The Chicago Poetry Center presents BLUE HOUR, a free monthly in-person reading series and generative writing workshop. The Chicago Poetry Center presents BLUE HOUR, a free monthly in-person reading series and generative writing workshop. Our October featured readers are Rhoni Blankenhorn & Alicia Wright.
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.
EVENT DETAILS FOR OCTOBER 15:
- Workshop (registration required) begins promptly at 6 p.m., ends at 7 p.m.
- Performance space doors open and open mic sign-up begins at 7 p.m.
- Reading (registration recommended but not required) begins at 7:30, followed by community gathering time.
- Reading registration is free; the workshop is sliding scale with a suggested donation of $10.
- Register for the workshop here.
- Get your ticket for the reading here.
- Livestream is available here. (Register for livestream reminders here!)
ABOUT THE READING:
The Blue Hour reading features readings by two poets from Chicago and beyond, preceded by a five person lottery-style open mic and followed by community gathering time.
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP:
The Blue Hour generative writing workshop is suitable for writers and poetry fans of all levels. We will discuss a poem together, then Marty will guide the group through individual writing on an exploratory prompt that draws on themes from the poem.
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 strongly encouraged for all indoor events, and the space is equipped with a professional air filtration system.
OCTOBER FEATURES:
Rhoni Blankenhorn is a Filipina American writer. Her poems can be found in The Slowdown, Asian American Writers’ Workshop’s The Margins, Narrative, and elsewhere. She is the recipient of fellowships and scholarships from Bread Loaf, Saltonstall, and the Sewanee Writers’ Conference. Rhoni’s poetry debut, Rooms for Dead and the Not Yet, won the Trio Award, and was published with Trio House Press (July, 2025).
Alicia Wright is the author of “You’re Called By The Same Sound” (Thirdhand Books, 2025) and the forthcoming essay chapbook “A Coin, A Moth, A Literary Journal” from DoubleCoss Press. Her poetry appears in Kenyon Review, Chicago Review, and The Paris Review, among others. She is the editor of Annulet and publisher of Annulet Editions. She lives in Iowa City, where she works as Managing Editor of The Iowa Review.
ABOUT THE HOST:
Marty McConnell is a poet, educator, and healer based in Chicago. She is the author of when they say you can’t go home again, what they mean is you were never there, winner of the 2017 Michael Waters Poetry Prize; her first full-length collection, wine for a shotgun, received the Silver Medal in the Independent Publishers Awards and was a finalist for both the Audre Lorde Award and a Lambda Literary Award. Her first nonfiction book, Gathering Voices: Creating a Community-Based Poetry Workshop, is available through YesYes Books. She is the co-creator and co-editor of underbelly, a web site focused on the art and magic of poetry revision. An MFA graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, her work has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies including Best American Poetry, Southern Humanities Review, Gulf Coast, and Indiana Review.
To learn more about the series and history, go here.
