Chicago Poetry Center

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Chicago Poetry Center

CPC connects people and poetry, equitably engages poets with communities, and fosters creative literacy in the city and beyond.

10/15/2026

Exactly 50 years ago today, Chicago Poetry Center hosted Four Chicago Poets, ft. Peter Kostakis, Paul Hoover, Lisel Mueller & Bill Hunt!

Fun fact: Lisel Mueller was on the original CPC Board! Kostakis, Hoover, and Hunt were also early members.

Did you know that you can purchase a reprint of this archival poster (and others!) on our website? Check out store.poetrycenter.org!

10/13/2026

Our next Blue Hour event is NEXT WEEK on Wednesday, October 21!

One of our featured readers for the evening is Mary Helen Callier.

Mary Helen Callier is the author of When the Horses (2025), winner of the 2023 Alice James Editor’s Choice. Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in DIAGRAM, Gulf Coast, Sixth Finch, The Atlantic, and elsewhere. She received her MFA in Poetry from Washington University in St. Louis and her doctorate in Creative Writing and Literature from the University of Denver.

Livestreamed, ASL interpreter, accessible building, gender neutral bathrooms. Masking is strongly encouraged. This is a free event!

📅 Wednesday, October 21
⏰ 6pm workshop, 7:30pm open mic + reading
🏠 Haymarket House
800 W. Buena Ave.

Register at the link below! 🔗

poetrycenter.org/event/blue-hour-ft-mary-helen-callier-andy-sia

10/07/2026

"My poetry teacher cares about my ideas."

That's the statement 95% of students agreed with at the end of last year's poetry residencies.

Chicago Poetry Center provides educational programming for all grade levels, introducing students to new forms of creativity and self-expression.

You can bring poetry education to your school this year with a residency, workshop, or assembly! Visit the link below or contact [email protected] to learn more. 🍎

poetrycenter.org/programs/education-programs

📸 Joshua Tatro

10/05/2026

Don't miss the next Blue Hour on Wednesday, October 21 with featured readers Mary Helen Callier and Andy Sia! 💙

The reading will be preceded by a five-person lottery-style open mic and followed by community gathering time.

Live-streamed, ASL interpreter, accessible building, gender neutral bathrooms. Masking is strongly encouraged. This is a free event.

📅 Wednesday, October 21
⏰ 6pm, 7:30pm
🏠 Haymarket House
800 W. Buena Ave.

Register for the workshop and reading at the link below! 🔗
poetrycenter.org/event/blue-hour-ft-mary-helen-callier-andy-sia

10/02/2026

Last week, we hosted this schools year's Poets in Residence at our annual training and orientation. It was wonderful to see familiar faces and welcome new teaching artists to the team!

Poets in Residence engage students with weekly in-school or after-school programming, working with K-12 students across Chicagoland.

Learn how to bring a poet to your school by visiting poetrycenter.org/programs.

10/01/2026

Our summer sale extends into fall! 🍁

Spend $25 or more at our shop, get one New Visions broadside for free!

These limited edition broadsides were designed and printed by Evanston-based artist Ben Blount. Snag yours while supplies last! 👀

Visit our store by using the link in our bio, or visit store.poetrycenter.org.

09/28/2026

Fifth graders at Twain Elementary took the day to look back at the poems they had written at the beginning of their CPC residency. Using what they had learned, students were given the chance to expand on their previous ideas and descriptions.

One of the revised poems is "All About My Dog" by Jaylani Z.! 🐶

Want to get more poetry (and therefore, more adorable dog poems) into your school? Use the link below to learn more about residency programs with Chicago Poetry Center. 🍎

poetrycenter.org/programs/education-programs/school-residencies/

09/25/2026

On this day at Chicago Poetry Center: September 25, 1983 🕰️

Forty-three years ago today, CPC screened Poetry in Motion: a Film by Ron Mann at the Film Center at the School of the Art Institute!

The event included Amiri Baraka, Ted Berrigan, Charles Bukowski, William Burroughs, John Cage, Robert Creeley, Diane Di Prima, Kenward Elmslie, Allen Ginsberg, Michael McClure, Ed Sanders, Gary Snyder, Tom Waits, Anne Waldman. Additional discussion was hosted by Maxine Chernoff, Paul Hoover, and Art Lange.

Address

1448 E. 52nd Street , #256
Chicago, IL
60615

Website

http://www.poetrycenter.org/

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