All posts in Poetry

Sept. 21: Faylita Hicks & Hila Ratzabi at Blue Hour

The Chicago Poetry Center presents BLUE HOUR, a free, public monthly in-person reading series and generative writing workshop hosted and facilitated by Marty McConnell.   Each event features two readers from Chicago and beyond, […]

Hip Hop as Self-Empowerment

When we can, we love to collaborate with the other after school programs. The dance program was asked to prepare an assembly for today, so some of the boys in our Poets with Class […]

Poetry is never home “work!”

The MLK after school program is primarily for the 6th-8th graders but a few 5th graders that are wise beyond their years often join us after school. Sade, is one of those 5th graders. […]

We’re Hiring: Teaching Artists

HIRING CALL: POET TEACHING ARTISTS Hands On Stanzas Program, Chicago Poetry Center Position: Poet In Residence with the Chicago Poetry Center Deadline: Rolling applications until roster is full, apply soon! Check out: this brief […]

Because My Cat Found A Unicorn & Other Reasons Why @ Manley High School

Last Thursday, Mr. Peterson and Ms. O’Neal’s classes read and discussed an English translation of the poem “Because” by Greek poet, Yannis Ritsos. The poem offers ten lines of explanation, each depicting a new […]

I Remember Eating a Whole Stick of Butter & Other Memories @ Manley High School

Last week Mr. Peterson and Ms. O’Neal’s classes reviewed and discussed an excerpt of Joe Brainard’s autobiographical long poem, “I Remember.” Brainard’s litany of memories investigate his childhood, his neighborhood, his family, their holiday […]

I Wish the Microwave Had Legs & other poems @ Manley High School

During the second portion of our class at Manley High School’s summer credit recovery program we wrote “I Wish” poems. I asked the students to write 10-15 wishes and to consider blending the real, […]

Cars Driving on Clouds in the Sky— Exquisite Corpse Poems @ Manley High School

Hello, readers. I am serving as the summer Poet in Residence and I’ll be reporting on poems created at Manley High School’s summer credit recovery program until the end of July. For our first […]

What Do You Believe?

Moos – Week 12 This week we were looking at out-going poet laureate Natasha Trethewey’s “Southern Fires.” This poem is about keeping silent when you know something wrong is happening, so I asked the […]

Bam-Woosh-Meow

Moos – Week 11 I wanted the young poets to write about sounds this week, and so what better model poem than Li-Young Lee’s “Falling: The Code”? There is no better poem. Well maybe. […]

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I’M FROM THE CITY LIGHTS / STREAMING OUT IN THE NIGHT / AND HUGE SKYSCRAPERS / TOWERING OVER THE LAKE – MELISSA E., 7TH GRADE POET