Past Events
2918 N Central Park Ave.
Chicago, Illinois 60618
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, […]
1756 W 18th St
Chicago, Illinois 60608 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 […]
1756 W 18th St
Chicago, Illinois 60608 United States
The first and only Spanish language slam in Chicago returns in-person! Participants have a chance to win a free trip to a Latin American country (TBD) to compete in the […]
2918 N Central Park Ave.
Chicago, Illinois 60618
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 […]
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, […]
5851 W Madison St
Chicago, Illinois 60644 United States
Partnering with the HotHouse's Culture is Our Weapon series, on Sun Oct 19th, Guild Complex will present a screening of the documentary, The Power of the Word featuring author/activist Amiri Baraka. This will be immediately followed by a brief discussion and reading with Billy Tuggle, Antonio Foli and Kao Ra Zen.
5851 W Madison St
Chicago, Illinois 60644 United States
Partnering with the HotHouse's Culture is Our Weapon series, on Sat Oct 18th, the Guild Complex will present a screening of the film from the Lannan Foundation: Writers Uncensored-Lucille Clifton and Sonia Sanchez, Good Women and Baddd. This will be immediately followed by a brief discussion led by author Dr. Tara Betts, from the DePaul University Department of Peace Studies, along with a reading featuring Keli Stewart, poet/writer, and Angelique Zobitz.
1756 W 18th St
Chicago, Illinois 60608 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"
201 South Ashland Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647 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.
800 W. Buena Ave.
Chicago, Illinois
The Guild Complex and Haymarket Books feature six new books by six amazing, local self- identifying female authors, centering fiction, poetry and short stories about the magic of water, ancestral legacy, grief, longing and memory. A lineup not to be missed!
2141 W 21st St
Chicago, Illinois 60608 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"
2918 N Central Park Ave.
Chicago, Illinois 60618
Join us after Printers Row Lit Fest at Podlasie Club for TRANSVENGENCE: VOL. 9! Our regular show this month will close off the literary weekend with special performances following an […]
Fountain Square | 1601 Sherman Ave. | Evanston, IL Bookends & Beginnings and the Guild Literary Complex present an afternoon of literary celebration on Saturday, August 23rd, from 12-8pm. Immerse […]
2726 W. Division
Chicago, IL 60622 United States
¡Anímate! The Guild Literary Complex is happy to announce that our annual Palabra Pura: One Poet, One Poem tradition is coming this July. All poets are welcome to perform a poem, whether it […]
2918 N Central Park Ave.
Chicago, Illinois 60618
TRANSVENGENCE VOL. 8: LIBERATION BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY Host: Joss Barton Performers: Dutchesz Gemini Hi Bitch! The gorgeous and gifted Dutchesz Gemini is a Chicago based drag and performance artist, […]
919 South Ada Street
Chicago, Illinois 60607
Join us for an unforgettable celebration on Saturday, June 7, 2025, at 2pm as we honor the incredible legacy of Gwendolyn Brooks and the generations of Black female poets who […]
6100 S. Blackstone
Chicago, IL United States
Join us on June 6 at Experimental Station in Woodlawn as we remember Black Americans killed by police violence and honor the memory of Ronald Browne, lead researcher and one of the […]
201 South Ashland Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647 United States
« All Events Cocktails & Conversation 05/30/2025 @ 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM CDT Epiphany Center for the Arts Eric Charles May Recently retired, Eric Charles May is an associate […]
1543 W. Division
Chicago, IL United States
« All Events Power Lines 25th Anniversary Celebration: Contributors Reading @ Chopin Theatre 05/24/2025 @ 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM CDT Chopin Theatre Add to calendar Google Calendar iCalendar Join […]
61 W Superior St
Chicago, IL United States
Celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Tia Chucha Press anthology Power Lines, a democratic assemblage of Chicago’s slam poets and poets of letters at the dawn of the new millennium. In a […]
3429 W. Diversey Ave.
Chicago, Illinois 60647 United States
Host: QUEEN ZENOBIA Music: THESSELONIOUS Special Dance Showcase: FIREBIRD DANCERSDEVIKA DHIRVIVIANA REYES Guest star performances: THE GRATESSILIS101JOSH TREEHYPNAGOGIC TELEGRAM Featured performances: PUGS ATOMZHOBBYISTGREENLIGHTS MUSICBLUE COLLAR ROCK STARSYURI BASHO LANE - […]
