• Palabra Pura: Urban Realities/Realidades urbanas

    La Bruquena Restaurant 2726 W. Division, Chicago, IL, United States

    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 escaping their nightmares. Luis Tubens and young poets from Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School will lead us in an exploration of the urban realities...

  • Uncharted: a “25 Writers to Watch” kick-off

    Schubas Tavern 3159 N Southport, Chicago, IL, United States

    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 Charles May, Coya Paz, Roger Reeves, and Kathleen Rooney. The theme is an open field for the imagination, but expect to hear stories about adventure,...

  • Voices of Protest: Home Edition

    826CHI 1276 N. Milwaukee Ave, Chicago

    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...

  • Palabra Pura: A Toda Madre, Men Pay Tribute to Their Mothers

    La Bruquena Restaurant 2726 W. Division, Chicago, IL, United States

    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...

  • Applied Words: A Dose of Mind and Body

    International Museum of Surgical Science 1524 N Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL, United States

    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,"...

  • The Alphabet of Distant Harbours

    The Chicago Cultural Center 78 E Washington St.

    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...

  • Palabra Pura: Borderless Bodies

    La Bruquena Restaurant 2726 W. Division, Chicago, IL, United States

    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 Wall of Respect and People’s Art Since 1967 Symposium Opening

    Art Institute of Chicago, Modern Wing 159 E Monroe St, Chicago, IL, United States

    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...

  • Applied Words: On Belonging

    Schubas Tavern 3159 N Southport, Chicago, IL, United States

    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...

    $5
  • Wink and Whisper: the Guild’s 2015 benefit party

    Uptown Underground 4707 N Broadway, Chicago, IL, United States

    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....

  • Palabra Pura: Inner Landscape Queens

    Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center 4048 West Armitage, Chicago, United States

    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...

    $5
  • Reverend Billy and The Stop Shopping Choir

    Preston Bradley Center 941 West Lawrence, Chicago, IL, United States

      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...

    $12
  • BrooksDay 2015 – By Any Art Necessary

    Logan Arts Center 915 E 60th St, Chicago, IL, United States

    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...

  • Luis Rodriguez reading

    Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center 4048 West Armitage, Chicago, United States

    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...

    $5
  • Palabra Pura: Does English Matter

    La Bruquena Restaurant 2726 W. Division, Chicago, IL, United States

    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...

    $5
  • Palabra Pura: Latinidad-Who are we? Latino Poets on Identity

    La Bruquena Restaurant 2726 W. Division, Chicago, IL, United States

    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...

    $5
  • 22nd Annual Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Awards Program

    Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts 915 E 60th, Chicago, IL, United States

    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...

    $8
  • The Guild Goes Dark in August

    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...

  • Palabra Pura: Who Stands With Us

    La Bruquena Restaurant 2726 W. Division, Chicago, IL, United States

    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,...

    $5
  • 100,000 Poets for Change

    Outer Space Studio 1474 N. Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL, United States

    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...

    $4
  • The Lonely (a Writers to Watch reading)

    Schubas Tavern 3159 N Southport, Chicago, IL, United States

    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...

    $5
  • Palabra Pura: Curated by Cynthia Pelayo

    La Bruquena Restaurant 2726 W. Division, Chicago, IL, United States

    More information on October's Palabra Pura will be available late summer 2015.

    $5
  • PALABRA PURA: MEMORY AND GHOSTS

    La Bruquena Restaurant 2726 W. Division, Chicago, IL, United States

        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...

    $5
  • Auction: Reginald Gibbons’ Library of First Edition Books

    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

    Chopin Theater 1543 W Division

    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...

    $8
  • PALABRA PURA: NOSSA AMÉRICA

    La Bruquena Restaurant 2726 W. Division, Chicago, IL, United States

    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...

    $5
  • Palabra Pura 2016 Season Kick Off ~ One Poet / One Poem Returns

    La Bruquena Restaurant 2726 W. Division, Chicago, IL, United States

      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

    La Bruquena Restaurant 2726 W. Division, Chicago, IL, United States

    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...