The Chicago Poetry Center values diversity at all levels and understands that a safe and supportive environment is necessary to facilitate our work in valuing and uplifting creative expression.
The Chicago Poetry Center commits to equity and inclusion as two of our five core values and will not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, socio-economic status, age, religion, national origin, marital, parental, or veteran status, or any other legally protected status. We strive to uphold our values in action through our decisions, programming, community building, and fostering an environment of continuous learning. The Chicago Poetry Center is committed to the principles of equal opportunity and it is the Poetry Center’s policy to comply fully with all laws that ban discrimination in the employer-employee relationship, and to continue to strive to go above and beyond the regulations of anti-discrimination law in fostering a workplace of equal opportunity and inclusion for all. CPC works in an ADA accessible building with gender neutral bathrooms. CPC supports a staff, board, teaching artist team, and program participant community that is diverse in race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, age, and ability, and leadership continuously audits our practices to deepen our inclusion.
Anti-racism Statement
The Chicago Poetry Center’s commitment to integrity, equity, and inclusion is detailed in our organizational core values. The CPC board actively engages in ongoing internal BIPOC artist-led anti-racism training, and we have established a CPC Board Anti-racism Committee through which and by whose tenets we conduct all of our board work. At CPC, we strive to support and fairly compensate BIPOC poets and staff. We regularly audit the organization as we continuously move toward greater equity, access, and inclusion in hiring, in pay, and in Chicago’s greater literary community.