2057 W. 18th St.
Chicago, Illinois 60608 United States
A la mitad de nuestra serie ¡SLAM EN VIVO! Todxs tenemos poemas, todxs tenemos algo que decir, compartalo en este espacio de juego, apego, y fuego 🔥 No importa que […]
1102 W 18th St.
Chicago, Illinois 60608 United States
ExB's last show of 2024! Sam Herschel Wein, Emily Anna Maciel Gonzalez, Sarah Peecher and Emilio Maldonado will be joining Exhibit B at Pilsen Community Books for an evening of […]
Una celebración de la larga e importante tradición poética de las mujeres uruguayas. Las poetas uruguayas Silvia Goldman y Silvia Guerra compartirán su poesía y la poesía de sus madres […]
The 2024 Chicago Lit & Luz Festival, Saturation/ Saturación, returns with a fantastic roster of writers and artists from the US and Mexico. The weeklong series of free events begins […]
January 2023
January 26 @ 7pm, online
Join us on Thursday, January 26th, as Exhibit B features incredible performances from artists Shilpi Somaya Gowda, donia salem harhoor, I.S. Jones, alexandrine ogundimu, and Ryan D. Matthews.
Learn more here!
December 2022
December 8 @ a + c architects, 6-8pm
The Guild Literary Complex, along with Generative Multilogue, invite you to the opening reception for BATTLE WORN: Women Life Freedom, original artworks by Bagherian, Movahed and Korbakhsh.
Iran’s women are rattling the bases of power through creativity having been steeped in a culture and mythology that valorizes poetry and many female heroes and warriors.
Artist Alemeh Bagherian’s career has exemplified female figures in unexpected contexts. Whether she addresses issues such as beauty, heroism , death or even frivolity. In Roudabeh, Bagherian takes the archetypal image of a Persian warrior from Ferdowsi’s poems and has her wear a warrior’s vest to protect her from arrows to the heart. She’s a bit battle worn but seems to only be taking a break to exhibit her humanity. The takeaway could be to never count Iranian women out regardless of the task to be done.
Join us for food and drinks plus poetry from Andrea Change.
Learn more here.
November 2022
Nov 3 @ 18th Street Casa de Cultura, 7-9pm
https://www.tinyurl.com/slamdiaspora
Nov 10 @ Douglass Park Field House, 7pm
Performance inside the fieldhouse at:
Douglass Park Fieldhouse
1401 S Sacramento Blvd
Chicago, IL 60623
Enter at Roosevelt and Sacramento.
Nov 16 @ My Buddy's, 7pm
Join us on Wednesday, November 16th, as The Guild Complex presents Exhibit B at My Buddy’s Chicago (4416 N. Clark). We wrap up our 2022 season with an evening of performances from Toya Wolfe, Ananda Lima, Anne K. Yoder, J. Howard Rosier, Joshua Bohnsack, and Alanis Zoe Castillo Caref.
Nov 17 @ Hopleaf, 7pm
Join Guild Literary Complex at Hopleaf Bar on November 17th for Press Room- Transvengence with trans artist Joss Barton who be our host for the night and featuring writer and author, Ames Hawkins. Open mic starts at 7:00PM.
September 2022
Sept 21 @ Pilsen Community Books, 7pm
Sept 29 - Oct 2, Time TBD, with Generative Multilogue
Our target dates for the first iteration are Sept 29 – Oct 2, 2022. Our plan will include public panels, recitations, and performances as well as private conversations among the participants for future projects.
An exciting list of the invited artists, as well as academic and institutional partners, will be announced in August 2022. Ideas welcomed.
Sept 8 @ Hopleaf
Sept 10 & 11 @ Printers Row
2022 Printers Row Lit Fest will take place September 10th and 11th, 10am-6pm, on South Dearborn Street from Ida B. Wells to Polk Street in historic Printers Row.
More information to come about the Guild Literary Complex’s tent location.
Sept 12 @ Impact House, 200 W. Madison
The Guild Complex Press Room series, along with Disability Lead, presents a conversation on Art and Accessibility. Four amazing artists from the disability community, each from varying disciplines come together to showcase their work and discuss how their individual disabilities inform their art. We will also try to break down how best to create art spaces and experiences that are inclusive for all from the wheelchair-bound to the visual and hearing impaired or other forms of sensory dysplasia.
