Guild Literary Complex, Third World Press, and The American Writers Museum present the first annual BROOKSDAY at The Chicago Cultural Center! Join us, as we are creating the first annual marathon […]
Join us at this year's Printers Row Lit Fest for a special reading by past contest winners and poets from our Poetry Performance Incubator. Reading takes place at noon on […]
Our monthly bilingual poetry event. Curated by Johanny Vázquez Paz featuring Dinorah Cortés-Vélez and Teresa Vázquez. Dinorah Cortés-Vélez Dinorah Cortés-Velez Dinorah Cortés-Vélez is from Isabela, Puerto Rico. She has resided […]
Due to a severe weather forecast we have postponed tonight's event. Applied Words: "Broken Windows" will now be held on Tuesday, September 3, 2013. Visit the new event page for […]
Afro-Latino(a)s/Caribbeans are challenged to reconcile what are seen as conflicting identities. The Guild Literary Complex sheds poetic light on the topic with “The Diaspora Daughters Speak,” the July installment of […]
Guild Literary Complex is pleased to announce the 20th Annual Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Awards. Join us Tuesday July 23, 2013, 7:00 pm, at the Chopin Theater, 1542 W Division […]
The Poetry Performance Incubator is seeking poets and other writers to collaborate on the creation of a workshop production of Like Bread, a new theatrical performance about making space for a creative life. We are […]
If urban design is the language of the city, where is the story – and who tells it? In Applied Words: on Architecture and the Urban Plan, the Guild Literary […]
Poets meet muse at the September installment of our monthly bilingual poetry series, Palabra Pura, curated by Irasema Gonzalez and featuring poets Diana Pando and Xánath Caraza. “Inspiration” takes place […]
Work Is Love Made Visible will feature visiting poet Jeanetta Calhoun Mish and include Chicago authors Quaraysh Ali Lansana and Eduardo Arocho for an evening of working class poetry and […]
A reading on the theme of “working class poetry,” this is a program of Occupy Rogers Park Chicago and is co-sponsored by Guild Complex and Chicago Consortium For Working-Class Studies. […]
If urban design is the language of the city, where is the story – and who tells it? In "Re-Built: Writers on Architecture and the Urban Plan" the Guild Literary […]
Every fall we recognize outstanding short fiction and non-fiction from across the State of Illinois and award $250 cash prizes to one outstanding writer in each category. Please join us […]
We very pleased to be partnering with Poetry Foundation and Red Hen Press for this month's Palabra Pura. Celebrate the inaugural winner and judge of the Letras Latinas/Red Hen Poetry […]
Join us for an in-progress performance of the brand new Poetry Performance Incubator production, Like Bread. Inspired by the Roque Dalton poem “Like You,” Like Bread will explore the relationship between writing and […]
Join us for an in-progress performance of the brand new Poetry Performance Incubator production, Like Bread. Inspired by the Roque Dalton poem “Like You,” Like Bread will explore the relationship between writing and social […]
You are cordially invited to TONIC: a soulful celebration! It's been a year of recognition and achievement for the Guild, from inaugurating Brooksday to receiving a major MacArthur Foundation grant. […]
Our monthly bilingual poetry night returns to its usual destination: the always-fabulous La Bruquena! Join us for this final Palabra Pura of the year as multimedia artist Miquel Lopez Lemus presents a cantologia […]
The Guild will have a table at the Chicago Book Expo on Sunday, November 24 from 11am-5pm. The Chicago Book Expo has "Chicago’s best independent publishers and authors selling books, […]
We are very pleased to be partnering with the Poetry Foundation for a special Poetry off the Shelf. Inspired by Cave Canem and Kundiman, CantoMundo is a national collective for […]
Angel de la Luna and the 5th Glorious Mystery M. Evelina Galang will read from her new young adult novel, Angel de la Luna and the 5th Glorious Mystery at […]
The Guild Literary Complex is pleased to kick off the ninth season of PALABRA PURA with “One Poet / One Poem”. 2014 guest curators reveal their plans and past readers […]
In the 21st century, we live inside technology like never before. For Applied Words “Notes from the Mainframe,” the Guild Literary Complex invites writers employed in technology to read their […]
Rey Andújar, photo by Ariana Drule For Rey Andújar movement, theatre, and writing are inextricably linked. Each facet of his art hinges on the others. In this workshop he will […]
"As Latin@s born and bred in the U.S., our sense of identity, culture, mother tongue and family are often complicated and contradictory. We are not a uniform group and sometimes […]
