HotHouse has developed a rich series of programming that shines a spotlight on artists that took great risk to speak out against the prevailing and dominant State forces – often constituted in dictatorships brutally repressing political (and artistic) opposition, or otherwise antagonistic to human rights.

Partnering with the HotHouse, The Guild Complex has curated two events related to this theme. Aligning historical voices with local contemporary multi-disciplinary writers, these special programs will re-assert the mutual commitment to present and affirm “we will not go back,” and we will not accept the re- writing of our experiences through the lens of neo-colonial impositions. Culture is our Weapon!

On Sunday, Oct 19th, the 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.

Antonio Foli (formerly kwabena foli) is a multidisciplinary artist, writer, filmmaker, and scholar born in Belgium and raised on the South Side of Chicago. His work spans poetry, digital collage, cinema, and academic research, all rooted in a deep exploration of Black interiority, masculinity, mental health, and ancestral memory. He is the author of three major poetry collections: learning rhythm (Flowered Concrete), a lyrical biomyth rooted in journaling and healing pedagogy; ON GOD (Candor Arts), a visceral portrait of urban spirituality and street language; and THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO SAY OUR NAME, a self-published collection confronting grief, race, and bipolar disorder type-II through a distinctly Black lens. His poems have appeared in The Los Angeles Review, Meridian, Crab Orchard Review, Salt Hill, Cream City Review, and others. He has performed nationally as a Chicago Poetry Slam Champion and appeared at venues and platforms such as the All Def Poetry and the Green Mill. Foli’s visual/digital work blends photography, design, and collage into ritualized archives—most notably in series like god gives rest/not sleep, blk excellence, and juke. His triptychs and digital altars have been exhibited at Seerveld Gallery, Elastic Arts, Chicago Artist Coalition and have been shared over 400 million times online. His aesthetic centers lo-fi techniques, ancestral rhythm, and spiritual narrative—honoring Black grief, celebration, and stillness as sacred acts.
His cinematic debut, Rise of the Tiger, is a psychological martial arts horror film set in 1969 Harlem. Told in stark black and white, it explores trauma, hallucination, and obsession through the descent of a prodigious fighter. The film expands on his written work’s themes—dissecting legacy, delusion, and the metaphysical cost of becoming a legend. Foli holds a B.A. in Sociology and an M.A. in Communication Studies from Southern Illinois University. He’s also held residencies at Ragdale, Banff Centre for Arts, and the Poetry Center of Chicago. His academic interests include Black media theory, trauma representation, spiritual poetics, and performance as pedagogy. He has served as a teaching artist, workshop facilitator, and cultural worker in both academic and community spaces, weaving scholarship with creativity and ritual.
Across form and field, Antonio Foli creates work that is devotional, interrogative, and deeply human.

Billy Tuggle is a parent, husband, educator, mentor, and proud South Side Chicagoan. A literary games competitor, recognized by Odyssey On-line as one of the “Top 30 Slam Poets over 30. His work has been displayed at the Chicago HipHop Heritage Museum, often centering on urban culture, social justice, and Afrofuturism. Among two volumes, several chapbooks, and numerous anthology & journal placements, Billy’s latest collection- A Tree (Falls In) The Hood- is available from Swimming With Elephants Press. It earned him a “Best New Collection” nod in the Chicago Reader 2024 poll; and a Pushcart Prize nomination.

Kao Ra Zen is a Chicago-based rapper, spoken word poet, multimedia performance artist, video director, recording engineer, curator, photographer, and educator. Kao has performed and/or curated at venues such as the Museum of Contemporary Art, Symphony Center, DANK-Haus, Elastic Arts, Constellation, Alhambra Palace, Oliva Gallery, and Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago; in addition to performances and screenings in New York; Berlin, Germany; and turku, Finland. Kao earned his Associate in Fine Arts degree from Harold Washington College and then earned his BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Much of Kao’s written, musical, and performance work addresses historical and contemporary societal concerns, existential matters, and promotes self expression, fostering community, and challenging oppressive systems and intolerant perspectives.

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Tags: Amiri Baraka, Antonio Foli, Austin, Billy Tuggle, Chicago, Culture is Our Weapon: The Power of the Word – Amiri Baraka, Front Porch Arts Center, Kao Ra Zen, The Guild Complex