Our artist panel includes: Azeema Akram (dancer), Noa/h Fields (artist and poet), Grismah Shah (visual artist/filmaker), and Revecca Torres (visual artist/filmmaker).
July 2022
July 24, 12:00 PM @ Comfort Station, Logan Square
Exhibit B @ Comfort Station
July 24
10:00 am
2579 N Milwaukee Ave
Storyteller – Lily Be
Poet – Marisa Tirado
Poet – Joss Barton
Poet – Dan Wright
Poet – Atena O. Danner
DJ – Fess Grandiose
Pianist – Joseph Patrone
Brave Space Alliance, Chicago Community Bond Fund, Young Chicago Authors, The Network, 826Chi, Books4Cause, Envision,
Northwest Mutual Aid
July 7, 6:00 PM @ Blanc Gallery
June 2022
June 7 @ 4:00 PM CST, Gwendolyn Brooks Park
May 2022
May 28 @ 5:30 PM CST, Humboldt Park Boathouse Pavilion
May 26 @ 7:00 PM CST, Chicago Mosaic School
May 26 @ 12:00 PM CST, Northwestern University, Kresge Hall 1515
May 6 @ 8:00 PM CST, 1650 W Foster Ave
Guild Complex, Circa-Pintig, REDance
April 2022
April 20 @ 6:30 PM CST
¡Palabra Pura en vivo!
Palabra Pura returns to LIVE performance with our One Poet/One Poem event!
Past performers at Palabra Pura will return to read one poem or short text each. Come join us with a poem or your favorite text.
The night’s line-up includes Eduardo Arocho, Emmanuel Ayala, Beatriz Badikian Gartler, María Calderón, Rocío Ferreira, Gregorio Gómez, León Leiva Gallardo, Pedro Pablo Marín, Elizabeth Marino, Miguel Marzana, Elijah Ruiz, Margarita Saona, Johanny Vázquez Paz, Crystal Vance Guerra, Christian Vásquez and more!
April 21 @ 5:00 PM CST
Acompáñennos a escuchar a las poetas colombianas Carolina Sánchez, Johanna Barraza Tafur, María Paz Guerrero y Tania Ganitsky en esta lectura virtual que se hará desde Bogotá, New Jersey, Zaragoza y Chicago. Tras el recital, conversarán con la poeta uruguaya Silvia Goldman sobre el viaje, el cuerpo, la pérdida y la exploración del lenguaje en sus obras.
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March 2022
March 24 @ 7 PM CST
The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame presents the Fuller Award for lifetime achievement to Ana Castillo, live at the American Writers Museum.
This event will also have an online broadcast.
March 31 @ 7 PM CST
February 2022
February 11 @ 6 PM CST
https://us02web.zoom.us/…/tZUpduGvpjIqGNbMU3HeLUeeV9kKB
February 16 @ 5:30 PM CST
Columbian author Velia Vidal, and Dominican author Kianny Antigua, talk about their books and discuss the importance of on Afrolatinx representation in Spanish language children’s literature.
November 2021
November 1 - 6
The Guild is a partner for this year’s Lit & Luz Festival from MAKE Literary Productions. This year’s theme is “Structure,” with programs highlighting design, architecture, social structures, and more. The festival will be hybrid and include virtual events at noon and in-person programming in the afternoon and evening. Many programs will be recorded and posted online and all in-person programs will adhere to Covid safety protocols. Most programs will include live audio translation.
November 9 @ 6:30 PM CDT
Four female authors share their new books each telling their perspective stories of womanhood through poetry and prose. Featuring Ananda Lima, JoAnna Novak, Natania Rosenfeld, and Keli Stewart. The event will be virtual.
Register here!
November 12 @ 7:00 PM CDT
More info here!
October 2021
October 14, 6:30PM CDT
The Guild Literary Complex, along with Seminary Co-op Bookstores, Lit & Luz Festival, and Feria del Librio, presents a special Palabra Pura event with acclaimed author Ana Castillo. The night is a celebration of her latest book of poems, My Book of the Dead.
Register here!
October 16, 4:30PM CDT
An in-person crawl featuring exquisite corpse performances from Chicago-based writers, musicians, filmmakers, and interdisciplinary artists and performers. In Logan Square at Cafe Mustache, Galerie F, and the Whistler.
