Thank you, poets, for bearing with us as we thwarted the coup d'etat attempt of 2008 with our own Operation Shitstorm. The shitstorm was a success; victory is clearly ours. Chicago Poetry is now stronger than ever. We intend to withdraw our poetry troops no later than January 20th. We appreciate your tolerence and thank you for not losing faith, as we showed our resolve, fought for our rights, and defended our freedom of speech.
OPEN CALL: GET A POEM PUBLISHED IN CRAM MAGAZINE
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MR. CHICAGO POETRY'S PICKS AND NIX
**Ongoing: On Friday, Oct 10, the Chicago Cultural Center held an invitation only party for the industry leaders of Chicago's poetry, literary and publishing world for the grand opening of the Chicago Publishers Gallery. Some of the attendees included Haki Madhubuti, CJ Laity, Johanny Vazquez Paz, Jonathan Messinger, Kurt Heintz, Jennifer Karmin, Marc Smith, Sandi Weisberg and many others,
The Chicago Publishers Gallery is now open. It is a new gallery devoted to books and periodicals by Chicago-area publishers and authors, at the Chicago Cultural Center, 77 E. Randolph St. at Michigan Ave. It is a collection of more than 1,500 books, as well as numerous magazines, newspapers, journals, independent “zines,” and comics, showcasing Chicago’s thriving publishing industry. Located in the Randolph Street Café, the Gallery encourages exploration of Chicago’s wide range of publishing ventures in a comfortable setting. The public is invited to read or browse through the collection of books including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, art books, children’s literature, and experimental works, as well as periodicals including popular magazines, literary and scholarly journals, and daily Chicago newspapers. Book-inspired art, limited editions, and other book-related exhibitions are featured in display cases. A computer provides access to the city’s book blogs, publishers’ websites, and online magazines. Although publications in the Gallery are not for sale or loan, the Shop at the Cultural Center will stock books by Chicago-area publishers.
**Sundays thru Tuesdays, Nov 16 thru Dec 9: Siberian Mouth At The Sideproject, 1520 W. Jarvis, $10, Curtain at 7:30. A whimsical two-handed riff on Fyodor Dostoevsky's short story, White Nights. The Siberian tundra, a disappearing fiancé, the czar's bizarre taste for imperiled animal hybrids, and a shared ferocious independence hinder a would-be couple in their search to discover a cure for shared loneliness. Siberian Mouth marks BOTC's fourth Studio effort, and kicks off our International Cycle, dedicated to mining Dostoevsky's rich oeuvre in order to create equally rich and expansive live drama.
**Nov 20 thru Dec 23: A Very Neo-Futurist Christmas Carol, check out
NeoFuturists.org for details
**Thur Nov 20: Fullerton Hall, Art Institute of Chicago, 111 South Michigan Ave,
Paul Muldoon, 6 PM, free
**Thur Nov 20: Friends of 826CHI & The Boring Store! It's time to eat. Please join us at 7pm as we eat "miracle berries," and, while under the influence of the berry's taste-bud changing powers, try as many foods, dressing, condiments and drinks as we can. Not familiar with "miracle berries?" A briefing can be found
here We'll provide a good deal of food and drink but encourage you to bring something edible to gastronomically experiment with as well. Tickets are only $15 and available at
826Chi.org. We expect these tickets to sell out berry quickly, so buy now!
**Thur Nov 20: Powell's Bookstore, 2850 N. Lincoln Ave, presents playwright
Mickle Maher, 7 PM.
**Fri Nov 21: Mercury Cafe, 1505 W. Chicago Ave, open mic with features
Maureen Flannery, Charles Rossiter, and Tom Roby and others, 7 – 9 PM, free.
**Fri Nov 21: Flatfile Gallery, 217 N Carpenter,
Parneshia Jones, Rachel Webster, Francesco Levato, Elise Paschen & Richard Fammerée, 7 PM.
**Fri Nov 21: Brothers K Coffeehouse, 500 Main St. in Evanston, open mic with features
James Shea and Larry Sawyer, 6 to 7:30 PM. James Shea is the author of Star in the Eye, selected by Nick Flynn as the winner of the 2008 Fence Modern Poets Series. His poems have appeared in various journals, including American Letters and Commentary, Boston Review, Mrs. Maybe, and Verse. He currently teaches at Columbia College Chicago and DePaul University. Larry Sawyer curates the Myopic Books reading series in Wicker Park, Chicago. Chapbooks include Poems for Peace (Structum Press), A Chaise Lounge in Hell (aboveground press), Tyrannosaurus Ant (mother's milk press), which was recently included in the Yale Collection of American Literature, and Disharmonium (Silver Wonder Press). His blog is Me tronome. His work was also recently included in The City Visible: Chicago Poetry for the New Century (anthology, Cracked Slab Books, 2007). Larry also edits milk magazine (since 1998). His poetry and literary reviews have appeared in publications including the Chicago Tribune, Babel Fruit, Vanitas, Jacket, MiPoesias, and The Prague Literary Review.
