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Cool September Chicago Poetry News
Posted by : cj on Wednesday, September 01, 2010 - 05:34 PM
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869 Reads
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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 the real ChicagoPoetry recommends it, it's cooler than cool.
Poetry falling from the sky? How cool. Click here to learn about a Chilean poetry bomb.
Winning money is cool. Try to win $1000 by clicking here.
New poetry venue alert! Pressure Billiards and Cafe, at 6318 North Clark St, is launching an open mic every third Thursday, welcoming poetry, short stories, musicians and comedians, with a focus on supporting the poets and writers of Chicago with a safe, fun environment to perform in. It starts around 8:30 PM, with no cover. They will operate in two rounds with one to two poems per performance, so poets will have the opportunity to perform up to four poems throughout the evening. Pretty cool, huh?
Are you a fan of Whitman? Can you act? Can you recite poetry in your birthday suit? WTF? Auditions for a completely naked version of Leaves of Grass directed by Jeremy Bloom (to be presented at Links Hall on October 1) will take place on Monday, September 6, from 7 to 10 PM at About Face Theatre Administrative Offices (not affiliated), 1222 W. Wilson Ave, 2nd Floor West. This fleshy poetry show is seeking diverse actors to speak and embody poetry, people who are comfortable with their bodies and movement while nude, and those who are capable of speaking poetic language. Bring headshot/photo and a memorized poem 2 minutes in length (Walt Whitman preferred). Email Cara Clifford at leavesofgrass.links@gmail.com for more information.
 And speaking of naked, join host Marvin Tate (cool photos huh?) for "The Naked Truth," a talk / variety show at The Whistler, 2421 N. Milwaukee Ave, on Monday, September 13 at 7 PM.
On Tuesday, September 7, at 7:30 PM, the Tuesday Funk series will present a cool show featuring Gina Frangello, Shannon Morley Milliken and Zoe Zolbrod, with new host Sara Ross, at Hopleaf, 5148 N. Clark.
You also might want to check out Elizabeth's (Harper's) Crazy Little Thing at Phyllis' Musical Inn, 1800 W Division, on Tuesday, September 7, starting around 10 PM with open mic! That's crazy cool.
On Friday, September 10, from 7 to 9 PM, there will be a "Lyrical Tribute To Dr. Margaret Burroughs" at Ames Auditorium, Dusable Museum of African and American History, 740 East 56th Place, featuring poets who will present their poetry inspired by the artwork and writing of Dr. Burroughs, including Dr. Haki R. Madhubuti, Quraysh Ali Lansana and Kevin Coval. I was at Kent Foreman's oh so cool tribute at Jazz Showcase recently and I told Kevin to his face, I said, man, you are the hardest working poet in Chicago, and I meant it. That cool cat is everywhere.
Did you know Robbie Q Telfer will be the feature for Molly Malone's at 7652 Madison St in Forest Park on Monday, September 13? Well ya do now and ya heard it from thee source. It's a $3 to $5 cover, with an open mic, from 7 to 9:30 PM.
On Tuesday, September 14, from 7:30 to 10 PM, The Innertown Pub at 1935 W Thomas will play host to this month's QUICKIES! reading series that spotlights very short prose, this time featuring Kyle Beachy, Tim Jones-Yelvington, Scott Stealey, Zach Dodson, Kathryn Scanlon, Jac Jemc, Margaret Chapman, Matt Trupia, Brandon Will and Tobias Amadon Bengelsdorf.
On Saturday, September 18, at 7:30 PM, Women & Children First at 5233 N. Clark St. will present Sappho's Salon: A Provocative Night of Lesbian Diversions featuring Nikki Patin, Sissy Van Dyke, and DJ SpinNikki; There is a $7-$10 sliding scale donation that includes food and wine. Other upcoming W&CF events include: Wednesday, September 24, at 7:30 PM, "two authors whose latest releases cleverly and inventively ponder the banality of contemporary American life," Danielle Dutton (S P R A W L) and Kate Zambreno (O Fallen Angel); and Thursday, September 30, 7:30 PM, "Ordinary Women: Extraordinary Heroines - A New Paradigm for the Modern Heroin" (a reading sponsored by that cool website She Writes) featuring Audrey Niffenegger, Zoe Zolbrod, Teri Coyne, and others.
On Friday, October 1, there will be an AREA #10 Release Party at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E Washington. Click here to learn about all the coolness AREA Chicago has to offer.
Heads up. One of the coolest art galleries in Chicago, Woman Made Gallery, 685 North Milwaukee Ave, will be hosting a poetry reading called "Myths, She-roes and Revolutionaries" featuring Jenny Priego, Ching-In Chen, Maureen Flannery, Susan Slaviero and Kristine Uyeda on Sunday, October 3, from 1 to 3 PM.
