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 Latina/o poets. Carmen Giménez-Smith is the author of four poetry collections—Milk and Filth, Goodbye, Flicker, The City She Was, and Odalisque in Pieces. Sheryl Luna received […]
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 Women & Children First on Wednesday, January 8th at 7:30 p.m. in an event co-presented by Guild Literary Complex and Coffee House Press. The novel […]
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 share a poem during this annual party celebrating poetry (and fiction) in more than one tongue. Contributing authors include: Rey Andújar | Beatriz Badikian | […]
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 work and discuss the poetics of art and science. “Notes from the Mainframe” will include readings by Catherine Halley (Director of Digital Programs, Poetry Foundation), […]
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 explain his process, discuss his influences, and present his muses. Writers, actors, and dancers alike will not want to miss this one-of-a-kind peek into this […]
"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 don’t play well with others – even with our own gente. Yet on our life’s journey, aided by our writing, we find the integrity as […]
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 forty books and his work has been translated into fifteen different languages. The book now published by 7V is a hardcover “flip” edition housing Bellatin’s […]
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 to the themes of history, mythology, gender, and high school. This reading is co-sponsored by About Face Theatre and is presented in connection to their […]
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 of Story Week 2014, the Guild has collaborated with Columbia College to bring you an evening with renowned author Cristina García . Cristina García is the […]
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 this panel, celebrated authors and translators will discuss the crucial role literature plays in increasing global understanding, the need to teach literature in translation, and […]
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 authors reading during Noche de novelas / Night of Novels during this social hour. Light refreshments will be provided. Books by the authors will be […]
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 Raúl Dorantes and Fernando Olszanski, and featuring Valeria Luiselli—as a part of Story Week 2014 with Columbia College's Creative Creative Writing Department. In this month's Palabra Pura, […]
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 event in conjunction with Story Week 2014: “Street Sounds take music, lyrics and song a stimulating step further.” – Chicago Sun Times Chicago’s “unofficial Poet Laureate,” […]
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 poem on Tuesday, March 25, 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The American Writers Museum in partnership with Guild Literary Complex hosts a Gwendolyn Brooks Community Reading. Bring your […]
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 am delighted to be curating this month’s Applied Words series. The theme of Unseen Worlds stemmed from my experience as a microscopist originally. When 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 Reading series in collaboration with the American Writers Museum and their traveling exhibition From Our Neighborhoods: Four Chicago Writers Who Changed America. Read aloud your favorite Gwendolyn […]
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 of poetry by two emerging Latino Poets: Rich Villar, author of Comprehending Forever, and Laurie Ann Guerrero, author of A Tongue in the Mouth of the […]
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 Helge Lunde, Executive Director of the International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN) Held in conjunction with the Guild's Voices of Protest event. RSVP for tickets […]
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, April 25 & 26, draws attention to the plight of exiled authors and celebrates a global literature. The Guild will host Manal Al-Sheikh (Iraq) and Mazen […]
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 25 & 26, draws attention to the plight of exiled authors and celebrates a global literature. The Guild will host Manal Al-Sheikh (Iraq) and Mazen Maarouf (Palestine), two poets currently […]
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 is how to bring wholesome, quality food to all and not to just those that can afford it. In a live version of GuildCast, a […]
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 celebration of the past, and also a chance to look ahead to the future. Past and present directors, including founding director Michael Warr, will be announcing […]
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 have earned. Ever since I was 12 years old I read poetry and loved it. One day I embraced the pen and spilled ink on […]
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 place at the Chicago Tribune Printers Row Lit Fest on Saturday, June 7—Brooks’ birthday—from 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. at the Guild’s tent (located on the corner […]
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 Dearborn and Polk Streets. Schedule 10 a.m. Chicago Latino Writers Initiative: Ericka McCarthy Sanchez, Adriana Galvan, Awilda Rodriguez, Diana Pando, Jen Vera, Veronica Vidal, Jazmin Corona, Stephanie Diaz Reppen The Chicago Latino Writers […]
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 Toni Asante Lightfoot perform and read work demonstrating the sticky wicket of Black Vernacular. Short video performances by Holly Bass and others will be included. About the […]
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 page to create border-crossing poetry that migrates between Chicago and Guanajuato, Mexico. About the Artists Jennifer Patiño was born on the Southwest Side of Chicago […]
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 Palabra Pura, featuring Cyn Vargas Eduardo Arocho Mike "Open Mike" Puican These poets will read around 5:30 p.m., but we encourage you to come early […]
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, and confusion. But for many writers, exile and political writing can also be a source of creativity and a way to reconnect with a life […]
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 Experiences of a Dancer, an Educator, and a Poet. Curated by Maribel Mares. About the Artists Darren Angle is a poet living in Chicago. […]
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 selected to be presented on July 23, where each author will read their poem to an audience who will then vote on the winner of […]
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 information on programming and events for the fall 2014!