Mary Cerney, J. Howard Rosier, Logan Lu, Jenna Lyle, satan2000, Takashi Shallow, Alex Wells Shapiro, Crystal Vance-Guerra, and Ian Wojcikiewicz.
October 21, 7PM CDT
September 2021
September 11, 4:30PM CDT
The Guild Complex and the National Book Critics Circle present Exhibit B at Printers Row Lit Fest 2021! Our eighth show will be live and in-person at the center stage Saturday, September 11th, 5PM at the Midwest’s largest literary festival. It will feature performances from Mojdeh Stoakley, Ruben Quesada, Ignatius Valentine Aloysius, Sky Goodman, and Nick Ward hosted by NBCC Board Member J. Howard Rosier.
4:30 PM CDT @ AWM/Feinberg Stage
September 15, 6:30PM CDT
September 30, 6:00PM CDT
July 2021
July 29, 8:00PM CDT
July 21, 6:30PM CDT
Palabra Pura returns to LIVE performance with our 1 Poet/1 Poem event! Past performers at Palabra Pura will return to read one poem or short text each. The night’s line-up includes Beatriz Badikian-Gartler, Gregorio Gómez, Crystal Guerra, Carolina Herrera, Miguel López Lemus, Emilio Maldonado, Pedro Pablo Marín, Elizabeth Marino, Miguel Marzana, and more!
June 2021
June 17, 6:00pm
June 22, 6:00pm, Virtual Event
Join us for a book release event, celebrating Aviya Kushner’s debut poetry collection, Wolf Lamb Bomb, followed by a discussion on religion, social empathy, and allyship with Hebrew translator Adriana X. Jacobs.
Watch the full recording of this event here!
May 2021
May 19, 5:30pm, Virtual event
Book release and reading celebrating Reginald Gibbons’ latest poetry collection, Renditions, published by Four Way Books. The night will also feature readings from Ed Roberson and Illinois Poet Laureate Angela Jackson.
Watch the full recording of this event here.
April 2021
April 7, 6:00 - 8:00pm CDT, Virtual event
This reading is a part of the Guild Literary Complex’s Applied Words series of multidisciplinary events and conversations on contemporary social issues. The work of these writers is informed by backgrounds, experiences, and research that reach across national borders. The memories and histories of persecution, migration, exile, and assimilation threaded through these authors’ poetry and prose are a welcome reminder that American writing is always already global.
Featuring: Dipika Mukherjee, Ines Bellina , Michael Zapata, Sahar Mustafah, Frances de Pontes Peebles, Fabiola Werlang
poetry
transnational
prose
April 8th, 7:00 - 9:00pm CDT, Virtual event
poetry
sexual assault awareness
reading
March 2021
March 25, 7:00pm CST, Virtual event
Join us on thursday, March 25th, for a surreal evening as The Guild Complex presents Exhibit B will feature incredible performances from artists Jose Hernandez Diaz, Emily Martin, Ian Wojcikiewicz, and Shailen Mishra.
Exhibit B is a performance series that highlights exciting text-based work in Chicago. Presented by the Guild Literary Complex, a 30-year-old grassroots literary arts organization based in Chicago, Exhibit B showcases prose, poetry, plays, music, and more. We want to create a space that showcases work that you don’t need an MFA to feel and that leaves the audience always wanting more. We want community. We want impact.
poetry
prose
reading
March 13, 7:00pm CST, Virtual event
Sandra Cisneros, the poet, short story writer, novelist, essayist, performer, and artist whose work beautifully and profoundly explores working class lives and landscapes, will receive the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame’s Fuller Award for lifetime achievement.
award
ceremony
interview
February 2021
February 22, 6:30pm CST, Virtual event
The Guild Literary Complex brings together some of the BIPOC writers from our 30 Writers to Watch to read a few of their pieces, chat about their work, and discuss how they’re charting their paths in an industry more embracing of their stories.
Featuring:
Justin Howard Rosier
Nate Marshall
Ciara Miller
Nikki Patin
Mojdeh Stoakley
poetry
prose
reading
February 17, 7:00pm CST, Virtual event
January 2021
January 28, 6pm CST, Virtual event
Exhibit B is a performance series that highlights exciting text-based work in Chicago. Presented by the Guild Literary Complex, a 30-year-old grassroots literary arts organization based in Chicago, Exhibit B showcases prose, poetry, plays, music, and more. We want to create a space that showcases work that you don’t need an MFA to feel and that leaves the audience always wanting more. We want community. We want impact.