**Sat Nov 22: Prop Theatre, 3502 N. Elston Ave, 773-278-1212,
Beast Women, $15, 10:30 PM, featuring
Jillian Erickson, Jackie Wolk, Colleen Lawson, Elizabeth Blair, Luna Dance Troupe, Red Hot Annie, Kelsie Huff, Amanda Rountree, Janet Kane, Dred Sista Ren, Jen Ashley, Aislinn Mulligan
**Sun Nov 23: Fourth Sundays Rhino Poetry Workshop and peer exchange, Evanston Public Library, Church & Orrington, Room 108, 1:30 - 4:30 PM. All poets welcome. Drop in, have poems critiqued, and participate in an ongoing discussion of poetry and poetics. No registration is required. Leader: Alice George Alice George teaches as a visiting poet in area schools and libraries, and as an instructor at the University of Chicago’s Graham School and Northwestern University’s Center for Talent Development. She served as an Editor of RHINO for 10 years and is now of the Advisory Board of that award-wining magazine. Her poetry and prose appears in many, many publications and she is ba seven-time recipient of Ragdale Foundation Fellowships, Alice was awarded an Illinois Arts Council Fellowship for Poetry in 2005. Alice's topic: Metaphor as Touchstone/Metaphor as Trick. It's all about the relationship between the poet and metaphor. Says Alice, "Metaphorical thinking--that leap away into difference--is often one of the most thrilling aspects of our craft, and also so often a dead end, or trick, or reduction." There will be examples! Bring 15 or more copies (no longer than two pages) of work you want critiqued. $5 donation appreciated
**Fri Nov 28: Mercury Cafe, 1505 W. Chicago Ave, open mic with feature
Jason Ammerman, Sid Yiddish, Oren Wagner, Eiko Shimada and others, 7 – 9 PM, free.
**Sun Nov 30: Poetry and Music sponsored by the Westmont Area Friends of the Arts, The Illinois State Poetry Society & The Brewed Awakening Café, Noon – 2:00 pm, 19 W. Quincy St., Westmont. Featured poets, Michal (Mikki) Mendelsohn of Naperville and Caroline Johnson of Willow Springs. Open mike. Original melodic flying folk music by Just Another Bird. Contact Craig or Sylvia, (630) 852-2233.
**Tue Dec 2: Now Charlie Newman is calling his open mic at the Cafe
"a Poetry Green Zone." I'm not sure if it's a green zone as in certain poets are terrorists and are not allowed in, or is this just another of his shitty jabs at the wonderful Neutral Zone that over 570 poets belong to, but it doesn't matter. Does Newman know what the Green Zone is? The Green Zone is the common name for the International Zone of Iraq, a 4 square mile area in central Baghdad that remains the center of the occupation of the city. It is a military designation. It's where they gather to plot their war. Yep, that really makes us want to go to the Cafe. Seriously. Someone told me that it is common for former drug addicts like Newman to completely lose it at Newman's age. Apparently, all those dead brain cells catch up to you when you are nearing the age of 70. I was told it is quite possible Newman is suffering from some type of Alzheimers, and that explains why he thinks he is CJ the poetry news guy, and why, when faced with the real CJ, he became hostile. Just humor him.
Here is a Waiting 4 The Bus update.
**Wed Dec 3: Chicago Poetry Cult Pretend World Report. Charlie Newman has an event tonight (Wednesday) that he is calling "first Friday." Isn't that one of the signs of mental illness? Not knowing what day it is? I bet I can guess who one of his features is (drum roll please)—Buddha309 of Waiting 4 The Bus. What? Again? Well, isn't that just a cozy group of white boys who wash each other's backs? Last month one of Charlie's features was Janet Kuypers, who claims to have been published nearly 10,000 times. I'd like to see that bibliography! Not even Lyn Lifshin makes such a claim. Do you think it is true? Wait, is this the same Charlie Newman who once told me that he can't stand Janet Kuypers? Kind of two faced, huh? Laura Weathered, proprietor, double booked the space last time, so Charlie had to do his gig upstairs in front of a huge mural of Jesus Christ. That had to be screwy, standing up on that alter where priests once said mass. The thought of it is kind of sacreligious, Charlie spewing his vulgarities in a church, and banning the laity from the church to boot. Who are the other features? Probably some good poets who Charlie suckered into the middle of things. Should you bother going? No. Support these poets somewhere else. Charlie Newman is making some kind of senile poetry power play and we're all sick and tired of it. Going to Newman's readings, no matter who he is featuring, is sending the wrong message to him. It's saying that it's okay to screw people over to get what you want. We just want to go to poetry readings. We don't want to have to
choose sides.
