• GBOMA 2025

    Epiphany Center for the Arts 201 South Ashland Ave., Chicago, IL, United States

    Come out and support the 2025 finalists for the Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Awards (GBOMA) as they perform their works live. 10/7, Epiphany Center for the Arts, 6:30 PM. $15/advance, $20/door.

    $15
  • ¡Slam Diáspora en Vivo!

    Taqueria El Mezquite 1756 West 18th Street, Chicago, IL, United States

    The first and only Spanish language slam in Chicago returns in-person. Poets/participants have a chance to win a free international trip to compete in the international slam. Hosted by Crystal Vance Guerra and Luis Tubens "Logan Lu"

  • Culture is Our Weapon: Lucille Clifton and Sonia Sanchez, Good Women and Baddd

    Front Porch Arts Center 5851 W Madison St, Chicago, IL, United States

    HotHouse has developed a rich series of programming that shines a spotlight on artists that took great risk to speak out against the prevailing and dominant State forces – often constituted in dictatorships brutally repressing political (and artistic) opposition, or otherwise antagonistic to human rights. Partnering with the HotHouse, The Guild Complex has curated two...

  • Culture is Our Weapon: The Power of the Word – Amiri Baraka

    Front Porch Arts Center 5851 W Madison St, Chicago, IL, United States

    HotHouse has developed a rich series of programming that shines a spotlight on artists that took great risk to speak out against the prevailing and dominant STATE forces – often constituted in dictatorships brutally repressing political (and artistic) opposition or otherwise antagonistic to human rights. Partnering with the HotHouse, The Guild Complex has curated two...

  • Red Line: Chicago Horror Stories

    Experimental Station 6100 S. Blackstone (take Dorchester to 61st street then head east; free street and lot parking), Chicago, IL, United States

    Join us on Halloween weekend for a presentation of the new anthology by From Beyond Press, Red Line: Chicago Horror Stories. Contributors Jotham Austin II, Bendi Barrett, Tina Jenkins Bell, Priya Chand, Aleco Julius, Sahar Mustafah, and K.A. Roy join the Guild Literary Complex for a reading and signing at Experimental Station. About the Anthology...

  • Write That Down! Show & Tell

    Podlasie Club 2918 North Central Park Avenue, Chicago, IL, United States

    Write That Down! invites you to our first “Show and Tell” presented by 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 important to you. The evening will begin with an open mic...

  • ¡Slam Diáspora en Vivo!

    Taqueria El Mezquite 1756 West 18th Street, Chicago, IL, United States

    The first and only Spanish language slam in Chicago returns in-person! Participants have a chance to win a trip to a Latin American country (TBD) to compete in the international slam. Hosted and curated by Crystal Vance Guerra and Luis Tubens “Logan Lu.” Open to poets of all styles and ages! From anyone who is...

  • ¡Slam Diáspora en Vivo!

    Taqueria El Mezquite 1756 West 18th Street, Chicago, IL, United States

    Last chance! Join us for the final Slam Diáspora of 2025 - the first and only Spanish language slam in Chicago. Participants have a chance to win a trip to a Latin American country (TBD) to compete in the international slam. Hosted and curated by Crystal Vance Guerra and Luis Tubens “Logan Lu.” Open to...

  • Transvengence Vol. 10: Holiday Edition

    Podlasie Club 2918 North Central Park Avenue, Chicago, IL, United States

    Join us again at Podlasie Club for our recurring open mic/performance series, TRANSVENGENCE VOL.10! Our regular show this month brings a special holiday twist with guest performances by Celeste, Noa Micaela Fields, and your hostess, Joss Barton. The show will follow a community open mic by audience members. Doors 7PM Open Mic 8PM Performances 9PM...

  • Write That Down! Show & Tell

    Podlasie Club 2918 North Central Park Avenue, Chicago, IL, United States

    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...

  • Write That Down! Show & Tell

    Podlasie Club 2918 North Central Park Avenue, Chicago, IL, United States

    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...

  • MOJO&MUSE: A Performance Speakeasy

    Watershed Art & Ecology 1821 S. Racine Ave, Chicago, IL, 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...

  • Palabra Pura

    18th Street Casa de Cultura 2057 West 18th Street, Chicago, IL, 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...

    Free
  • Digital Archives of the Unseen: Artist Talk

    Walls Turned Sideways 2717 West Madison Street, Chicago, IL, 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...

    Free
  • Write That Down! Autumn/Winter Launch Party

    1902 N Milwaukee Ave 1902 North Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, IL, 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...

    Free
  • New/Next Writers Showcase

    Haymarket House 800 West Buena Avenue, Chicago, IL, United States

    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

    Free
  • Write That Down! Show & Tell

    Evoke Gallery 3040 N Central Ave, Chicago, IL, 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...

    Free
  • Poem as Autobiography Workshop w/ Angela Jackson

    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...

  • 35 Writers to Watch: Celebration Party

    Epiphany Center for the Arts 201 South Ashland Ave., Chicago, IL, 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...

  • Musicality of Poetry

    Epiphany Center for the Arts 201 South Ashland Ave., Chicago, IL, 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...

  • Write That Down! Show & Tell

    Elastic Arts 3429 W. Diversey Ave., Chicago, Illinois, 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....

    Free
  • BrooksDay @ American Writers Festival

    Harold Washington Library Center, Chicago Public Library 400 South State Street, Chicago, IL, 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...

    Free
  • Fuller Award: Ed Roberson

    The Poetry Foundation 61 W Superior St, Chicago, 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...

  • A Reading in Reflection: Roe v. Wade Commemoration

    Pilsen Community Books 1531 W. 18th St., Chicago, Illinois, 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...

  • El evangelio jornalero: The Gospel of the Day Laborers

    Movement on Montrose 2951 W Montrose Ave, Chicago, IL, United States

    Mark your calendar for El evangelio jornalero: The Gospel of the Day Laborers Lectura dramatizada (staged reading): in Spanish with subtitles in English The play El evangelio jornalero tells the story of a group of day laborers in Chicago who meet daily at “Home Deport” to wait for work. One day a fellow worker convinces...

    Free
  • One Poet/One Poem

    18th Street Casa de Cultura 2057 West 18th Street, Chicago, IL, United States

    ¡Anímate! The Guild Literary Complex is happy to announce that our annual Palabra Pura: One Poet/One Poem tradition is back this July. All poets are welcome to perform a poem, whether...

    Donation
  • ¡Slam Diáspora en Vivo!

    Taqueria El Mezquite 1756 West 18th Street, Chicago, IL, United States

    The first and only Spanish language slam in Chicago returns in-person! All participants have a chance to compete at the international level at the final slam hosted by a Latinx country (TBD). Hosted and curated by Crystal Vance Guerra and Luis Tubens “Logan Lu.” Open to poets of all styles and ages! From anyone who is just...

  • ¡Slam Diáspora en Vivo!

    Taqueria El Mezquite 1756 West 18th Street, Chicago, IL, United States

    The first and only Spanish language slam in Chicago returns in-person! The first and only Spanish language slam in Chicago returns in-person! All participants have a chance to compete at the international level at the final slam hosted by a Latinx country (TBD). Hosted and curated by Crystal Vance Guerra and Luis Tubens “Logan Lu.”...

    Free
  • Guild Literary Complex @ Printers Row Lit Fest

    Printers Row Between Dearborn and Polk , Chicago

    Join us at Printers Row Lit Fest from September 12-13! The Guild Literary Complex is excited to host our annual Authors Table (TBA) where anyone at the fest has the opportunity to chat with prolific and flourishing authors and pick up a signed copy of one of their books. We will also host a Musicality of Poetry event...