January’s event will feature artists Abigail Chabitnoy, Thea Matthews, and Mary Cerney, and will highlight the work of Awakenings, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a physical and virtual artistic space that furthers awareness and understanding of sexual violence and promotes healing of survivors through the arts.
poetry
reading
prose
January 14, 6:30pm CST, Virtual event
Please join poet, author, and activist Nikki Giovanni for a special reading of her latest chapbook, Standing in the Need of Prayer. The book, based on a traditional African American hymn written by James Weldon Johnson, is dedicated to all those left in the wake of a loved one taken away by violence.
Immediately following will be a discussion with the author, along with Emily Thornton Calvo, writer, artist, and one of the Guild’s 30 Writers to Watch, who served as the book’s illustrator. Also included in the discussion is Jordan Holmes, who wrote the book’s foreword.
poetry
reading
December 2020
December 3, 7pm CST, Virtual event
Join us Thursday, December 3rd, as The Guild Complex presents Exhibit B will feature incredible performances from artists Rabha Ashry, Daniel Woody, Alex Wells Shapiro, and Caroline Cooledge McCraw. We will also have a Q&A with visual artist Vashon Jordan Jr. to discuss his debut photo book, “Chicago Protests: A Joyful Revolution.”
poetry
prose
November 2020
November 12, 7pm, Virtual event
Speaking Truths Series: Home, Homeland, and Belonging
Speaking Truths Series will return to the virtual space on Thursday November 12 at 7pm. This event is a collaboration between Speaking Truths Series, Guild Literary Complex, and the National Cambodian Heritage Museum.
poetry
prose
music
November 20, 6pm, Virtual event
American Gun Book Launch
Join us for the virtual book launch of “American Gun: A Poem by 100 Chicagoans” a collective response to the individual suffering behind the statistics. Sponsored by Big Shoulders Books, the DePaul University Publishing Institute, the Guild Literary Complex, and the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame.
June 2021
October 2020
October 14, Virtual Event
Luis J. Rodriguez in conversation with Logan Lu discussing his most recent book, From Our Land to Our Land.
October 21, 7:00 CDT, Virtual Event
September 2020
September 16, Virtual Event
Three distinct Afro-Latina voices telling their stories and sharing perspectives in this time of revolution: Tiffanie Clark, Kianny N. Antigua, and Ilka Oliva Corado.
Part of the Guild’s Palabra Pura program.
poetry
bilingual
spanish
September 17, 7:00 pm CDT, Virtual Event
We are thrilled to host the book release for our own Mike Puican’s debut publication, Central Air. Join us September 17th for a reading from Puican and discussion with fellow author and poet, Mark Turcotte.
poetry
Chicago
reading
September 30, Virtual Event
Six local artists in discussion about art, the nature of protest and living with history of the continued assault on their lives. While the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and most recently, Jacob Blake have been featured in the media the history of violence against men of color is not new it is rare that there is an authentic conversation around the constant effort to live your life in survival mode. These artists share their truths in conversation.
Part of the One State 2020 Conference from Arts Alliance Illinois and the Illinois Arts Council Agency (IACA).
September 2019
September 17th, 2019
26th Annual Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Awards
Live Finals @ The Promontory in Hyde Park
Submission deadline extended to Saturday August 17th
SUBMIT NOW!
July 2019
Submissions Open
July 8th, 2019
26th Annual GBOMA
Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Award
________
Voices of Protest
On view through August 11th
at Stony Island Arts Bank
________
Wednesday July 24th 7-9pm
Palabra Pura
Narraciones en Tiempos Distintos
// Narrations in Different Times
La Bruquena Restaurant
(2nd floor)
2726 W. Division, Chicago
$5 Suggested Donation ~ No one turned away!