Oh, by the way, I'm not going to do a Poetry Cram at Cafe Ballou in September, because the second Saturday falls on September 11 so instead I'm going to offer a moment of silence in honor of all the victims of the wars that resulted from what a handful of uncool idiots did.
Cool? Cool.
CJ Laity
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End Of Summer Poetry Gossip
Posted by : cj on Tuesday, August 24, 2010 - 01:42 PM
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477 Reads
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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!
Tuesday, August 24, 5 PM, Jazz Showcase, at the side of Dearborn Station, 806 S. Plymouth Ct, a tribute to Kent Foreman, featuring Roger Bonair-Agard, Regie Gibson and Marty McConnell. Just be there.
 Did you hear the news? Tony Trigilio is the featured poet in the 30th anniversary issue of Mid-American Review. The special section, titled "I'm Going to Bust This Case Wide Open," includes sixteen poems from his new collection Historic Diary (forthcoming from BlazeVOX). Way to go Tony!
Psst. You can check out an interview with Brenda Cárdenas at Sampsonia Way by clicking here, and while you are there browse around for all sorts of cool stuff.
Whitney Scott has been published in the inaugural issue of Sliver of Stone so check it out by clicking here.
Judith Wiker wants you to click on this link to check out her YouTube channel.
PoetryPoetry.com has an interview with the new Poet Laureate W.S. Merwin.
Does your poetry move? If you are one of the winners of the Poetry That Moves Contest your poetry will be displayed on a bus in Highland Park. Last year many of the winners heard about this contest through ChicagoPoetry.com. The deadline is October 1. Click here to learn all about it. And speaking of Highland Park, check out East On Central by by clicking here.
Charlie Rossiter has a poem published in Beltway, click here.
Now let's check out what's going on in the Chicago Poetry Scene.
On Wednesday, August 25, at 7 PM, the Gerber/Hart Library at 1127 W. Granville will present "Hot Sticky Poetry" featuring Chelsey Clammer, Dede DeLynn, Jolie Du Pre, LeVan D. Hawkins, Gregg Shapiro, and Avery R. Young.
Check this out! On Thursday, August 26, at 7:30 PM, Haki Madhubuti and Kevin Coval will read at Unity Temple at 875 Lake Street in Oak Park. It's five bucks cheap. I could go on telling you all about these two cats but if you don't know who they are, you ain't been payin' attention. Well, okay, if you really haven't heard of Kevin Coval, click here for New City's big ass story about him.
 The final Beast Women show of the season will be on Saturday, August 28, and it will feature Nikki Patin. Click here to reserve a seat.
It's being called the "Sexiest Room" in Chicago. It's the The Real Talk House at 4520 N. Monticello Ave. Check it out on Friday, August 27, from 7:30 to 10:30 PM featuring poetry and comedy. It's 18 and over with an open mic that "fills up fast."
Vito Carli is once again playing musical venues. Check out his new show on Saturday, August 28, from 6 to 8 PM, at Cafe Mestizo, 1738 W. 18th St.
Poetry and Music will happen on Sunday, August 29, from Noon until 2, at Brewed Awakening, 19 W. Quincy St., Westmont, featuring Mary Ann Eiler of Oak Park and Patricia Gangas of Oak Brook. with open mic, $5.
Lisa Hemminger will be in Chicago and will perform at the Looseleaf Lounge, 2915 N Broadway, on Monday, August 30 at 7:30 PM.
Lindsay Hunter is having a book release party for her new title, Daddy's. It happens at The Hideout, 1354 West Wabansia, on Monday, August 30, at 7:30 PM, and will also feature Blake Butler, Amelia Gray, Aaron Burch, Mary Hamilton, Jac Jemc and John Jodzio, hosted by featherproofer Zach Dodson. Ten bucks gets you in and gets you a copy of the book.
On Wednesday, September 1, from 8 to 11 PM, Black Rock Bar, 3614 N. Damen Ave, will host another Rec Room Series reading, this time curated by Luis Humberto Valadez. "Writing Movement Desensitization and Reproduction" will draw a parallel between the process of writing through traumatic history/herstory and the form of psychotherapy know as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reproduction (EMDR). OK. Well, with a line up like this, how can it go wrong? Features include Adrienne Dodt, LeAnne Ray, Jamie Kazay, Erin Hellweg, Jason McDaniel, Anndell Quintero, Miki Howald, Allison Gruber, Erin Teegarden, Carlos Cumpian and some dude named David Trinidad.
On Thursday, September 2, at 7 PM, Dana Lisa Young, Jen Tynes, and Seth Young will appear for Series A at Hyde Park Art Center, 5020 South Cornell Ave.
