But could faith be a blatant gold blasting through dinner’s fatty fumes,
its perfumed lure tangling with the smell of twice-fried potatoes
and twist-tied bags of reeking rubbish lining the dark hall?
– Patricia Smith, from “A Street in Lawndale”
Every year, the Chicago Poetry Center’s summer poetry gathering brings together the city’s literary community. In 2026, Blatant Gold features Chicago Poetry Laureate Mayda del Valle and honors Musu Bangura, recipient of the Gwendolyn Brooks Award for Excellence in Teaching. Join us for an open mic, watch performances by the featured poets, and raise a glass to the writers, readers, and teachers of Chicago poetry.
Tuesday, June 9 6pm – 9pm
Haymarket House 800 W. Buena Ave.
Featuring Mayda del Valle,
Chicago Poetry Laureate
Honoring Musu Bangura,
recipient of the Gwendolyn Brooks
Award for Excellence in Teaching
Event Images
Scroll to right to view highlights from former years.
2025
Featured Poet: Martín Espada
Gwendolyn Brooks Teaching Awardees: Leslie Reese, Timothy David Rey, and Joy Young
2024
A Bigger Table exhibition
2023
Featured Poet: Jane Wong
Featured Poets in Residence: Alyx Chandler, Ola Faleti, Luz Magdaleno Flores, Lisa Low, Maya Odim, C. Russell Price, Luis Tubens, Christie Valentin-Bati
