Guild Literary Complex

Write That Down! Show & Tell
2026-01-11 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | Podlasie Club, 2918 N Central Park Ave., Chicago, Illinois, 60618
Write That Down! invites you to the second of our monthly “Show & Tell” series at Podlasie Club in partnership with Chicago’s Guild Literary Complex.
SHOW a keepsake that’s dear to you, a favorite bit of junk, or a cute knick knack; then TELL a story about your artifact and why it’s meaningful. The evening will begin with an open mic and archiving session, followed by selected readings from past (and future) mag contributors. Attendees are encouraged to bring ephemera and memorabilia that they would like scanned/archived for inclusion in the magazine’s upcoming Autumn/Winter issue.
P.S. We heard a rumor there might be puppets…

About Write That Down!
Write That Down! is an archival project and magazine capturing the particulars of our current moment, both here in Chicago and in the world at large. The goal is to gather everyday artifacts that tell stories about what is important to us and our communities. There is no memento too big or local story too small for these pages. If it matters to you, write it down!

Write That Down! Show & Tell
2026-02-01 19:00 - 21:00 | Podlasie Club, 2918 N Central Park Ave., Chicago, Illinois, 60618
Write That Down! is hosting a very special LOVE themed Show & Tell for February! Bring a keepsake that celebrates love in your life be it platonic, romantic, or some secret third thing.
This is the third of our monthly “Show & Tell” series at Podlasie Club in partnership with Chicago’s Guild Literary Complex.
SHOW a keepsake that’s dear to you, a favorite bit of junk, or a cute knick knack; then TELL a story about your artifact and why it’s meaningful. The evening will begin with an open mic and archiving session, followed by selected readings from past (and future) mag contributors.
Attendees are encouraged to bring ephemera and memorabilia that they would like scanned/archived for inclusion in the magazine’s upcoming Autumn/Winter issue.

About Write That Down!
Write That Down! is an archival project and magazine capturing the particulars of our current moment, both here in Chicago and in the world at large. The goal is to gather everyday artifacts that tell stories about what is important to us and our communities. There is no memento too big or local story too small for these pages. If it matters to you, write it down!

MOJO&MUSE: A Performance Speakeasy
2026-02-07 18:00 - 21:00 | Watershed Art & Ecology, 1821 S. Racine Ave, Chicago, IL, 60608, United States
Get ready to experience a night of magic and creativity at MOJO&MUSE – where art comes to life! A special speakeasy of art and community.
Join us for an exciting night of community and art in the beautiful space of Watershed Art & Ecology. The MOJO&MUSE speakeasy will present an evening of special performances of dance, video, poetry, music, and more! Live entertainment and light refreshments will be provided.

FEATURED ARTISTS

Marisela-Raymi Dalila Tapia (left) is a Peruvian-American dance theater artist with a rich background in exploring the intersections of art, language, culture, and identity. With 15 years of experience in studying, performing, and teaching dance, Marisela has left her artistic mark in cities like Chicago, New York, New México, Perú, Spain, and Italy.
Her artistic journey began at Columbia College Chicago, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts in 2014. Marisela later obtained a master’s degree in Linguistics Applied to Spanish as a Foreign Language from the University of Nebrija in Madrid, Spain. With over four years of teaching experience in both English and Spanish, Marisela has served as a North American Language Cultural ambassador and has taught language classes online.
In the realm of dance, Marisela has received training from master flamenco artists in Spain and has showcased her talents in various international performances. Notable achievements include winning first place at the Flamenco certamen through the Carlota Santana dance company at Lincoln Center in 2015 and headlining and directing performances in top Chicago venues. Her collaborations with renowned organizations, such as Clinard Dance Theater in Chicago, have led to performances at prestigious venues like the Logan Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Chicago.
Marisela’s dance repertoire extends beyond flamenco, encompassing ballet, modern dance, salsa, and traditional Latin and Peruvian folkloric dances. She maintains a strong connection with her cultural heritage, evident in her participation in traditional Peruvian folklore performances.
Kao Ra Zen (right) is a Chicago-based rapper, spoken word poet, multimedia performance artist, video director, recording engineer, curator, photographer, and educator. Kao has performed and/or curated at venues such as the Museum of Contemporary Art, Symphony Center, DANK-Haus, Elastic Arts, Constellation, Alhambra Palace, Oliva Gallery, and Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago; in addition to performances and screenings in New York; Berlin, Germany; and turku, Finland. Kao earned his Associate in Fine Arts degree from Harold Washington College and then earned his BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Much of Kao’s written, musical, and performance work addresses historical and contemporary societal concerns, existential matters, and promotes self expression, fostering community, and challenging oppressive systems and intolerant perspectives.

