On December 8th, 2016, 6:00-9:00 PM we hope you will join us for a Thank you to You Party~ Uptown Lounge is helping the Guild throw a party to celebrate all things Guild, all things literary, all things Chicago, friendships, and most importantly you! The Guild Literary Complex wants to end the year with all…
An appeal from the Board President Dear friends, As we witness the disturbing intolerance toward people and ideas that diverge from the mainstream, the work of the Guild Literary Complex has never been more important than it is right now. For the past 27 years the marginalized voices of women, people of color, people of different…
Join us for the last Palabra Pura of the year hosted by the Guild Literary Complex and curated by David Rade of Swan Isle Press, Noche de Poesía y Amistad Lectura y Conversación ~ An Evening of Poetry and Friendship, Reading & Conversation November’s Palabra Pura will feature readings by Reginald Gibbons, Juana Goergen, Mary Hawley, and Olivia Maciel. Our…
Palabra Pura with Martín Espada Friday, October 28th, 2016 7:00 – 9:00 PM Urban Theater Company 2620 West Division Street, Humboldt Park, Chicago $5.00 suggested donation. Books will be available for purchase. After eight long years away from Chicago, on Friday October 28, 2016, award winning and beloved poet Martín Espada will be hosted by the…
23rd Annual Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Awards Winner is … Nicole Bond! Congratulations to Nicole and all of our Semi-Finalists. Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Awards were held on Tuesday September 27th, 2016 7:30 – 9:30 PM Chopin Theatre, 1543 West Division, Chicago, IL 60642 Finalists for the 23rd Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Awards announced! In Alphabetical…
Join us the weekend of Wicker Park & West Town Lit Fest for a special reading from the newest book from the amazing Quraysh Ali Lansana! He will be reading from a never before seen book! A Gift from Greensboro (Ages 5 & up) is at once an elegy, a celebration of the magic of…
Join the Guild Literary Complex, The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame, and the Poetry Foundation as we celebrate the great writers of Chicago. This year we are celebrating one of our very own: Rosellen Brown. Mark your calendars to come and celebrate Rosellen’s amazing body of work, not to mention a life dedicated to the…
The Guild Literary Complex is back for our Fall 2016 season! Launching us off is the Wicker Park and West Town Lit Fest, September 15-18th with Guild Events partnered with Volumes Book Cafe, 826 Chicago, Young Chicago Authors, Book Club, Chicago PRC, Quimby’s Bookstore, Myopic Books, and Impossible Industries. Join us Saturday September 17th at Volumes…
Call for 2016 Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic awards submissions DEADLINE EXTENDED TO SEPTEMBER 15th! Guild Literary Complex announces its open call for poetry submissions for the 23rd Annual Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Award. Deadline to submit is has been extended to September 15th, 2016! Twenty (20) selected semi-finalists will compete for a $500 prize in front of a voting…
The Guild Literary Complex presents: PALABRA PURA: A Night of Corridos July 20, 2016 7:30 – 9:00 PM, La Catrina Cafe 1011 W 18th St, Chicago, Illinois 60608 Hosted by Juan Díes, folklorist and co-founder of the GRAMMY-nominated Sones de México Ensemble. Palabra Pura promotes literary expression in more than one tongue through a bi-monthly bilingual…
The GUILD LITERARY COMPLEX is set to party with you on June 22nd 6:00 – 9:00 PM at Filament theatre. Get your Tickets TODAY! 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…
Tuesday, June 7, 2016, Time: 10:00 am until 6:00 pm Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E Washington St., Chicago, IL 60602. Join us for the fourth annual BrooksDay, celebrating the works of Gwendolyn Brooks on her birthday! We are honoring her tremendous legacy as an artist and an iconic figure of generosity and civic conscience in…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Celebrate the great poet Rane Arroyo with the Guild Literary Complex! Wednesday April 20th, 2016 from 7:30 – 9:30 pm at the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center is located at 4048 W. Armitage Ave., Chicago, IL 60639 The Guild Literary Complex, Chicago Literary Hall of Fame, After Hours Press, and the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural…
Palabra Pura March 16, 2016 ~ “Turnt in Relevant Opacity” With THIS MONTH’S CURATOR: RICARDO GAMBOA Ricardo is an artist, activist, and an academic working in his native town of Chicago. He is a company member of Barrel of Monkeys, Southside Ignoramus Quartet, and Free Street Theater. He is the founding Artistic Director of…
This year opens with a splash on Wednesday, January 2oth! 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…
New Guild Executive Director: Introducing Lisa Wagner Following an intensive search, the Guild Literary Complex has hired a new Executive Director, Lisa Wagner. She will start her new position on December 7. Lisa has been very involved in the literature and art scene in Chicago. For the past three years, she has been Managing and…
The Guild Literary Complex is proud to announce the three semi-finalists from each category who will read their work at our Annual Prose Awards event.
Rare Book Auction To Support The Guild The nights are getting longer, making it a perfect time to settle in with a good book. And November provides a unique opportunity for book lovers: bid on the rare books up for auction from the library of Reginald Gibbons. The proceeds will support the Guild! Many of you know Reginald as the Guild…
Fall Is In The Air If the calendar didn’t tell you, the cool, crisp air has definitely signaled that Autumn has arrived. And with that fall weather comes another month of “cool” programming from the Guild Literary Complex, if you forgive us the pun. This month’s Palabra Pura is curated by Cynthia Pelayo and features…
September brings the last days of summer and the first days of autumn In a word: transitions. The same is true for the Guild. Last month it was announced that John Rich, our Director for the past three years, accepted a position at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. We wish him the best, and…
In theater, nights without performance are “dark” nights. The lights are not on. At the Guild, we take a programming break in August. But we still are making noise. You can catch the entire 22nd Annual Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Award on YouTube [LINK], and listen to this month’s GuildCast where Debbie Carlson interviews Kevin…
July includes our last hurrah before we take a little summer vacation, so be sure to join us for this month’s Palabra Pura (July 15), curated by Ruben Quesada, and the 22nd annual Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Awards (July 22), with 20 poets competing for a $600 top prize. These two events will feed your…
Our June programs include a celebration of Gwendolyn Brooks, the Chicago return of poet Luis Rodriguez, and a Palabra Pura that asks, Does English matter? We also announce our call for submissions to the Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Award, now in its 22nd year—and with an increased prize amount! On Sunday, June 7, celebrate the…
You know that feeling when you’re in love, and you simply can’t wait to hang out with the object of your affection again—even after you just left them? That’s how we hope you see the Guild’s programming this month. There’s a lot to love, and we think each event will make you hungry for that…
This month’s forecast includes vast geography, musicality, and respect, all played out in the first three weeks. Outside temperatures may vary, but the artists and projects featured by the Guild this April are hot. We jump right in on Monday, April 6, with a continuation of our new series foregrounding Asian / American authors and…
March roars like a lion all month long. No lambs about it. The Guild means business. And it begins with a Voices of Protest “Home Edition” on Thursday, March 12. The emerging authors we sent to Kapittel, Norway’s international festival of literature and freedom of expression, will give readings inspired by the project and talk…