June 2019
Friday – Satuirday
June 28-29th
Voices of Protest
Of Poetry and Protest
Exhibition Opening, June 28th, 5:30 – 7:30pm
Legacy of the Black Arts Movement, June 29th, 2-4:30pm
________
6:30 – 9:30pm, Wednesday June 26
The Guild’s 30th Anniversary Party + Benefit
Chopin Theatre
1543 W. Division St.
________
4pm – 4:30pm, Sunday June 9th
Powerlines 20th Anniversary Reading
Printers Row Literary Festival
Arts & Poetry Stage, 60 W. Polks
________
3-8pm, Friday June 7th
Gwendolyn Brooks Library, 4th floor
Chicago State University, 9501 S. King Drive
FREE
RSVP
May 2019
7:30pm, Thursday May 30th
Applied Words
Performing Identities On (& Off) the Page:
Queer Femme Artists of Color
Hairpin Arts Center
2810 N. Milwaukee Ave., 2nd floor
FREE
RSVP
________
3pm, Saturday May 18th
Voices of Protest
Stony Island Arts Bank
6760 S. Stony Island Ave., Chicago
FREE
RSVP
April 2019
Saturday April 13th, 6:30=8:30pm
SPECIAL NIGHT
Palabra Pura en Poesia en Abril
Presented with Contratiempo, DePaul University + the MFA in Spanish Creative Writing at the University of Iowa
La Bruquena Restaurant
2nd floor
2726 W. Division, Chicago
$5 donation suggested ~ No one turned away
March 2019
7PM, Wednesday, March 20th
Applied Words
Creative Freedom: Writing In and Out of Prison
Curated by Michael Puican & Michael Fischer
Co Presented with UChicago’s Arts & Public Life and Chicago Torture Justice Memorials
7PM, Wednesday, March 20th
Green Line Performing Arts Center
329 E. Garfield Boulevard, Chicago
FREE
RSVP
February 2019
Wednesday February 20th 7-10pm
Palabra Pura
La Bruquena Restaurant
(2nd floor)
2726 W. Division, Chicago
$5 Suggested Donation ~ No one turned away!
November 2018
Wednesday November 28th 7-9pm
The 2018 Leon Forrest Prose Awards
Chopin Theatre
1543 W Division Ave, Chicago
________
Thursday November 1st 7-9pm
Poetry off the Shelf: French Slam Connection
Co-sponsored with One Poetic Voice, Ligue de Slam, and Poetry Foundation
Poetry Foundation
61 West Superior Street
Free Admission
October 2018
Wednesday October 24th 7-9pm
Palabra Pura
Voces nuevas en escritura y performance
La Bruquena Restaurant
(2nd floor)
2726 W. Division, Chicago
________
Sunday October 21st 2pm
Voices of Protest
Writing in a Climate of Fear
with Sanjuana Martinez
McCormick Lounge, Coffey Hall
Loyola University, Lake Shore Campus
Chicago, Illinois
Presented by the Chicago City of Refuge Initiative, a project of Chicago Network Network for Justice and Peace, the Ann Ida Gannon Center for Women and Leadership at Loyola University Chicago, the Guild Literary Complex, and PEN San Miguel Center.
________
Wednesday October 17th 7-9pm
Book Launch Party for Rosellen Brown’s The Lake On Fire
Women and Children First
5233 N. Clark St, Chicago
________
Thursday October 11th 7 – 9PM
Applied Words
Magnitude and Bond:
Three Generations of Gwendolyn Brooks’s Legacy
Presented by
Guild Literary Complex & Rebuild Foundation
Stony Island Arts Bank
6760 S Stony Island Ave
FREE
RSVP
September 2018
Saturday September 29th 7 – 9 pm
100 Thousand Poets for Change
“Temporary America”
Outer Space Studio
1474 N. Milwaukee, 3rd floor
Co-Sponsored with Red Rover Reading Series
________
Monday September 24th
Submissions open
________
Tuesday September 18th 7 – 9:30 pm
25th Annual Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Awards (GBOMA)
5311 S. Lake Park Avenue West, Chicago
TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE!
________
Thursday September 13th 7-8:30pm
Applied Words:
Performing Queerness On (& Off) The Page
Women & Children First
5233 N. Clark St. Chicago
Free
August 2018
Special Pre-GBOMA event:
Past Winners Feature Showcase
with Nicole Bond & Javon J. Smith
@ The 2018 National Poetry Slam Welcome Party
7pm Monday August 13th
The Chopin Theatre
July 2018
Tuesday July 31 2018 ~ 7 – 9 PM
American Authors, Transnational Voices
Chopin Theatre
1543 W. Division, Chicago
Free
June 2018
Wednesday June 20th 7 – 9 pm
A Night in Homage to Gamaliel Ramírez (1949 – 2018)
La Bruquena Restaurant
2726 West Division Street, Chicago, Illinois 60622
$5 suggested donation
________
Tuesday, June 19th, 7 – 9 PM
Mihbaj: a staged reading of a play by Riad Ismat
1543 W. Division, Chicago
$5 suggested donation @ the door
________
Thursday June 7th – 3-5pm
the Arts Incubator in Washington Park
301 E. Garfield Blvd.
Followed by the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame’s statue unveiling 6-8 p.m. in Gwendolyn Brooks Park, 4542 S. Greenwood Ave.