Mark Nagy (left) and Neil Jendon (right) have been working in the electroacoustic medium as a duo since 2017. Collectively known as Legendary Ninja Monk, they have been exploring and recording the graphic score Treatise by Cornelius Cardew. This epic graphic score is 193 pages long. This extensive structural investigation has fostered in depth explorations of timbral densities, temporal manipulations, as well as the investigations of regenerative textures. Legendary Ninja Monk music ranges from introspective musings to capricious romps.

Christophe Preissing is a sound composer, intermedia artist, improvisor, producer, and creative instigator whose work engages the contradictions of liminality, memory and decay, perception and projection, and preservation and loss. He uses archives, mapping, and taxonomies to produce clouds of meaning to engage participants. His work—both intentional and indeterminate—relies on paradox and ambiguity, found and built objects, individual and embodied memory, and the happy accident. cpreissing.bandcamp.com

Lucia Peters aka Forstreuter is a seasoned dance artist with 15 years of experience, having performed at prestigious events such as the Bauhaus Museum Dessau’s opening, attended by Angela Merkel, and in front of 12,000 spectators at the Mercedes-Benz Arena Berlin apart from having worked for the state theatre Rostock, Germany and touring with dance company “haptip hide” by Paula Rosolen. She holds a diploma in dance (2009) and an MA in choreography (2020) from Palucca University of Dance in Dresden. Her choreographic works have been featured at the American Dance Festival and HELLERAU European Center for the Arts. Lucia is also the co-founder of the collectives “t.error&delicious//Lucia+guests”, and “LIVALUCIA” which showcases performances in theatres, galleries, and public spaces. Trained in the Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) method from New York City, she has applied this approach to bring dance education to public schools in Germany and has collaborated with NGOs like “I AM YOU” to develop dance practices for refugees. Her dedication has earned her multiple scholarships, including the Palucca and Esther-Arnhold-Seligmann Scholarships, the latter of which supported her participation in the American Dance Festival.

Me’Chelle (She/Her) is a mother, spoken word poet, musician and teaching artist. She is driven by a passion to entertain, enlighten, and inspire positive change in her community. Her poem “Lumiere” was recently featured at the Lumiere Gala for MSV Chicago (Spring 2023). Her poem “Dark Haunts” was featured in Bone Bouquet magazine (Winter 2020). She works as an instructor of the Marillac rap & poetry program through After School Matters. Me’Chelle is a genuine soul, with an ambitious nature and passion for mentorship. She works to change many lives for the better within her lifespan.

Palabra Pura
2026-03-18 19:00 - 22:00 | 18th Street Casa de Cultura, 2057 West 18th Street, Chicago, IL, 60608, United States
Poetry open mic hosted by Diego Báez. Featuring performances by Angelica Julia Dávila, Loren Maria Guay, and Yazud E. Brito-Milian.

Palabra Pura is a bilingual reading series that promotes literary expression in Spanish, English, and/or other languages. Launched in 2006, the series celebrates the work of Latinx writers in Chicago and beyond, and provides a space for the interaction of diverse voices, ideas, and aesthetics.
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Palabra Pura es una serie de lecturas bilingües que promueve la expresión literaria en español, inglés y otros idiomas. Lanzada en 2006, la serie celebra la obra de escritores latinx dentro y fuera de Chicago, y provee un espacio para la interacción de voces, ideas y estéticas diversas.