7Vientos (7V), an independent publishing house located in Chicago, is releasing two novellas by Mario Bellatin, one of the greatest writers of contemporary Latin American literature. He has published over […]
pictured left to right: Precious, Jill Howe, Tamale (curator/host), Greg Ledger, Lily Be "It Gets Better" is curated and hosted by the fabulous Tamale and features great comic voices responding […]
READING, CONVERSATION, AND BOOK SIGNING: CRISTINA GARCIA, author of King of Cuba Tuesday, March 18, 6:00 p.m. Harold Washington Library Cindy Pritzker Auditorium 400 South State Street FREE As a part […]
PANEL: TRANSLATION MATTERS Wednesday, March 19, 5:00 p.m. Humboldt Park Fieldhouse 1400 N. Sacramento (North of Division) FREE Produced in partnership with Story Week and presented in special collaboration with Chicago Park District. During […]
PALABRA PURA: Meet & Greet Wednesday, March 19, 6:00 p.m. Humboldt Park Fieldhouse, 1400 N. Humboldt Dr. (North of Division) Meet the panelists from Translation Matters and talk to the […]
Noche de novelas II— Story Week Edition Wednesday, March 19, 7:00 p.m. Humboldt Park Fieldhouse, 1400 N. Humboldt Dr. (North of Division) Hosted by Juana Iris Goergen with readings by […]
David Hernandez in rehearsal. (Photo by Tanya Tucka) The Guild Literary Complex and Columbia College Creative Writing Department are pleased to celebrate the life of David Hernandez in this one-of-a-kind […]
From Our Neighborhoods: Four Chicago Writers Who Changed America showcases four great Chicago authors whose neighborhoods were both the inspiration and subject of their work. Read aloud your favorite Gwendolyn Brooks […]
Schubas Tavern 3159 N. Southport Ave. From left to right: Paul Gorski, Joe Austin II, PhD, Stephanie Levi (Curator), Anne Yoder, Vojislav Pejović. FROM THE CURATOR, STEPHANIE LEVI, PhD: I […]
Saturday, April 12, 2:00 p.m. Woodson Regional Library (Auditorium), 9525 South Halsted In conjunction with Brooksday—the Guild's annual tribute to author Gwendolyn Brooks—we're pleased to present the Gwendolyn Brooks Community […]
Wednesday, April 16 7:30 p.m.–9:00 p.m. La Bruquena, upstairs 2726 W. Division St. From left to right: Laurie Ann Guerrero, Eduardo Arocho (curator), Rich Villar. First Class: Celebrating the first full-collections […]
Wednesday, April 23 6:00 p.m. Chicago Temple Building, Pierce Hall Helge Lunde 77 W Washington Street FREE Safe, But Not Silent: How ICORN helps persecuted writers A public talk by […]
Friday, April 25, 7:00 p.m. Facets Multimedia 1517 W. Fullerton Ave. (Note: The same program takes place at 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 26.) Al-Sheikh, Maarouf Voices of Protest, […]
Saturday, April 26, 8:00 p.m. Facets Multimedia 1517 W. Fullerton Ave. (Note: The same program takes place at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 25.) Al-Sheikh, Maarouf Voices of Protest, April […]
Left to right: Robert Nevel, Dave Snyder, Angela + Sam Taylor The sustainable food movement has rejuvenated holistic thinking on agriculture, food production, and consumption. But lost in the movement […]
25 Writers to Watch REVEAL 25 is the Guild's 25th anniversary party, an opportunity to celebrate 25 years of mission-driven accomplishments in Chicago's vast literary community. It is a jubilant […]
Our monthly bilingual reading series is curated in May by Febronio Zatarain and features Emmanuel Ayala and Miguel Marzana. About the Artists "I write because it is a privilege I […]
For the second year, the Guild Literary Complex’s will present its signature event, Brooksday 2014—a marathon reading that celebrates the life and work of renowned Chicago poet Gwendolyn Brooks. Taking […]
The Guild will be presenting hour-long readings by seven prominent Chicago literary organizations throughout the day at Printers Row Lit Festival. You can find our tent at the corner of […]
Black Vernacular: a comedic literary look at a language that's all American Join the Guild Literary Complex and the University of Chicago's Arts Incubator as Randall Horton, Adam Moshe Levin, and […]
Discover two emerging Chicago poets whose palabras unearth a rich excavation of their Mexican roots. Pulling from these raices they explore gender, geography, and guns that eventually collide onto the […]
The Guild Literary Complex is joining dozens of other presenters for the Tenth Annual Printers Ball, taking place on June 28. This year, the Guild will be presenting a flashmob-style […]
Presented by Victory Gardens Moderated by John Rich, Executive Director of the Guild Literary Complex Being forced to leave one’s homeland can leave one with a sense of loss, trauma, […]
Lost & Found: Letters, Poems, and Marginalia of Cross Cultural Experience This evening, Palabra Pura will travel to Mexico City, Korea, and Haiti via our writers to explore the Cross Cultural […]
