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Chicago Poetry Scene Top 135
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 Topic: Poetry Gossip: Click On Headlines
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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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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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Is A New Era Dawning For Poetry Center Of Chicago?
Posted by : cj on Thursday, May 20, 2010 - 04:23 PM
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693 Reads
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 It seems The Poetry Center of Chicago has very quietly parted ways with their Executive Director, Francesco Levato, and Mr. Levato is shrouding himself in just as much secrecy over his departure as he did over his activities when he held his job. On the Poetry Center "Staff & Board" Page on their website, Johnpaul Higgins is now listed as "Managing Director". "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. There is no mention of Mr. Levato, nor of the position of "Executive Director" for that matter. I did a Google "cache search" and found that this information has been posted as far back as May 10.
When did this major change so silently take place? I have my ear practically glued to the Chicago Poetry Scene's train track, yet this news comes as a surprise to me. I'm a bit baffled, but no more baffled than I've been by anything else related to Levato that has happened with the Poetry Center in the last two and a half years. I did quite a bit of searching around in an attempt 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 I 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 had vanished. He wasn't even mentioning that he is the "former" Executive Director. It's as if his time at the Poetry Center didn't even exist.
 Despite this Twilight Zone-ish introduction, I am going to be optimistic about this news. 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 guard to happen, then I am relieved that it 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 the state of integrity it enjoyed for over thirty years.
--CJ Laity
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Chicago Poetry Reading and Event Announcements
Posted by : cj on Tuesday, October 20, 2009 - 06:29 PM
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599 Reads
And then on Tuesday, November 10, from 4:30 to 6 PM, there will be a Teen Urban Haiku and Renga Poetry Workshop with Regina Harris Baiocchi at the Whitney M. Young Library at 7901 S. King Drive. Participants are invited to read one poem up to two minutes long during the open microphone. Teens ages 13 and up are welcome to participate! Phone: 312-747-0039.
On Thursday November 5, 6 PM, The Oak Park Arms at 408 S. Oak Park Ave in Oak Park. (708-366-0544) will present a reading of light verse—humorous poems by X. J. Kennedy, Tom Disch, John Updike, Gail White and more—read by the staff of Light Quarterly, which claims to be the only print magazine that regularly publishes light verse.
On Friday, November 06, at 7 PM, there will be a fall issue Fifth Wednesday Journal Release Party at The Book Cellar, 4736 N Lincoln Ave. Fifth Wednesday is a literary print journal published out of Lisle, Illinois twice a year.
 On Sunday, November 8, from 2 to 3 PM,, the Chicago Humanities Festival will present Michael Salinger: Well-Defined, An Irreverent Poke at Vocabulary Definitions, at Francis W Parker School, 2233 N Clark Street. Adults: $5.00, Educators & Students: FREE Michael Salinger delivers his playful poems and also will discuss his work on stage and in the classroom as a literary advocate and poetry champion. Michael Salinger is a poet, fiction writer, and performer. His work has appeared in dozens of literary journals published across the US and Canada and he is the author of Stingray and Well Defined - Vocabulary in Rhyme, among others. An eight-time captain and coach of the Cleveland Slam team that represented the city at the National Poetry Slam competition, he is also the founder and director of the Nova Lizard project, and chief facilitator of the teen writing and performance program at Cleveland's Playhouse Square Foundation
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