From February through June of 2025, the Chicago Poetry Center is offering free online Critical Conversations: Anti-Racism sessions open to any Illinois nonprofit organization employee or volunteer.
Drawing on CPC’s decades of workshop facilitation, Critical Conversations use poetry as a springboard to increase belonging and inclusion in the workplace. By centering the dialogue on lived experiences reflected in poems, the process launches transformative discussions without requiring those most violently and directly affected by racism to tell or retell their stories of trauma and resilience.
Each session is led by two trained and racially diverse facilitators. Sessions include exploration of a theme related to racial justice through discussion of contemporary poems, sharing of personal experiences, and guided writing practice. No prior poetry experience or education is needed!
Two types of Critical Conversations sessions will be offered through this program: Belonging and Inclusion, and The Continuum of Harm. Participants may register for one Belonging and Inclusion session and one Continuum of Harm session.
All participants will also receive access to the Continuing Practice Guide, which provides all of the materials and guidance needed for pairs or small groups to engage in additional self-guided discussions around racism and its impact on their lives and workplaces using poetry as the center and launch point.
Session dates and registration links:
- Tuesday February 18, 6-8 p.m. — belonging & inclusion
- Friday March 14, 10 a.m. to noon — continuum of harm
- Monday March 24, noon-2 p.m. — belonging & inclusion
- Thursday April 10, 6-8 p.m. — continuum of harm
- Friday April 18, 10 a.m. to noon — belonging & inclusion
- Monday May 5, noon-2 p.m. — continuum of harm
- Thursday May 15, 6-8 p.m. — belonging & inclusion
- Monday June 2, 10 a.m. to noon — continuum of harm
Accessibility: The session will take place over Zoom and will be live captioned.
Additional Information on the Program:
FAQ:
Q: Do Board members count as volunteers?
A: Yes, any individual who actively volunteers for a nonprofit organization in Illinois is eligible to participate.
Q: Can more than one person from my organization participate?
A: Yes, the sessions are open to any eligible participant on a first-come, first-served basis. Space is limited, so early registration is encouraged.
Q: Will I have to write a poem?
A: Nope! We will read together and discuss poems that you will receive ahead of time, and we will do some written reflection, but you will not be asked to write or share a poem of your own.
Q: Do I need to have previous experience with poetry?
A: No prior experience with poetry is needed — we use poems as the launch point for our conversation, but you don’t need to know anything about (or even like!) poetry in order to participate.
Q: Will I have to tell personal stories about race and my life?
A: Within the session, each person decides for themselves how much or how little to share, and what their level of personal disclosure will be. Sharing is always voluntary and never pressured or mandatory.
Q: Will we be discussing structural questions such as hiring practices, salary equity, conflict resolution procedures, etc?
A: There is opportunity within the session to discuss ways in which the anti-oppressive practices modeled within it could be integrated into the workplace, but the goal of these sessions is interpersonal connection and growth, which can provide an excellent complement to structural change where that is needed.
OTHER QUESTIONS? Email marty@poetrycenter.org.
