February is a winter month of storms (check), sub-zero temperatures (check), and gray skies (check). While the Guild doesn’t control the weather, every month we program events that bring people together to celebrate diverse, divergent, and emerging voices. And that’s hot—regardless of the season. The 10th year of Palabra Pura continues on February 18 with…
Happy new year to you! All of us at the Guild wish you a happy, healthy, and productive 2015. For our part, we’ll work on “productive” with a January party to celebrate 10 years of Palabra Pura. This energetic and lively series continues to support and showcase emerging and established authors in the Latino and…
December is one of two months the Guild takes a break from programming, and we use this end-of-the-year “quiet” time for two important tasks: finalize a compelling program plan for the upcoming year, and secure financial support through an annual fundraising appeal. Regarding the latter, we are in the middle of the most successful…
It’s November! Time to recover from your Halloween-candy coma with a trio of festive Guild Literary Complex events! But before we put our party hats on, we want to remind you about our Author Challenge Grant! Some sterling Chicago authors have pledged $2500 to the Guild if we can match it by November 15. Can…
You know the saying good things come in pairs? We couldn’t agree more and this month we have quite the literary duo – Palabra Pura: Want and our Annual Prose Awards. But before we get into those events, let’s not forget one very important deadline. Submissions for the 2014 Prose Awards are due on…
…and we’re ready to kick off the fall with a whole month of spotlighted readings and events—but not to fret, we won’t kill your grooves. We’ll keep them going. First up, a dance party. Quraysh Ali Lansana and Christopher Stewart teamed up to produce The Walmart Republic, a new book of their collected poems. It…
So far, 2014 has been one of the best in our 25-year history. It’s only July, and we’ve put on as many events as we did in the entirety of 2013. From storytelling events to book releases and some amazing Palabra Pura readings—not to mention an incredible 25th birthday party—it has been quite the year….
To put it short: We are overwhelmed by last night’s Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Award & Reading. Chicagoist offered up their thoughts: “If you attend one poetry reading a year, it might as well be the Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Award.” First, the emcee: Toni Asante Lightfoot never ceases to amaze us. Her ability to…
Well, July is for lovers of many things: Bike riding, beaches, camping, gardening, back porches, front porches, other people’s pools…and, yes, poetry. Until we can book a spot for a poolside Palabra Pura (think: the audience gets their own floating lounges), we’re continuing our marvelous Palabra Pura at La Bruquena Restaurant on July 16. This…
June is here! Our Director John Rich took a trip to Slovenia to attend the International Cities of Refuge Network conference, our Marketing Coordinator finished up her Master’s program, and we graduated yet another terrific intern, Anna Hayden-Roy. So between our fabulous REVEAL 25 birthday party and now—a lot has happened. But that’s not slowing…
Our 25th Anniversary benefit, REVEAL, is just two weeks away. Originally, we thought we’d wait for the big day to announce our 25 Writers to Watch—a collaboratively-assembled list of 25 emerging-to-mid career writers whose works are making waves in both Chicago, and around the country. These are some amazing writers, so please join us in…
The Guild’s commitment to spotlighting divergent voices extends beyond the borders of Chicago in Voices of Protest. On April 25 and 26, the Guild brings Manal Al-Sheikh (Iraq) and Mazen Maarouf (Palestine)—two authors exiled from their home countries and now living in Scandinavia—to participate in conversations, film screenings, and readings with a focus on human…
That title is a bit vague, but we’ve booked April with events that encompass a lot of what the Guild values: International perspectives, freedom of speech, access to what nourishes us (both body and self), and transformative literature. This month, you can look forward to another evening of community and poetry at our April Palabra Pura,…
They say seven is a lucky number—well, we are co-producing seven, (yes, seven) events in March to get everyone ready for spring! Call it the luck of the Irish, but we’re just incredibly fortunate to be partnering with About Face Theatre, Science is Sexy, and, of course, to continue our partnership with Columbia College for…
With February being a month for love, we’ve got a tonic for you lovers of Chicago literature. Let’s just call it a love potion—a match made in heaven: The Guild Lit Complex is excited to be partnering with Columbia College for Story Week 2014. Our new-found relationship is blossoming with events to celebrate Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods…