Digital Archives of the Unseen: Artist Talk
2026-03-21 15:00 - 16:30 | Walls Turned Sideways, 2717 West Madison Street, Chicago, IL, 60612, United States
Artist Talk: Memory, Erasure, and the Living Archive

Interdisciplinary, interdimensional artist, writer, and ritual maker Faylita Hicks joins Walls Turned Sideways Gallery, a nationally recognized space centering art, justice, and incarceration, co-sponsored by the Guild Literary Complex, for an artist talk on memory, erasure, and the politics of archiving.
Drawing from Digital Archives of the Unseen, Hicks discusses poetry as archival technology and the use of found digital media, obsolete devices, and ritual practice to examine surveillance, disappearance, testimony, and collective remembrance. The talk explores how personal and communal memory is preserved, distorted, or erased—particularly through systems of incarceration and state power.
This conversation offers critical and historical context for the exhibition while inviting audiences to consider how archives live, fail, and resist.

Write That Down! Autumn/Winter Launch Party
2026-03-28 19:00 - 22:00 | 1902 N Milwaukee Ave, 1902 North Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60647, United States
Write That Down! Mag is back with their new Autumn/Winter Issue and we want to celebrate with you!

RSVP ON PARTYCLICK
Write That Down! is an archival project capturing the particulars of our current moment, both here in Chicago and in the world at large. The goal is to gather everyday artifacts that tell stories about what is important to us and our communities. There is no memento too big or local story too small for these pages. If it matters to you, write it down.
Come through, pregame, and get a free copy of the mag 🙂
This party is taking place in a 3rd floor walk-up.
Please respect the space and BYOB.

CONGRATS to co-founder/editor of Write That Down! Magazine, Charlie Kolodziej, named one of the 35 Writers to Watch. Join the Guild Complex in celebrating the writers at our special event next month.

New/Next Writers Showcase
2026-04-21 19:00 - 21:00 | Haymarket House, 800 W. Buena Ave., Chicago, Illinois
Celebrate a next generation of writers with us who’ve recently come out with new books.

This showcase aims to highlight local writers and their new/upcoming work.

Join us for a community reading featuring local Chicago writers:

Meredith Nnoka
Noa Fields
Meghan Malachi
Lisa Low
Noel Quiñones
Kameryn Carter
Natasha Mijares

Write That Down! Show & Tell
2026-04-26 19:00 - 21:00 | Evoke Gallery, 3040 N Central Ave, Chicago, IL, 60634, United States
Write That Down! Mag invites you to “Show & Tell” presented by Chicago’s Guild Literary Complex.

Write That Down! is back with a special edition of our Show & Tell series in tandem with Promise(d), the first exhibition curated by Teddy Sandler at Evoke Gallery. This group show explores destiny and manifests a collective dream through visualizations of growth in times of decay.
SHOW a keepsake that’s dear to you, a favorite bit of junk, or a cute knick knack; then TELL a story about your artifact and why it’s important to you. BYOB.

The evening will begin with an open mic and archiving session, followed by selected readings from past (and future) mag contributors. Attendees are encouraged to bring ephemera and memorabilia that they would like scanned/archived for inclusion in the magazine’s upcoming Summer/Winter issue.
About Write That Down!
Write That Down! is an archival project and magazine capturing the particulars of our current moment, both here in Chicago and in the world at large. The goal is to gather everyday artifacts that tell stories about what is important to us and our communities. There is no memento too big or local story too small for these pages. If it matters to you, write it down!

Poem as Autobiography Workshop w/ Angela Jackson
2026-04-29 18:30 - 20:00
Join us during National Poetry Month for a special online workshop series with 5th Illinois Poet Laureate, Angela Jackson!
Poem as Autobiography is a virtual course designed to explore and illuminate moments of life in individual poems and the evolution of the self in invaluable collage. Poem as well as personal myths and folk tales will be examined.
Because autobiography is rooted in African American literary traditions and many African American poets’ powerful and deeply engaging work remains generally unrecognized and un-respected, we will present the writing of African American as well as other poets as guides and inspiration. The atmosphere of the workshop will be collegial, critical and informal.

