Blue Hour Reading & Workshop Series

The Chicago Poetry Center presents BLUE HOUR, a free monthly in-person reading series and open mic. Our November featured readers are Monica Rico and Kush Thompson.

Each event takes place at Haymarket House (800 W. Buena) and includes a brief open mic followed by two featured poets. Pre-registration is free and recommended. The open mic includes five readers drawn lottery-style from a hat that goes out at 7:15. The reading starts promptly at 7:30. Each open mic poet reads one poem or for three minutes, whichever comes first.

ABOUT THE FEATURES:

Monica Rico is Mexican American and the author of “PINION,” winner of the Four Way Books Levis Prize in Poetry selected by Kaveh Akbar. She holds an MFA from the University of Michigan’s HZWP and is the Program Manager Bear River Writers’ Conference. She has published poems in The Atlantic, The Academy of American Poets’ Poem-A-Day, The Slowdown, Ecotone, The Nation, Gastronomica, and The Missouri Review. Follow her at www.monicaricopoet.com.

Kush Thompson is the author of “A Church Beneath the Bulldozer” (2014) and creator of the pink-haired Blk Hottie portraiture series. Kush Thompson is a Chicago-born poet, painter, educator, and fellow of Luminarts, Pink Door, and Cave Canem. Voted runner-up Best Local Poet of 2014 by Chicago Reader, she creates archival art; centering often on girlhood and the mechanics of memory. Her work has appeared in Poetry Magazine, Chicago Reader, and The BreakBeat Poets: New American Poetry in the Age of Hip-Hop (2015).

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION: The mission of the Chicago Poetry Center is to connect people and poetry, equitably engage poets with communities, and foster creative literacy in the city and beyond. Learn more about our programs at www.poetrycenter.org.

ABOUT THE SPACE – Accessibility, Health, & Safety:

– All restrooms at Haymarket House are gender-neutral, including single-user and stalled restrooms.

– Each event includes ASL interpretation. Haymarket House is ADA compliant and fully wheelchair-accessible; email curator@poetrycenter.org to ensure ramp access and with any other accessibility needs.

– Masks are currently strongly encouraged for all indoor events, and the space is equipped with a professional air filtration system.

PARKING: Limited free and paid street parking is available near Haymarket House. The parking lot at Disney Magnet School is relatively close and is a paid lot; there are also locations nearby available through SpotHero.

Looking for the Workshop? Register here.

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Tags: Blue Hour Reading & Workshop Series, Chicago, Chicago Poetry Center, Haymarket House, Kush Thompson, Monica Rico, Uptown