We will have another fun filled night at 2020 N. Oakley in Chicago. Our features on September 10th will be poets Michael Brown and Valerie Lawson. They are visiting Chicago for the first time in many years and I’m sure it will be an amazing night.
Valerie Lawson
Valerie Lawson’s work has been published in Main Street Rag, BigCityLit, About Place Journal, The Catch, Ibbetson Street, and others. Lawson has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize three times. She studied Electronic Publishing and Book Arts at the University of Maine. Lawson served on the board of the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance from 2013-2015.
Valerie has worked as a bookseller, organized poetry readings and writing groups in Massachusetts and Maine, co-hosted the Boston Poetry Slam, and helped create a network of youth poetry slams in southern New England. She was invited as a Legacy Poet to the first Women of the World Poetry Slam, and participated in cultural exchanges with Ireland.
Most recently, Lawson edited 3 Nations Anthology: Native, Canadian & New England Writers published by Resolute Bear Press, with poems, essays, and fiction from 58 writers, ranging from those for whom this is their first publication to a nominee for the Pulitzer Prize. 3 Nations won the Maine Literary Award for anthology in 2018.
Michael Brown
Michael R. Brown has published four books of poetry: The Confidence Man in 2006, The Man who makes Amusement rides in 2003, Susquehanna in 2003 and Falling Wallendas in 1994. He currently lives in Robbinston, Maine. He works in theater and is involved with “Stage East”, a local community theater group.
He holds a PhD in English from The University of Michigan. He has taught in schools and universities from Chicago to South Korea.
He has been active in the Poetry Slam scene in the US and Europe. He hosted the Boston Poetry Slam at the Cantab Lounge for 13 years. He was instrumental in the Poetry Olympics which was first held in Stockholm in 1998.
Michael and Valerie host a monthly reading and publish the poetry journal “Off the Coast”.
Poet’s Memorial – Margaret Danner
As always we will have a memorial to a fallen Chicago poet with readings of their work from the audience. Margaret Danner was born in Chicago in 1915 and she was educated at Loyola University, Roosevelt College, NOrthwestern University and the YMCA College. She was the first african African-American assistant editor at Poetry Magazine. In the 1960’s she joined the Baha’i faith. She died in Chicago in 1984.
And an Open Mike
And there will be an open mike. And… anything can happen. Just wait for the collapse of the wave function. Late open mikers may not be able to read.
The whole thing begins at 7 PM and will be over around 9 PM.
Social tagging: Brown > Gallery Cabaret > Lawson