children First, and at other locations, is seeking submissions for the "Rx Reading Series" that will premier on Friday, March 26, 8 PM at Transistor. 5045 N. Clark St. The new series will take place at different venues throughout the city and it will feature selected readers with an occasional open mic. If you want to feature for this new series, they are seeking submissions (1000 words or less) of original short stories, poetry, and music that pertain to the theme of "Spring Breaking." Send them to submissions@twowithwater.com with "Rx Reading Submission" in the subject line by March 15.

Okay, I don't mean to sound like the guy going on and on about how he walked five miles barefooted through the snow to get to school, but I can remember when I use to see David Sedaris read for five bucks in Wrigleyville. Now if you want to see him read his essays you have to pay $25 to $75. Click here if you can afford to see him at the Auditorium Theater on April 17.

Hey! Saturday, March 6, Vic Theater, click here. Enough said.

On Monday, March 8, Molly Malone's Irish Pub, 7652 Madison St, in Forest Park, will present a poetry / fiction open mic with featured poet Kathleen Driskell, author of Seed Across Snow (Red Hen Press). Driskell is Associate Program Director of Spalding University’s brief-residency Master of Fine Arts in Writing Program in Louisville, Kentucky, where she is Associate Professor of Creative Writing. The open mic and reading happen from 7 30 to 9:30 PM and there is a $3 to $5 cover.

On Wednesday, March 10, the Danny's Reading Series will present Rick Snyder and John Tipton at 1951 W Dickens at 7:30 PM.

There will be a free Mojo's Pen open mic on Thursday, March 4, 7 to 9 PM, at the African American Cultural Center, 750 S. Halsted, Addams Hall, Suite 207.

There will also be a free poetry open mic on Friday, March 5, at 8 PM, at Borders Books & Music, 595 Central Avenue in Highland Park.

Check out The Future of Literary Magazines and Journals, a panel with Hattie Fletcher, Donna Seaman, Fred Sasaki, and Ian Morris.on Friday, March 5, at 7 PM, at Barbara's Bookstore, 1218 S. Halsted St. That's right, you heard it here first.

Do you want to learn about the next Windy City Story Slam? Just click the little poster to the right and it will get bigger for you. Cool, huh?

Also check out Frank Rogaczewski reading at Roosevelt University, Gage Gallery, 18 S. Michigan Ave, on Tuesday, March 9, at 5 PM. Rogaczewski is the author of a collection of prose poems called The Fate of Humanity in Verse and his poetry has been published in Notre Dame Review, Denver Quarterly, Another Chicago Magazine, Samizdat, BlueSky Review, and Oyez Review.

From March 5 to March 21, Lower Links will be presenting Land/Use, three weekends of performance, dance, readings and videos about how we shape the land and how the land shapes us. Each weekend features new performances and post show talk backs led by highly respected environmentalists from the area. Tickets are $15 ($12 online) or $10 ($8 online) for students, with weekend passes for $20/$15 and festival passes for $25. Click here for more.

Don't forget April is National Poetry Month. Whoo-hoo! ChicagoPoetry.com is your source to learn about poetry month activities, so bookmark our homepage and check back often. One poetry month event that is already planned is a very special reading by Sam Hamill at Unity Temple in Oak Park on Saturday, April 17. Oh yeah, and those Waiting 4 The Bus guys are going to attempt another "Poetry Bomb" on Sunday, April 18. What's a poetry bomb, you ask? During a poetry bomb poets do readings in public places, often outdoors, at a designated time, sort of like a poetry flash mob. This is the third year the bombers are attempting this. In 2008 the event went smoothly; it was met with good weather, wide support and it received a lot of good press. But in 2009, the event was met with a brutal rainstorm that left some of the bombers drenched on the steps of the Art Institute and at other locales. What's going to happen this year? Will the bomb have better karma this time? I'm taking out my Mystical Pen and I am writing: partly cloudy, cool and breezy, scent of melancholy in the air.

Of course, for the past decade the big Poetry Month event in Chicago has been the Chicago Public Library's Poetry Fest. This year the fest will happen on Saturday, April 24, from 10 AM to 4 PM at the Harold Washington Library. Local poetry presses will exhibit in the lobby throughout the day, including A Small Garlic Press, After Hours Press, Cracked Slab Books, March Abrazo Press, Neighborhood Writing Alliance, Poetry Magazine, Puddin’head Press, RHINO, Swan Isle Press, Third World Press, Virtual Artists Collective, River Oak Review, and Shakespeare’s Monkey Revue. The Poetry Fest is a wonderful opportunity for local poets and poetry organizers to work together to present poetry to the public. It's a really good representation of the diversity of the Chicago Poetry Scene. This year's festivities will also include a Poetry Wheel led by the Poets Club of Chicago, a reading by Cornelius Eady, and a huge Poetry Cram featuring representatives from the featured presses as well as plenty of guest poets including Stella Radulescu, Shontay Luna, Ruth Goring, Larry O. Dean, Anne Godden-Segard, Udayan Das, PJ Destin and many, many others. The fest is free and open to the public, so don't miss it.

Finally there will be a free screening of the 1976 film "The Chicago Maternity Center Story" followed by a panel discussion on Wednesday, March 10, from 6 to 8 PM, at UIC School of Public Health's Auditorium, Room 109, 1603 W. Taylor St. For more than 75 years, the Chicago Maternity Center provided safe home births for Chicago mothers. This film interweaves the history of the center with the story of a young woman about to have her first baby and the center's fight to stay open in the face of the corporate takeover of medicine. What's that got to do with poetry? Uh-dunno. Sounds cool anyway, though.

--CJ Laity

CJ Laity To Host Poetry At Brookfield Zoo

2010-02-26T10:16:00.001-08:00

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CLICK HERE FOR THE SCOOP