April 2018
April 4th ~ 7:00 – 9:00 PM
La Bruquena Restaurant
2726 West Division Street, Chicago, Illinois 60622
February 2018
February 21st ~ 7:00 – 10:00 PM
Palabra Pura, One Poet/One Poem
La Bruquena Restaurant
2726 West Division Street, Chicago, Illinois 60622
November 2017
November 5 ~ 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Special Event: Transnational Poetics with
Stuart Cooke, Natania Rosenfeld, and Toni Nealie
1543 West Division Street, Wicker Park, Chicago, Illinois 60642
________
November 16 ~ Doors and Art Viewing 6:00, Event 6:30 – 8:00 PM,
8:15 PM -9:15 PM Dinner and Panel Discussion
Each Other’s Harvest, an Applied Words Summit on Homelessness
935 West Wilson Avenue, Uptown, Chicago, Illinois 60640
October 2017
October 15 ~1:00 – 3:00 PM
Voices of Protest, Chicago City of Refuge Event
Gannon Center for Women and Leadership
Piper Hall · Loyola University, 970 West Sheridan Road, Chicago, IL 60660
________
October 18 ~ Doors 5:00, Event 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Brooks in Translation, a Palabra Pura Event
Harold Washington Library Center
Pritzker Auditorium, 400 South State Street, Chicago, IL 60605
September 2017
September 15-17, with multiple events, multiple locations
Wicker Park & West Town Lit Fest
Click here for updates and information
________
September 27 ~ 7:30 – 10:00 PM
Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Awards
American Writers Museum
180 N. Michigan Avenue, Second Floor Chicago, Illinois 60601
August 2017
The Guild Goes Dark in August,
But we look forward to seeing you in September for our Fall Season!
________
August 1
Submissions open for Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Awards
Click here for more information
July 2017
Applied Words
HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED FOR FALL 2017
Nature and Neighborhoods
Featuring Moderator Matthew Shenoda
June 2017
June 7 ~ 6:00 – 10:00 PM
BrooksDay@Nite
A Centennial Celebration of Gwendolyn Brooks
The Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts
915 E 60th St, Chicago, Illinois 60637
________
June 22 ~ 5:30 – 7:30 PM
Applied Words
Gender and the Arts
Featuring Moderator C. Russell Price
1547 North Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60622
~&~
June 22 ~ 7:30 – 9:30 PM
Newest Poetry Society of America’s Norma Farber First Book Award winner Vincent Toro
and Dr. Grisel Acosta in from NYC
Discuss gentrification, neighborhoods, memory, and cultural appropriation
1547 North Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60622
May 2017
May 4 ~ 5:00 – 7:30 PM
Special Event with partner
The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame
Ring Lardner Induction Ceremony
Newberry Library, Ruggles Hall
60 West Walton Street, Chicago Illinois, 60610
________
May 8 ~ 7:00 – 8:30 PM
Cyrus Colter Trilogy, A Staged Reading
By Sandra Seaton
Evanston Literary Festival, Evanston Public Library
1703 Orrington Avenue, Evanston, Illinois 60201
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May 11 ~ 5:00 – 7:30 PM
Special Event with partner
The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame
Fanny Butcher Induction Ceremony
Newberry Library, Ruggles Hall
60 West Walton Street, Chicago Illinois, 60610
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May 17 ~ 7:30-9:30 PM
Palabra Pura with curator Miguel Marzana
We are the Night: Poesía del “Santuario” | Poetry of the “Sanctuary”
La Bruquena Restaurant
2726 West Division Street, Chicago, Illinois 60622
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May 21~ 14:00-16:00 PM
Special Guild Complex Event
Let the 50th Celebrations Begin: Guild Books Remembered, Lit Forward
Lunt Lake Co-op Community Room
1138 West Lunt Ave, Chicago, Illinois 60626-3520
April 2017
April 9 ~ 1:00 – 3:00 PM
Voices of Protest a Chicago City of Refuge Event
Featuring Riad Ismat and Osama Alomar
The Gannon Center for Women and Leadership
Piper Hall · Loyola University, 970 West Sheridan Road, Chicago, IL 60660
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April 12 ~ 7:30 – 9:30 PM
Of the Cuban Diaspora: Venturous Journeys among gluttOny and sniFFs
Featuring Jesús J. Barquet and om ulloa
