…and we’re ready to kick off the fall with a whole month of spotlighted readings and events—but not to fret, we won’t kill your grooves. We’ll keep them going.
First up, a dance party. Quraysh Ali Lansana and Christopher Stewart teamed up to produce The Walmart Republic, a new book of their collected poems. It also happens to be Quraysh’s 50th birthday. And since he’s been with the Guild since the beginning (half his whole life!), we’ve decided throw him a killer party. On Saturday, September 13, we’ll be hosting their book launch and birthday dance party at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts at the University of Chicago. There will be performances and presentations by big names like Angela Jackson and Elise Paschen; lots of free drinks and food, dancing facilitated by DJ Ayana Contreras…and it all takes place in the penthouse, which means you know it’ll be a good time.
We’re also co-presenting this month’s Palabra Pura with the Poetry Foundation. Our curator this month—the fabulous Cristina Correa—has brought renowned author Ana Castillo along with Chicago writer Paul Martínez Pompa to read works that play to this month’s theme: Calling Home. But head’s up: We’ll be at the Poetry Foundation in River North on Wednesday, September 17 at 7 p.m.!
Beginning September 18, we’re sending a crew of emerging writers and activists to Stavanger, Norway, to the Kapittel International Festival and Literature and Freedom of Speech as a continuation of our Voices of Protest Project. They’ll be blogging about their journey and the Kapittel conference, which brings some of the boldest literary names in the world together to discuss issues surround exiled writers and freedom of speech. Eyes peeled, everyone—you won’t want to miss their correspondences. We’ll let you know when the blog is live.
Similar to Palabra Pura, we’re kicking off a new reading series focusing on Asian/American authors and themes. On Wednesday, September 24, we’ll be presenting three authors whose works contribute to Chicago’s vibrant diasporic writing scene at the LeRoy Neiman Center (a part of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago): Rachel DeWoskin, Mary Anne Mohanraj, and Deepak Unnikrishnan (also the 2014 winner of the Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Award) will read from their stunning work. We’re calling this one, “I Come To Your Country, Name Me.” And because we want to hear from you, too, there will be an open mic. Bring your best!
Keep groovin’. We’re here to help.