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 always does), we will be hosting a birthday and book launch on Saturday, September 13, 2014 at the University of Chicago's Reva and […]
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 in exile and advocating for freedom of speech. Our six attendees are blogging on their experiences at GuildDispatches.tumblr.com. About the Attendees: Adam Gottlieb is a […]
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, "Across generations, Latino writers and their constellation of experiences and creative identities have found a home in Chicago. For many, home is a constant migration […]
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 conjunction with the University of Illinois–Chicago's Kriti Festival—a celebration of South Asian and Asian Diaspora Arts and Literature in Chicago—we present Rachel DeWoskin, Mary Anne […]
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. Want is at the core of what we do and say. It drives us or it stuns us. The stories this night will be about […]
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 Literary Complex supports divergent and emerging literary voices with our Annual Prose Awards. Every fall we recognize outstanding short fiction and non-fiction from across the […]
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 by the Guild's Director, John Rich. This special program also marks the celebration of two 25-year anniversaries, both for the Guild Literary Complex and the […]
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, libation, and the best company in Chicago: YOU. Also, a very special guest will be joining us: Marcel Proust. Best known for his recollections of […]
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 their say; it has been named “Latino/a literature”. What happens, though, when some of the loudest voices inhabiting that space reproduce the very conditions they […]
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 stories too!2015 guest curators reveal their plans and past readers share a poem (or short story) during this annual party celebrating poetry and fiction in […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 time since their return, the authors will give a special reading of creative work inspired by the trip and lead a community dialogue on free […]
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 to their mothers. From a mother’s reminder to always use condoms to her struggle to raise her family on her own to the demoralizing beauty […]
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," Rey Andújar and Megan Stielstra, along with special guests Andrew Huff and Samantha Irby. And to make the program more body related, we have partnered […]
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 a reader. Saint Teresa mainly wrote prose and her most popular poems are those that reflect her mysticism. In this special event, Instituto Cervantes, contratiempo, […]
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 Sivan, and Angela Narciso Torres. “The Alphabet of Distant Harbours'” will bring together writers who explore the suppression as well as expression of identity in […]
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 dynamic and powerful and surprising poets and performers. "For these two artists, no distinction can be made between their poetics and their performativity. They write […]
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 Wall of Respect. The Wall of Respect and People’s Art Since 1967 is a symposium (April 17-18) that launches a two-year critical conversation on 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 in a special Applied Words program that highlights two of the Guild's 25 Writers to Watch, Rebecca Kling and Sahar Mustafah, and includes José Ángel […]
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. Emceed by Tamale Sepp, this year’s benefit will celebrate the vibrant spirit and culture of a 1920s LGBT community with a fusion of talented performers, […]
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 Chicago roots come together for an evening of poetic expressions. Inner and outside landscapes, light, sounds and ultimately, words transmit each artist’s expressions. Arica Hilton, […]
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 to Chicago to march, sing, and activate our community with a special live performance—ONE NIGHT ONLY. Tickets at door are suggested donation of $12 for […]
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 a new location: the stunning Reva and David Logan Arts Center located on the University of Chicago’s Campus, 915 East 60th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637. […]
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 place at the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center located at 4048 W. Armitage. There will be an open mic! Arrive early to sign up. Admission […]
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 Latino/a cultural and political communities, when does the implied "Spanish Only" remain empowering, and when does the English-dominant Latino/a activist need to transgress? This month's […]
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 a colonization of our identity as a man, as a woman, and as a Latina/o. What does it mean to be Latina/o? These poets sing […]
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 J. Smith, and Sam Herschel Wein. Javon won with his dynamic performance of the poem "Nig(g)ot." Javon J. Smith, an educator at Perspectives/IIT Math & […]
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 information on programming and events for September-November 2015!