**Sat Dec 6: Red Rover Series, the Division Street Dance Loft, 735 W. Division, 3rd Fl, presents Experiment #25: Floating Hope Corpse, a mega reading with authors from MoonLiit, featuring
Joel Craig, Brandi Homan, Lisa Janssen, Philip Jenks, Erik Johnson, Jennifer Karmin, Erika Mikkalo, Daniela Olszewska, Kathleen Rooney, Melissa Severin, Chuck Stebelton & Leila Wilson7 PM, $4, door lock at 7:30.
**Sun Dec 7: Myopic Books, 1664 N. Milwaukee,
Daniel Borzutzky, Kristin Dykstra & Kent Johnson , 7 PM
**Sun Dec 7: Uncommon Ground North, 1401 W. Devon Ave, Solstice Celebration of Poetry & Music with
Kristy Bowen, Onam Liduba, James Reiss, Cin Salach Pont des Arts Ensemble, 8 PM, 773.465.9801 (reservations recommended)
**Wed Dec 10: Danny's Tavern, 1951 W. Dickens,
James Shea and Brian Young, 7:30 PM sharp, 21 and over
**Wed Dec 10: L'incontro (the encounter): A evening of experimental and emerging voices in Italian poetry featuring work read in the original Italian and in English translation by poet/translators
Joshua Adams, Chris Glomski, Francesco Levato, and special guest
Tiziano Fratus, from Turin, Italy. Fratus will read from his recent book A Room in Jerusalem. Poets whose work will be presented include: Francesco Giuntini, Giacomo Leopardi, Eugenio Montale, Giuseppe Ungaretti, Eugenio De Signoribus, Emanuel Carnevali, Nino Gennaro, Claudia Ruggeri and Tiziano Fratus. 7 PM PM at ThinkArt Salon, 1530 North Paulina, Suite F, 773.252.2294, www.thinkartsalon.com, UniVerse of Poetry, Free & open to the public
**Thur Dec 11: Big Chick's/Tweets, 5024 N Sheridan Rd,
Jen Pagonis and Cassandra Tribe, 7:30 PM
**Thur Dec 11: Chicago Center for Performing Arts (Green Street Theater), 777 N. Green St, presents Words In Action, a poetry and dance presentation. Two shows: 6 PM and 9 PM. Featuring poets
Ignatius (Iggy) Mwela and Kevin (Bam) Smith with choreographers Shani Barnett and Trey. Tickets: $25/Adults, $19/Students, are available online at www.poetrytolife.com or www.rhy-mix.com or call 630.862.6360. According to the press release: "Words In Action is a fusion of Poetry/Dance/Art. Never before have the art forms coexisted on one stage, one setting. With Iggy's highly energetic cutthroat spoken word combined with back twisting dance moves, one is surely guaranteed to witness a mind stimulating, visually attractive event."
**Sun Dec 12: Woman Made Gallery, 685 N. Milwaukee Ave, presents ICONS, a poetry reading. From Mary to Marilyn, from religious paintings to those little pictures on our computer screens, icons are images that strongly resonate with meaning. And because "icon" in its most literal sense means "an image, simile or symbol," icons are an essential part of what poetry is all about. This reading will present work that engages Iconic figures ranging from the classical to pop culture, in incarnations that range from elegaic to the highly compromised. Hosted by Nina Corwin, readers include
Maureen Toman Flannery, Arielle Greenberg, Becca Klaver, Donna Pucciani, Erin Teegarded, and Rachel Jamison Webster. 2 to 4 PM, free and open to the public.
**Mon Dec 15: JINGLE HELL! JINGLE HELL! Twilight Tales Winter Holiday Horror Contest. Are you sick of holly and ready for humbug? Mystic Celt, 3443 N. Southport, 7:30 PM until ???. Stories must be read in 20 minutes or less and have a creepy holiday theme. First prize, $25 Second prize, $10 Winners will be published at the
website.
**Tue Dec 16: MCA Cafe, 220 E. Chicago Ave, Literary Gangs of Chicago,
2nd Story, 6:30 PM.
**Wed Dec 17: Heartland Cafe, 7000 N. Glenwood, In One Ear open mic featuring
Poncho Joe, 10 PM, $3.
**Fri Dec 19: Mercury Cafe, 1505 W. Chicago Ave, open mic with feature
Elephant Zine Reading with Joe Bly, Catch Henson, Helen Kiernan, and Jess Rose and others, 7 – 9 PM, free.
**Sat Dec 20: 3rd Saturday Coffeehouse: An Open Mic at Unity Temple in Oak Park, 875 Lake Street, A Holiday Creativity Celebration of all Open Mic! Door prizes, cookies for everyone, no glitz, no rush, being together, good fun!