La Bruquena Restaurant
2726 W Division St, Chicago, Illinois 60622
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April 24 ~ 6:00 – 8:30 PM
A Poet, An Essayist, and a Novelist Walk into a Bar – The Guild’s Annual Benefit
Featuring Nate Marshall, Barrie Jean Borich, and Christine Sneed
Lagunitas Brewing Company
2607 West 17th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60608
Please click here to get tickets or to donate to the Guild’s Annual Benefit
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April 27 ~ 7:00 – 9:30 PM
Applied Words
Accessibility to the Arts, Class and Opportunity
Moderator Bess Williamson, Featuring Ladan Osman
filmfront, 1740 West 18th Street, Pilsen, Chicago, Illinois, 60608
March 2017
March 14 ~ 6:30 – 9:30 PM
Intersectional Women’s Issues and Representation in the Media
With Nicole A. Spigner and Jane Rhodes,
With artwork by Young Chicago Authors artists
Columbia College Chicago, Conaway Center
1104 South Wabash, Chicago, Illinois 60605
For more information or to join the Facebook Event, please click here.
February 2017
February 21 ~ 7:30 – 9:30 PM
Chopin Theatre
1543 W Division St, Chicago, Illinois 60642
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February 19 ~ 1:00 – 4:00 PM
Chicago City of Refuge: Voices of Protest
Piper Hall, Loyola University
970 W Sheridan Rd, Chicago, IL 60613
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February 15~ 7:30 – 9:30 PM
Palabra Pura: One Poet/One Poem
La Bruquena
2726 W Division St, Chicago, Illinois 60622
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February 9 ~ 6:00 – 9:00 PM
826 DC
3333 14th St. NW M120, Washington DC, 2001
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February 2 ~ 6:00 – 9:00 PM
The Art Institute of Chicago, Rublof Auditorium
111 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, Illinois 60603
January 2017
January 11 ~ 7:30 – 9:30 PM
Leon Forrest Prose Awards
The Promontory
5311 South Lake Park Avenue, Chicago, IL 60615
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January 11 ~ 7:30 – 9:30 PM
Writers Resist: Generations of Resistance
La Bruquena
2726 W Division St, Chicago, Illinois 60622
December 2016
Happy Holidays to All
December 8 ~ 6:00 – 9:00 PM
Guild Literary Complex Thank You To You Party
Uptown Lounge
1136 W Lawrence Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
November 2016
November 16 ~ 7:30 – 9:30 PM
Palabra Pura with David Rade of Swan Island Press
La Bruquena Restaurant
2726 West Division Street, Chicago, IL 60622
October 2016
October 6 ~ 7:30 – 9:30 PM
Fuller Awards at the Poetry Foundation
61 West Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60654
Celebrating the life and work of Rosellen Brown.
Hosted by The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame and The Guild Literary Complex
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October 28th ~ 7:00 – 9:00 PM
Palabra Pura with Poet Martin Espada
Urban Theater Company
2620 West Division Street, Humboldt Park, Chicago
September 2016
September 15 – 18
West Town/ Wicker Park Literary Festival
Saturday, Sept 17th 10:oo AM Story Time with Quraysh Ali Lansana
Sunday, September 18th 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM Book Swap at Wicker Park Farmers Market
Sunday, September 18th 7:30 – 10:30 PM Story Slam and Subterranean
Check out these and other events on Facebook
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September 27 ~ 7:00 – 10:00 PM
Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Awards is Back at Chopin Theatre
1543 West Division, Chicago, IL 60642
Please click here for more information
August 2016
August 1 – September 15th
Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Award Call For Submissions
Please click here for more information
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The Guild goes Dark in August.
Be sure to check back for upcoming events.
July 2016
July 20 ~ 7:30 – 9:00 PM
PALABRA PURA: A Night of Corridos at La Catrina Cafe
1011 West 18th Street, 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 poetry reading featuring Chicano and Latino artists.
Please click here for more information.