Writers across Illinois submitted their poems to the Guild for the 21st Annual Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Award between June 7 and June 30, 2014. 20 of those poems were […]
We'll be taking some time away to regroup through the month of August after a fruitful spring and summer. Keep an eye out for our Fall Preview, which will contain […]
Happy birthday, Quraysh! And, happy book release to Quraysh Ali Lansana and Christopher Stewart, whose newest book, The Walmart Republic, will be launched this fall. To celebrate in style (as […]
The Guild is sending six Chicago writers to the Kapittel International Festival of Literature and Freedom of Speech in Stavenger, Norway as a part of our ongoing work with writers living […]
Our monthly bilingual reading series in September features Ana Castillo and Paul Martinez Pompa and is curated by Cristina Correa. The event is hosted and co-presented by the Poetry Foundation. States Correa, […]
The Guild and the Master of Fine Arts in Writing Program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago will present three Asian authors on Wednesday, September 24. In […]
Curated by Cyn Vargas, the theme of this month's Palabra Pura is Want. Cyn writes, "Want. It could be a person, thing, words we long to hear, a new place. […]
UPDATED: ANNOUNCING THE 2014 PROSE AWARD WINNERS! Kate Duva, winner of the 2014 Prose Award in Fiction Elora de Grey, winner of the 2014 Prose Award in Non-Fiction The Guild […]
The Guild Literary Complex is proud and excited to partner with the 2014 Chicago Humanities Festival to present Colm Tóibín's Transatlantic Literary Worlds, a live interview with the award-winning author conducted […]
The Guild’s “good for you” year-end party has returned! This year, after much celebration of our 25th anniversary, we look forward to the future. We plan to celebrate with music, […]
In response to the hangover from colonialism still lingering in the United States, a new literary space has been carved out where historically marginalized bodies, narratives and histories finally have […]
The Guild will be dark for the month of December. We'll be announcing 2015 programming soon...See you next year!
The Guild Literary Complex is pleased to kick off the 10th season of PALABRA PURA with “One Poet / One Poem”. Don't let the name fool you—there will be fiction […]
Chicago is a complicated place, a city where senseless acts of violence and random acts of kindness happen every day, where some can dare to dream and others dream of […]
As part of the Guild's 25th anniversary last year, we highlighted 25 Chicago area Writers to Watch. This year, we program all of them—starting now! "Uncharted" features readings by Eric […]
In September 2014, the Guild Literary Complex sent five Chicago writers to the 2014 Kapittel International Festival of Literature and Freedom of Speech in Stavanger, Norway. NOW, for the first […]
Sharing California roots, a love of poetry, and a feminist devotion to their mothers, Tijuana native Brian Martin and L.A. native Arturo “Tootie” Alvarez blend English and Spanish to pay homage […]
For this Applied Words event, we ask our featured artists to give us a dose of health-connected stories of the body and/or mind. Tonight's line-up includes two "Writers to Watch," […]
Saint Teresa of Jesús held a special, privileged place for books during her life. Not only did she consider books important for her work as a writer, but also as […]
The Guild Complex continues a new reading platform to foreground Asian / American authors and themes. Curated by Dipika Mukherjee, this spring's program—The Alphabet of Distant Harbours—features Toni Nealie, Zhou […]
This month's Palabra Pura is curated by Daniel Borzutzky, who believes that this month's performers, Duriel E. Harris and Rodrigo Toscano, are two of our present moment's most innovative, most […]
The Guild Literary Complex joins the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and other partners in a symposium launch event tonight to honor and discuss the legacy of the […]
In a city—let alone a world—of vast geographies, identities, experience and more, how do we understand our place? Using personal stories, our guest authors will navigate the territory of belonging […]
Click here to buy tickets! The Guild Complex is re-imagining the 1920s through music, song, comedy, and dance in our sixth annual benefit, Wink & Whisper: A 1920s LGBT Cabaret. […]
Please note this month's Palabra Pura is taking place at a special location: the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center (4048 W Armitage Ave). Three fearless and unique feminine voices with […]
Tickets available at door (advance sales have ended). Reverend Billy & The Stop Shopping Choir is a radical performance community based in New York City, and they are coming […]