Course Schedule
Wednesdays:
April 29
May 6
May 13
May 20
6:30 – 8:00PM

Books of Reference
Carolyn Rodgers – “How I got ovah”
Lucille Clifton – “good times”
Robert Hayden – “Angle of Ascent”

Internet & Zoom setup is needed for each class.
Tuition is $50.
Seats are limited!

35 Writers to Watch: Celebration Party
2026-04-30 19:00 - 21:00 | Epiphany Center for the Arts, 201 South Ashland Ave., Chicago, IL, 60647, United States
The Guild Complex’s 35 Writers to Watch list celebrates the Guild’s 35+ years of innovative programming by featuring local writers whose careers represent the future of the literary arts in Chicago, and whose work reflects the spirit and values of the Guild Complex today. Names were put forth by our folks from our diverse literary network of writers and organizers from across Chicago’s geographies and communities (and beyond).
Join us in the Catacombs at Epiphany Center for the Arts for an exciting party and social to celebrate these authors, enjoy music, refreshments, fellowship, and the opportunity to rub elbows with emerging literary icons you’ll be proud to say you knew when.
Purchase tickets (required) here. Includes 1 free drink.

Musicality of Poetry
2026-05-14 19:00 - 20:30 | Epiphany Center for the Arts, 201 South Ashland Ave., Chicago, IL, 60647, United States
Join us for an evening of musical and lyrical magic, courtesy of Nikki Patin and friends. Excerpts of Patin’s biomythography, Working On Me, will be performed against a live soundtrack along with new pieces making their debut before a live audience. Presented and produced by Guild Literary Complex and Nikki Patin. Signed copies of Working On Me will be available for sale.
Get your tickets here.

PERFORMERS

DJ: Dhe-Di Beats
Dhe-Di Beats is a Chicago-based DJ known for blending soulful house, deep grooves, and high-energy mixes that keep dance floors moving. With a style that’s equal parts sexy, soulful, and unapologetically bold, Dhe-Di Beats brings a unique vibe to every set — from downtown lunchtime mixes to late-night events. Beyond DJing, she’s also a creative force in fashion, beauty, and visual storytelling, building a brand that celebrates confidence, rhythm, and individuality.

KEYS: David Blair II
David Blair II is a singer, songwriter, and musician, creating thought-provoking, “celestial soul.” Inspired by Frank Ocean, Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder, his music blends soulful storytelling, alternative R&B, and gospel influence into a sound that is both intimate and uplifting. He has shared stages with artists including Jamila Woods, Mannaseh, and Michael Damani. David’s artistry is deeply rooted in faith, honesty, and emotional connection.

PERCUSSIONIST: Hasani Cannon
Hasani Cannon was born and raised in Oak Park IL, and has been developing his artist skills since the tender age of 5. In 2022, he received his BFA in visual arts at University of Illinois in Springfield and is currently based in Oak Park IL. During his highschool career, Hasani was a finalist in Congressman Danny Davis Art Competition, he was a featured Artist for the OPRFHS Art Gallery and he worked each summer since sophomore year with the Oak Park Arts Council Off The Wall project, even contributing to the Black Lives Matter mural in the summer of 2020. He had his first solo show in 2021 at Forest Park National Bank and took part in the Biennial Terrain show of 2021 along with several shows in the UIS Access gallery and in Chicago.
He is generally interested in the African diaspora, especially in the visual iconography and its evolution over time. His preferred medium is mixed media which includes the use of colored pencil, permanent marker, recyclable materials, and fabric.
Hasani is also a musician and a dancer being a drummer for Chicago based dance company Najwa Dance Corp along with drumming in Chicago band Family Junket. He is also a member of the Studiofreelove art collective since 2023. During his undergraduate college career, he was heavily involved and a student leader of the Art Student League, Afrobeat Dance Crew, and African Student Association. You can follow his instagram @realhasanicannon to follow his artistic endeavors.

GUITARIST: Marcus Darling
Marcus Darling (b. 1989) is a genre-defying, multi-hyphenated soulfully relentless artist who fuses revolutionary rock with a DIY lofi aesthetic. Their sound—a self-described “black-folk music”—blends electronic soul, R&B, psychedelic rock, jazz, and folk into something both intimate and expansive; R&Beyond. Known for their collaborations with Manesseh and ABOLISHVICTORY!, a band with a politically charged style, Marcus Darling captivates audiences with what they call “mystical and empathetic presence.” Their music balances nostalgic grooves with modern experimentation, creating a quirky, cerebral sound that resonates deeply.