**Sun Jan 11: Myopic Books, 1664 N. Milwaukee,
Dan Godston , 7 PM
**Fri Jan 16: Today is the deadline to enter ChicagoPoetry.com's Cram competition,
click here for details.
**Tue Jan 20: MCA Cafe, 220 E. Chicago Ave, Literary Gangs of Chicago,
Young Chicago Authors' Louder Than A Bomb, 6:30 PM.
**Fri Jan 30: Today is the deadline to enter the Poetry Center's Juried Reading. This year, the final judge is the notorious
Brenda Hillman, who once awarded her personal friend Laura Mullen the University of Georgia prize, and who gave the Sawtooth Poetry Prize to a poet with a manuscript that Hillman personally helped revise. Not very good odds if you ask me.
**Sat Jan 31: Woodland Pattern's 15th Annual Poetry Marathon and Benefit, call 414-263-5001 to sign up.
**Sat Jan 31: Poetic Dialogue/Walking Poetry Reading, 2 PM, Sidney R. Yates Gallery at Chicago Cultural Center, a program with seven poets presented in conjunction with the exhibition Collaborative Vision: The Poetic Dialogue Project
**Feb 11 thru 14, 2009: The AWP Conference comes to Chicago. With more than a dozen panel discussions, workshops and readings happening simultaneously, the only problem you'll have at the AWP Conference is trying to decide what to attend. There will be an extremely eclectic selection of poetry related events, including: Jewish Poetry vs. Poetry by Jews with Eve Grubin, Sharon Dolin, Carly Sachs, Joy Katz, Erika Meitner; Hip-hop and the Future of the Black Writer with Jessica Young, Avery R. Young, Toni Asante Lightfoot, Tacuma Roeback, Alexis Pride; Language for a New Century: Contemporary Poetry from the Middle East and Asia with Nathalie Handal, Jill Bialosky, Kimiko Hahn, Ravi Shankar, Srikanth Reddy; Building, Breaking, Rebuilding: Six Chicago Literary Landscapers with Ellen Placey Wadey, Erin Teegarden, Krista Franklin, Joel Craig, Jennifer Karmin; Poetic Responses to AIDS with Charles Flowers, Ruben Quesada, Eloise Klein Healy, Rafael Campo, Jack Wiler; Chicago Poetry Slam with Mark Eleveld, Marc Smith, Kevin Coval, Idris Goodwin; A Tribute to Gwendolyn Brooks with Quraysh Ali Lansana, Lucille Clifton, Michael Harper, Major Jackson; New Poetry from Chile, Cuba, and Mexico: A Reading with Daniel Borzutzky, Roberto Tejada, Jen Hofer, Kristin Dykstra, Brian Whitener; A Celebration of Barry Silesky with Robert Dana, Lee Webster, Robin Hemley, Richard Terrill, Mike Puican; Who's Yer Daddy? Gay Poets and the Interited Present with Jim Elledge, Mark Bibbins, Peter Covino, David Groff, Brian Teare; and many, many other poetry related events.
**Thur Feb 12: Casting the Dye: A Reading with the Affrilachian Poets, featuring poets
Bianca Spriggs, Ricardo Nazario-Colon, Ellen Hagan, Frank X Walker , Mitchell Douglas, Kelly Norman Ellis, Parneshia Jones and Patricia Smith. 5:30 PM at The Art Institute of Chicago, Morton Auditorium, 111 S. Michigan Ave., Free & open to the public
**Fri Feb 13, 2009: Making Scenes: Chicago Poetry Communities from 1939-2009. Panelists include
Catherine Wagner, Evie Shockley, Margo Crawford, Chuck Stebelton, CJ Laity, Joel Craig. Of central importance to the Black Arts movement and the spoken word movement, Chicago has also been home to a number of experimental poetry communities. Bringing together widely differing aesthetics and contextualizing the communities that produced them, the panel offers an opportunity for both panelists and audience to break down the usual aesthetic fences. 10:30 to 11:45 AM, part of the AWP Conference.
**Fri Feb 13, 2009: Chicago Center for the Performing Arts, 777 N. Green St, UniVerse of Free Expression: A Festival of International Poetry, 8 PM. A celebration of internationally acclaimed poets and visionaries, featuring readings by Kwame Dawes (Jamaica/Ghana), Fady Joudah (Palestine), Ilya Kaminsky (Ukraine), and Ofelia Zepeda (Tohono O'odham Nation), poetry films, a celebratory remembrance of Nadia Anjoman (a young Afghani woman who was murdered in 2005, many feel for publishing her poetry), poetry and music by Richard Fammerée, Carrie Ingrisano and Rachel Webster, plus a Midnight Free Love Slam and Open Mic, hosted by Marc Kelly Smith. An "off campus" AWP conference event.
ChicagoPoetry.com
The Blueing Hours