This winter, the Guild is getting out and around just about every week. Kinda like a doctor making house calls, and if you think of the Guild as a literary tonic, that’s not far from the truth. Join us this January as we round out the month’s programs with a lively Palabra Pura and a…
In 2014, Guild Complex celebrates its 25th anniversary, a remarkable milestone for any literary organization. But the Guild is not just any literary organization. The Guild is a tonic. To commemorate the Guild’s history – and propel us onward – please consider making a special donation during our year-end fundraising appeal. It’s easy. Simply click…
The Guild will have a table at the Chicago Book Expo on Sunday, November 24 from 11am-5pm. The Chicago Book Expo has “Chicago’s best independent publishers and authors selling books, plus free author readings, panel discussions, writing workshops, and bilingual/Spanish programs” available to the public for free! Visit our booth, and enjoy the opportunity to…
Palabra Pura is the longest running bilingual reading series in Chicago. When asked to curate November’s Palabra Pura “El Amor”, multimedia artist Miguel Lopez Lemus engaged this legacy by inviting past Palabra Pura participants to contribute an original, unpublished poem or essay on the theme of Amor. The resulting collection, Cantalogia I, is at once…
Two shows only! Friday at 7pm, and Saturday at 2pm. A new performance about poetry, zombies, cliffs, and lifelines, created by the Poetry Performance Incubator at the Guild Complex. Presented in collaboration with Free Street Theatre. Join us for an in-progress performance of the brand new Poetry Performance Incubator production, Like Bread. Inspired by the…
You are cordially invited to TONIC: a soulful celebration! It’s been a year of recognition and achievement for the Guild, from inaugurating Brooksday to receiving a major MacArthur Foundation grant. We plan to celebrate with a night of music, libations, and the best company: YOU. It will be a TONIC, something good for the soul,…
SUBMISSIONS ARE CLOSED! The Guild Literary Complex is proud to announce an open submission period for our Annual Prose Awards. Every fall, the Guild Complex acknowledges emerging and established writers via a judged competition and recognition event at the historic Chopin Theatre in Chicago. A cash prize of $250 in each category (fiction and non-fiction)…
We are so very pleased to be kicking off our first Applied Words: On Architecture and the Urban Plan at the Polish Triangle located at the intersection of Division Street, Ashland Avenue, and Milwaukee Avenue. “Broken Windows” is the first reading in a series of three events to continue from now until October. The event takes place on Tuesday,…
The call for entries will be posted on September 3. In the meantime learn about all of our contests by clicking here.
The Poetry Performance Incubator is seeking poets and other writers to collaborate on the creation of a workshop production of Like Bread, a new theatrical performance about making space for a creative life. We are particularly interested in working with poets from a broad range of aesthetics, backgrounds, ages, and Chicago communities. Inspired by the Roque Dalton poem “Like You,”…
Please join us in congratulating the 2013 Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Award (GBOMA) semi-finalists! Olivia M. Arredondo, Lucia Blinn, Ann Breen-Greco, Quintin Collins, Dina Elenbogen, Glenn Ford, Amelia M. Garcia, Marc Livingston (a.k.a. G.P.A.), Nate Marshall, Maya Marshall, Diana Pando, Gregory Pickett, Kelly Reuter, Shanara “The MouthPeace” Sanders, Sandra Santiago, Rachel Slotnick, Javon Smith, M….
Please join us in congratulating the 2013 Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Award (GBOMA) semi-finalists! Olivia M. Arredondo, Lucia Blinn, Ann Breen-Greco, Quintin Collins, Dina Elenbogen, Glenn Ford, Amelia M. Garcia, Marc Livingston (a.k.a. G.P.A.), Nate Marshall, Maya Marshall, Diana Pando, Gregory Pickett, Kelly Reuter, Shanara “The MouthPeace” Sanders, Sandra Santiago, Rachel Slotnick, Javon Smith, M….
Join us Wednesday, July 17, for our monthly bilingual poetry night at La Bruquena Restaurant (2726 W. Division, 2nd Fl.). We will kick things off with an open mic at 7 pm followed by readings from Yolanda Nieves, Maya Emma Nnena Ruth Odim, and our July curater, Sandra Posadas. Be sure to check out our event page…
The 2013 Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Awards is now seeking submission from poets who are interested in showcasing their talents in a live event and competing for a $500 prize. This will be the 20th anniversary of the awards started by legendary Chicago poet Gwendolyn Brooks and to celebrate we will be have some surprises in-store for…
The Guild Literary Complex, Third World Press, and The American Writers Museum present the first annual BROOKSDAY at The Chicago Cultural Center! Join us, as we are creating the first annual marathon reading of the works of Gwendolyn Brooks on her birthday! We want to honor her tremendous legacy as an artist and an iconic figure of…