Natalie Merchant spoke to Morning Edition host Renee Montagne this morning about her newly released album Leave Your Sleep, which features Merchant's musical interpretations of poetry by a diverse array of writers. Merchant will be performing songs from this album in an upcoming concert brought to you by the Poetry Center. The interview is available online here.

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This year marks the 36th anniversary of the Poetry Center's Annual Reading Series. It is a bittersweet time for us as we prepare for an exciting fall reading season while mourning the loss of one of our founders, Mark Perlberg.

When it began, The Poetry Center pioneered the first independent, public and regular poetry reading series in the city of Chicago. Since then, we have strived for innovation in poetry featuring presentations that blend multiple art forms and genres, including performances by major recording artists like Billy Corgan and Lucinda Williams.

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Through his editorship of literary journals, Paul Carroll promoted the development of the 1950s era Beat poets. While serving as the poetry editor of the Chicago Review, Carroll and editor Irving Rosenthal included controversial rising poets William Burroughs, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Allen Ginsberg, and Jack Kerouac. Although Chicago Review was recognized for avant garde works, University of Chicago's Chancellor Lawrence Kimpton suppressed its Winter 1959 issue leading Carroll and Rosenthal to found a new journal Big Table with increased literary freedom to publish Beat poets.

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Li-Young Lee's October 20th reading at the Poetry Center of Chicago is featured on WBEZ Chicago Public Radio's Chicago Amplified. To listen to the program just click the link below.

http://www.chicagopublicradio.org/Content.aspx?audioID=29727

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