And if that ain't hot enough, Tina M. Howell and the Fellas will present a night of "Hot Buttered Indie Soul" at Reggie's Music Joint, 2105 S. State St, on Saturday, September 11 starting at 9 PM. It's seven bucks and 21 and over.
On Friday, September 17, 7 PM it's time again for the Spelling Bee for Adults at Book Cellar, 4736 N. Lincoln, hosted by Stacey Ballis and featuring celebrity judges Elizabeth Taylor, Lindsay Hunter and Robbie Q. Telfer. Prizes will be awarded to the winner and runners-up. Sign up at the Book Cellar or call (773) 293-2665.
On Wednesday, September 22, from 7:30 to 9 PM, La Voz del Barrio (the voice of the neighborhood) -- a fusion of Chicago's Latino spoken word artist's and musicians -- will take place at Chicago Center of Performing Arts, 777 N. Green St, and will feature Esteban "EL Maestro" Montalvo, Desire Lii, Cafe con Milk and Isis Rose. It's five bucks with a cash bar.
The Poetry Foundation has a pretty hot line-up of events planned for the fall, including (all events are free and start at 6 PM): Valerie Martínez and Silvia Curbelo (co-sponsored with the Guild Complex and Letras Latinas) at Jazz Showcase, 806 South Plymouth Court, on Wednesday, September 15; Franz Wright at Fullerton Hall, Art Institute of Chicago, 111 South Michigan Ave on Thursday, September 30; Frank Bidart at Cindy Pritzker Auditorium, Harold Washington Library, 400 South State St on Thursday, October 14; John Balaban and Le Pham Le at Ruggles Hall, The Newberry Library, 60 West Walton St on Thursday, October 28; and Naomi Shihab Nye at Fullerton Hall, 111 South Michigan Ave on Thursday, November 4. Also, on Sunday, November 14, at 4 PM, Thomas Lynch at Thorne Auditorium, Northwestern University School of Law, 375 East Chicago Ave for $5.
 The Humboldt Park Boathouse will be hosting some upcoming events, including a reading by Erika Mikkalo on Friday, October 8, at 7 PM, and a game of "Prairie Prose" an all ages event in which participants write Haiku on Saturday, September 4th at 1 PM. Click here to learn more about the boathouse.
Finally, the Nature Writing Group meets once a month at North Park Village Nature Center, 5801 N. Pulaski Ave, from 11 AM to 1 PM. They are a small group of people who are interested in nature and writing, who walk outside in the preserve and then write on what they encounter. For more info contact Elaine Wagner at 847-864-3898.
Th-th-th-that's all folks!
CJ Laity
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The Big Cram 9 Release Reading at Cafe Ballou
Posted by : cj on Sunday, August 15, 2010 - 12:16 PM
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271 Reads
Note: On Saturday, August 14, 2010, ChicagoPoetry.com celebrated the release of Poetry Cram Volume 9: Poetry in the First, with a big reading at Cafe Ballou, featuring Cheyenne Demus, Valisa Benson, Carol Gloor, Marcia Pradzinski, Sheila Donovan, Jenny Santellano, Margaret Mikus, Terri O'Hara, Marianne Schaefer, Marita DeMarinis, Lorraine Harrell, Lorraine Brown and Donna Pecore. Click Here for some photos of the wonderful event.
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Ron Offen, Publisher of Free Lunch, 1930 - 2010
Posted by : cj on Tuesday, August 10, 2010 - 10:38 AM
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303 Reads
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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.
Note: Click here.
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Gertrude Rubin, Beloved Poet, 1921 - 2010
Posted by : cj on Wednesday, July 28, 2010 - 07:59 AM
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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. Gert was also the aunt of David Rubin, original founder and host of the Cafe Aloha poetry series.
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.
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Chicago's Classic Poetry News Review
Posted by : cj on Sunday, July 25, 2010 - 12:59 PM
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426 Reads
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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.
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.
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.
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.
 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
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Chicago Poetry Special News Alerts
Posted by : cj on Thursday, July 08, 2010 - 01:24 PM
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483 Reads
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Hey Chicago poetry fans, here's some more July news for ya.
ChicagoPoetry.com will have two representatives passing out free copies of Cram 9 at The Printers Ball. Look for Donna Pecore and Donna Kiser at the Ball to get your free copy of Cram.
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.
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.
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
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Sergio Mayora "Moves On" From Weeds
Posted by : cj on Friday, May 21, 2010 - 01:55 PM
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815 Reads
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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 splashed 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.
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aaaaaaaaaaalice by Jennifer Karmin; Reviewed by CJ Laity
Posted by : cj on Sunday, May 09, 2010 - 01:31 PM
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708 Reads
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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 "cantos" in this "travelogue"), Jennifer Karmin explains that the poems in her book (that are actually collages derived from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and a book called Beginning Japanese Part 2), 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.
Note: Click Here to read the full review.
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