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, and Raina Wodatch, and to engage the theme Who stands with us? "During this current wave of open aggression and hostility it is important to […]
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 voices heard. To declare the change they'd like to see most in the U.S. and throughout the international community, events are being staged worldwide as […]
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 even decency. Using personal stories, fiction, and fairy tales, authors Keith Ecker, Jac Jamc and Cecilia Pinto—three of the Guild’s 25 Writers to Watch—will navigate […]
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 the Guild Literary Complex with our October theme of Memory and Ghosts, featuring readings by Diana Pando, Adriana Galvan. Pelayo explains the theme this way: “historically, autumn has […]
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 Book Award finalist. Over the years, Reginald has acquired first editions through his many friendships and literary acquaintances. His collection of first edition, many of them signed, will […]
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 recognition event at the historic Chopin Theatre in Chicago. Three semi-finalists in both fiction and non-fiction will read their work at our annual Prose Awards […]
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 features the theme “Nossa América,” with readings by Rodrigo Garcia Lopes, Jack Martínez and AKaiser. November’s curator Patricia Anzini quotes American poet Walt Whitman as […]
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 the making. This year's season will feature 2016 Guest Palabra Pura curators and past readers some telling of plans for the year ahead and others […]
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 underline just how dark or “opaque” times have become for some of us in this city. These injustices are exasperated when it comes to mainstream […]
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 the beloved book MIDDLE PASSAGE. Told through Rutherford Calhoun’s 1830s log entries, The newly freed Illinois youth has migrated south to New Orleans seeking fortune, […]
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 the life and work of iconic Chicago poet Rane Arroyo. Readings and remembrances for the night will include performances by: • Rey Andujar • Eduardo […]
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 a diy/underground flair. Partnering with Artist AWK and Iron Heart Productions theRAPY 101 is featuring local and national spoken word talent, spin-artists, DJs, and one […]
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 night of artists who represent the broad scope of the BrooksDay legacy and vision. Showcasing their own work, artists who are part of the BrooksDay […]
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 Cuento, poesía, música, canción Sponsored by Pandora lobo estepario productions press. We are mixing it up a bit this month and will have a group […]
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 PM RAP 101, Iridium Clothing Danny Alexander, the author of Real Love, No Drama: The Music of Mary J. Blige will be sitting in with […]
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., Chicago, IL 60602. Our annual celebration of Gwendolyn Brooks is back, this year at the Chicago Cultural Center. Special features, amazing readers and all things […]
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 Chicago as we look to our next 30. Performances, music, fun, food and drink will round out a night with some of your favorite Chicago […]
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 a portrait in snapshots of our ongoing bi-lingual reading series and all of the styles, voices, and communities it includes.