Write That Down! Show & Tell
2026-05-31 19:00 - 20:30 | Elastic Arts, 3429 W. Diversey Ave., Chicago, Illinois, 60647, United States
Write That Down! is having another Show & Tell at Elastic Arts in Avondale/Logan Square!
WTD!’s Show & Tell series is possible through our partnership with Chicago’s Guild Literary Complex.
Come by and SHOW a keepsake that’s dear to you, a favorite bit of junk, or a cute knick knack. TELL a story about your artifact and its meaning, a new poem, or some speculative fiction you’ve been working on.
The evening will begin with an open mic and archiving session, followed by a presentation from a past (and/or future) contributor. Attendees are encouraged to bring ephemera and memorabilia that they would like scanned/archived for inclusion in the magazine’s upcoming issue. BYOB.
RSVP HERE.

About Write That Down!
Write That Down! is an archival project and magazine capturing the particulars of our current moment, both here in Chicago and in the world at large. The goal is to gather everyday artifacts that tell stories about what is important to us and our communities. There is no memento too big or local story too small for these pages. If it matters to you, write it down!

BrooksDay @ American Writers Festival
2026-06-07 14:30 - 16:30 | Harold Washington Library Center, Chicago Public Library, 400 South State Street, Chicago, IL, 60605, United States
Join the Guild Literary Complex’s annual celebration of Gwendolyn Brooks, held every year on her birthday, June 7th.

Since 2013, BrooksDay has been a marquee event in the Guild’s yearly calendar with many literary, cultural, and civic leaders from Chicago—and beyond—taking the stage to celebrate and honor Gwendolyn Brooks, former poet laureate of Illinois and the first African American poet to win the Pulitzer Prize.
BrooksDay honors her legacy as an artist and an iconic figure of generosity and civic conscience in Chicago and the nation.

Presented by: American Writers Museum
BrooksDay 2026: Children Celebrate Gwendolyn Brooks
2:30 pm – 3:10 pm
Featured writers: Nora Brooks Blakely and young writers
Led by author and educator Nora Brooks Blakely, the daughter of Gwendolyn Brooks, young scholars take the stage as part of BrooksDay. Hear presentations by young people ages 5-11, representing Brooks-related schools and groups. Fun and inspiring for the whole family!
BrooksDay is the Guild Literary Complex’s annual celebration of Gwendolyn Brooks, held every year on June 7th, the anniversary of her birth. This year, they take the stage at the American Writers Festival to honor her legacy as an artist and an iconic figure of generosity and civic conscience in Chicago and the nation. Presented in partnership with Brooks Permissions and the Guild Literary Complex.

BrooksDay 2026: Gen Z Celebrates Gwendolyn Brooks
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Featured writers: Brooks Permissions and the Guild Literary Complex
BrooksDay is the Guild Literary Complex’s annual celebration of Gwendolyn Brooks, held every year on June 7th, the anniversary of her birth. This year, they take the stage at the American Writers Festival to honor her legacy as an artist and an iconic figure of generosity and civic conscience in Chicago and the nation. Presented in partnership with Brooks Permissions and the Guild Literary Complex.
FULL SCHEDULE

Transvengence Vol. 12
2026-06-14 20:00 - 22:00 | Podlasie Club, 2918 N Central Park Ave., Chicago, Illinois, 60618
Join us during Pride Month for TRANSVENGENCE, our bimonthly open mic and performance series

