Our July Applied Words (originally scheduled for July 10) has been moved to the Fall due to the likelihood of inclement weather, as well as the request of our moderator. Thank you for understanding.
Be sure to check us out for our Fall season!
Related News
Submissions Now Open for the 2026 Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Awards (GBOMA)
We’re excited to announce that submissions are now open for the 2026 Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Awards (GBOMA)! This annual poetry competition celebrates the legacy of Illinois’ former Poet Laureate, Gwendolyn Brooks, by uplifting emerging poets and giving them a platform to share their work. Interested poets can find full submission guidelines and apply here:…
35 Writers to Watch
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 the Guild’s diverse…
“Power Lines” Named Top Literary Event in Chicago for May 2025 by Newcity Lit
Newcity Lit has named our upcoming event, Power Lines Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Celebration, the top literary event in Chicago for May 2025! Presented in partnership with the Poetry Foundation and the Poetry Center, this special evening marks 25 years since the release of Power Lines, the groundbreaking 1999 anthology that captured a decade of vibrant poetry…
Congratulations to Guild Complex Board President, Faylita Hicks, for Being Named a 2025 Writing Freedom Fellow!
We are proud to announce that our very own Board President, Faylita Hicks, has been named one of the 2025 Writing Freedom Fellows by Haymarket Books and the Mellon Foundation. This prestigious fellowship recognizes and elevates the voices of writers impacted by the carceral system. The Writing Freedom Fellowship offers its recipients opportunities for professional development and…
Poetry Foundation Spring Event Season Celebrates Lineages, Collective Power, and the Midwest
CHICAGO, February 5, 2025—The Poetry Foundation announces its roster of free public events for the spring 2025 season under the theme “Power Lines,” inspired by the landmark anthology of the same name released by the Guild Literary Complex 25 years ago. The electrifying event season highlights new work by Chicago and Midwest presses, partner organizations, and…
Deadline Extended: Call for Proposals for SAY THEIR NAMES
In partnership with Guild Literary Complex and with the support of Healing Illinois, NON:op announces a call for proposals for commissioned responses to SAY THEIR NAMES. The commission is for two to three poet/composer teams to create new work that responds to individual cases, groups of cases, the map, or the entire project. The application opens on January…