A Newberry Colloquium Wednesday, October 2, 2019 4pm Towner Fellows’ Lounge, Newberry Library Join us for a talk featuring the Guild Literary Complex’s rich archive, exhibiting its groundbreaking impact on literary programming across Chicago communities. The discussion will feature Guild collaborators and curators Kurt Heintz, Marci Merola, and Lew Rosenbaum. Kurt Heintz co-founded the Guild’s Poetry […]
A reading and panel featuring formerly incarcerated writers, and writers who teach in prisons, sharing their work and their perspectives on writing in prison, writing outside of prison, and writing about prison from both inside and out. Presented in partnership with UChicago Arts & Public Life + Chicago Torture Justice Memorials in connection with the exhibition Still Here: […]
3A panel presented by The Guild Literary Complex + Rebuild Foundation This afternoon with Angela Jackson, Haki Madhubuti, and Eugene Redmond, some of the most important Chicago-area poets working at the intersection of literary innovation and political resistance over the last 50 years, inaugurates a new collaboration between The Guild and Rebuild Foundation that builds on the widely […]
Building on a conversation begun with last Fall’s Applied Words: Performing Queerness On (& Off) the Page, this reading and performance panel brings together three Chicago-based queer femme artists of color working across writing and performance, who use language, body, and voice to reconsider and confront the limitations and possibilities of identity in diverse ways. Through three […]
BrooksDay is the Guild Literary Complex’s annual celebration of Gwendolyn Brooks, held every year on June 7th, the anniversary of her birth. 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 […]
The Guild hosted an evening celebrating the Guild’s first 30 years, and looking forward to the next 30. Important voices from the Guild’s past introduced the Guild’s 30 Writers to Watch in 2019 and beyond. We saw old friends & made some new ones, while enjoying music, hors d’oeuvres, and an-end-of night raffle featuring unique […]
Presented by The Guild Literary Complex + Rebuild Foundation Continuing the collaboration between The Guild Complex and Rebuild Foundation built on the 2016 anthology of African American political art and poetry, Of Poetry and Protest: From Emmett Till to Trayvon Martin (WW Norton), this exhibit seeks to capture the transformative power that fuels social movements and sustains families and communities confronting […]
A screening, reading & conversation This multi-media program looks at the legacy of the Black Arts Movement (BAM) in Chicago as part of the opening weekend of the Of Poetry and Protest exhibit, looking back at the history of Chicago’s BAM and reflecting on the artists and institutions that have extended its impact in the decades since […]
En estos tiempos difíciles y en mérito a la evolucion de la lengua, contamos las historias que nuestros zapatos caminan, desde 4 perspectivas diferentes. Democracia, intertextualidad, el muro, THC, LGBTTQQIAAP, el decálogo, historias de supermarkets, literalidad, teorias secretas y mucho más. Stories for difficult times and the evolution of the language, from 4 different perspectives. […]
The Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Awards (GBOMA) is an annual poetry competition founded by Gwendolyn Brooks (1917-2000) and open to all Illinois residents over the age of 18. The top contestants selected by guest judges from the poetry community are invited to perform their original poems at the live finals event, where the audience favorite […]
Information Wants to Be Free & So Do We A Pop Up Library on Communication, Control & Mass Incarceration In collaboration with Read/Write Library, the Guild Complex brings the stories from the formerly incarcerated. “Information Wants to Be Free & So Do We” asks audiences to question the idea that social, emotional, and intellectual control […]
Join the Guild Literary Complex for the last Palabra Pura event of the year, hosted by Kolin Jordan and featuring Amaia Gabantxo and Andrew Hertzberg. Translation will be a theme of this event, so feel free to bring a translation of yours (a poem or a few lines of a prose piece) for the open […]
Join us for a powerful evening of dialogue between Dr. Tara Betts, the Literary Editor of New City, and author Cyntoia Brown-Long as they discuss her new book, Free Cyntoia: My Search for Redemption in the American Prison System.
Join us for the Guild’s annual One Poet/One Poem event as part of our ongoing bi-lingual Palabra Pura reading series. Here are this year's participants: Emcee: Mary Hawley Readers: Emmanuel Ayala Eduardo Arocho Melissa Cintron Carlos Cumpián Angelica Davila Nick Garcia Silvia Goldman Gregorio Gomez Adam Gottlieb Carolina Herrera Kolin Jordan Olivia Maciel Pedro Pablo […]
The Guild Complex Presents: A reading with Backbone Press Featuring our 30 Writers to Watch Tara Betts and Faisal Mohyuddin, along with other Backbone Press authors Naoko Fujimoto, Allison Joseph, and Aozora Brockman. As a response to the bleak state of diversity in publishing, Backbone Press has been publishing diversely since 2012, supporting writers who […]
Join the Guild Literary Complex in celebrating the recent release of The Distance Between by Timothy J. Hillegonds, and a reading from Kenyatta Rogers, two of the Guild’s 30 Writers to Watch. Hillegonds’s memoir is a finely wrought exploration of, and reckoning with, absent fathers, fatherhood, violence, adolescent rage, white male privilege, and his own […]
More details to come!