REVENGE OF THE DOLLS
Hosted by Joss Barton
Featuring Ava Mirage Wanbli & Eris

Doors: 7PM
Open Mic: 8PM
Performances: 8:30PM

Featured Performers

Ava Mirage Wanbli

Ava Mirage Wanbli (b.1989) is a Chicago based new media performance artist. Her work addresses consumption and production of self through interdisciplinary practices in performance art, new media video animations, and experimental video game development. Ava draws from her fascination on 3D scanning to archive her body while expanding on dialogues around hyper sexualization, voyeurism, labor, and self constructed mythologies as a trans woman. She has performed and exhibited at the Supernova Digital Animation Festival in Denver, CO, The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art in Madison, Wisconsin, Chicago Artist Coalition, and at the Depaul Art Museum in Chicago. She has received the Make A W ave Artist Award from 3Arts organization in Chicago. She has been featured as one of the ten New City 2024 Breakout Artists of Y ear in Chicago.
She currently is focused on how ritualized actions operate as psychological contracts of embodied communion across mythologized presence within live performance art, voice as signal, digital world building, and activated sculptures as bodily expansion

Eris
Professional succubus by day, exclusive girlfriend to many by night. A lover of all things sensual and chaotic, Eris blends the alluring darkness of a supercilious showgirl with the delicate charm of a southern belle serving flaky biscuits with a side of cinnamon honey butter. Yes, I know you’re drooling and shame has no place in this temple.My artistry explores the tender layering of the histories of Black womanhood, malleability of trans identity, my commitment to faith and Spirit, and embracing the erotic as roads for transformation, which can only bloom from experience. Blending showgirl performance , ancestral and orisha-based veneration, spoken word, and dance Eris is packaged and inspired by the mystique of self-determination: favor of the martyr leads resurrection of one’s highest self.This performance will be an insight into my personal journey with glamour, rage, sisterhood, affirmation, and grace.

Fuller Award: Ed Roberson
2026-06-18 18:00 - 20:00 | The Poetry Foundation, 61 W Superior St, Chicago, IL, United States
Poet Ed Roberson will receive the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame’s Fuller Award for his lifetime achievements as a writer. He will be the 19th Chicago author given the CLHOF’s highest honor, at a ceremony at and in partnership with the Poetry Foundation. Speakers, including CM Burroughs, Peter O’Leary, Saretta Morgan, julie patton, Lena Roberson, and Chicago Poet Laureate avery r. young, will give context to Roberson’s significant contributions here and around the country. The ceremony takes place on Thursday, June 18, beginning at 6 p.m. In addition to the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame and Poetry Foundation, partners for the ceremony include the American Writers Museum, Chicago Poetry Center, Columbia College Chicago, Guild Literary Complex, Northwestern University, and University of Chicago.
A native of Pittsburgh, Roberson has spent more than two decades in Chicago, teaching at Northwestern University, Columbia College, and the University of Chicago. Since 1970, when he published his debut collection, When Thy King is a Boy, Roberson has been among America’s most innovative, important, and decorated poets. His 13 poetry collections resonate with influences spiritual, musical, and visual. In the title poem of his 2022 collection, asked what has changed, the narrator stares out of his Chicago apartment window as a start to a muse on the natural world and our relationship to it. Roberson’s poems sometimes criticize as well as question, and in his work he’s been a force for societal change. An examination of race, including in his use of language, permeates much of his work. Among his many awards, Roberson has won the Poetry Society of America’s Shelley Memorial Award (2008); the Penn/Voelcker Prize for Poetry (2016); the Poetry Foundation’s Ruth Lilly Poety Prize (2016); an Academy of American Poets Fellowship (2017); and Poets & Writers’s Jackson Poetry Prize (2020).
Here is the event page and registration page (for both in-person or livestream attendance). The event, as always, is free and open to the public.

A Reading in Reflection: Roe v. Wade Commemoration
2026-06-29 18:30 - 20:30 | Pilsen Community Books, 1531 W. 18th St., Chicago, Illinois, 60608, United States
Join us as we reflect on the impact of the overturning of Roe v. Wade
On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court officially overturned Roe v. Wade in the landmark Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision. By a 6–3 vote, the Court ruled that the U.S. Constitution does not provide a right to abortion, ending nearly 50 years of federal protections and returning the authority to regulate the procedure to individual states.
In partnership with Hypertext Magazine, the Guild Literary Complex will host a reading observing the anniversary of this historic loss of reproductive rights and reflecting on its lasting impact.
Featuring Della Leavitt, author of Vivian’s Decision, and contributors from The Overturning Anthology