June 7, 2015 marks the Third Annual BrooksDay and promises to be an exciting continuation of The Guild Literary Complex’s signature event with nonstop readings and performances this year in […]
Founder of Tia Chucha Press and L.A. Poet Laureate Luis Rodriguez returns to Chicago for a special reading event sponsored by Poets & Writers, Inc. This program takes […]
Performers Adam Gottlieb and Angelina Llongueras use their original music, poetry and experience as activists, here and in Spain, to pursue the question: Does English matter? For English expression in […]
For featured authors Diego Báez and Amy Sayre Baptista, violence inhabits their lives and what they write about. This is a violence that divides our culture and us; this is […]
Update: Congratulations to the winner, Javon J. Smith! After the first four rounds, the finalists were chosen by the live audience—no easy task—and included Aja Zakiya Hall, Cassandra McGovern, Javon […]
It's our annual summer programming break! We’ll be taking some time away to regroup through the month of August. Keep an eye out for our Fall Preview, which will contain […]
According to this month's curator, Emilio Maldonado, challenging each other and the status quo is the responsibility of the committed artist, and he has programmed author/activists Aricka Foreman, Christina Obregon, […]
Experiment #89: Fight the Power SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26th7pm / doors lock 7:30pm A special event with 100 Thousand Poets for Changehttp://www.100tpcmedia.org On September 26, 2015, many poets around the world will make their […]
This reading draws inspiration from the work of the featured writers, each of them exploring themes of loneliness, longing, and love. There is desire, and there is dread. There is […]
More information on October's Palabra Pura will be available late summer 2015.
Curated by Cynthia Pelayo October 21 @ 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM $5 | La Bruquena Restaurant, 2726 W. Division in Humboldt Park This month’s curator, Cynthia Pelayo, provides […]
SAVE THE DATE: Reginald Gibbons' Library of First Editions Book Auction Available Starting November 4th Reginald Gibbons is a poet, fiction writer, translator, educator, critic, the former editor of TriQuarterly magazine and National […]
Annual Prose Awards Event November 12, 7:30 – 9:30 p.m., Chopin Theater Every fall, the Guild Literary Complex acknowledges emerging and established prose writers via a judged competition and […]
PALABRA PURA: NOSSA AMÉRICA NOVEMBER 18 @ 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm | $5 La Bruquena Restaurant, 2726 W. Division in Humboldt Park The last Palabra Pura for 2015 […]
The Guild Literary Complex is pleased to kick off the 11th season of PALABRA PURA returning with “One Poet / One Poem”. Come join in the fun 11 years in […]
Palabra Pura March 16, 2016 7:30 - 9:00 pm “Turnt in Relevant Opacity” Curated by Ricardo Gamboa Current events ranging from cover-ups of police shootings and growing social inequalities further […]
Pegasus Theatre has a special deal this weekend just for Guild Literary Complex fans: This weekend, Pegasus Theatre presents sneak peak readings of RUTHERFORD’S TRAVELS, a spellbinding tale based on […]
RANE Flyer, Jpeg Guild Literary Complex, Chicago Literary Hall of Fame, After Hours Press, and the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center invite you to join us for an evening celebrating […]
Welcome to Chicago's newest DIY underground hip-hop event. On the last Thursday of the month (August and December excluded) the Guild Literary Complex hosts an a cappella hip-hop series with […]
The 4th Annual BrooksDay is right around the corner, and to pique your interest the Guild Literary Complex in conjunction with the Museum of Contemporary Art is hosting a preview […]
Palabra Pura with Miguel López Lemus of Lobo Estepario Press presents: Palabra Pura as part of the Guild Literary Complex Una noche bohemia. A bohemian night. Poetry, song, music, storytelling […]
Thursday May 26, 2016. Wicker Park Chicago Guild Literary Complex Presents: Where Margins Meet 5:30 - 7:30 PM Artist Talk with Danny Alexander, Volumes Bookcafe 7:30 Door, 8:00 - 9:45 […]
Welcome to the 4th Annual BrooksDay, a day long celebration of Gwendolyn Brooks Tuesday, June 7, 2016, Time: 10:00 am until 6:00 pm Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E Washington St., […]
The GUILD LITERARY COMPLEX is set to party with you on June 22nd 6:00 - 9:00 PM at Filament theatre. Come celebrate nearly 30 years of the Guild's legacy in […]
The Guild’s annual One Poet/One Poem event starts the year off by looking back. Past Palabra Pura performers are invited to return and share a single poem or other 3-minute piece, painting […]