Poetry @ The Green at 320 continues through the fall this September!
The Chicago Poetry Center and The Green at 320 S. Canal are proud to reintroduce this free, weekly reading and open mic series co-curated by CPC’s Poets in Residence Tarnynon Onumonu and Timothy David Rey.
Join us on Monday nights in September at 6:00 pm in this beautiful setting to hear outstanding featured poets perform their work in this partnership between Chicago Poetry Center and The Green at 320 S. Canal. After every poetry performance, there will be an open mic for any individual that would like to share poetry of their own!
ABOUT SEPTEMBER’S FEATURED PERFORMERS:
September 11: Danyal Kim lives in Chicago, where he works at an office job with a government agency by day and writes poetry by night. He will occasionally share his poetry at open mics. His poems have shown up in a few publications such as Collective Unrest, Apricity, and Hungry Chimera.
September 18: Cory Sutter is an animator and a poet who uses their creative work to explore the concepts of mental health, gender, and trauma, through the lense of humor. They are an avid lover of bagels, cohost of the weekly comedy poetry podcast, Pathetic and Poetic, and spend most of their time dissecting our world or dreaming up new ones. Cory is originally from Ohio, but has recently settled in Chicago.
September 25: Darius Parker/Sir Harlem (He/Him) is a Queer, Black, Scholar, Activist, Poet, and Visionary based in Chicago, IL. Darius is a graduate of Northern Illinois University where he received a BA in Journalism and a minor in Black Studies. Darius’ teaching, research, performance, and activism has grown out of his commitment to social justice, focusing on arts, culture, race and gender inequities in education, and performance art. He is particularly concerned with the relationship of educational practices, and the politics of Queer & racial identities and the intersections between community and academia. He is active in multiple coalitions of educators, artists, activists, and community organizations including the Sustainable Community Schools (SCS) network, where he supports the notions of racial justice through efforts that include providing real equity to Black and Brown children who make up the majority of Chicago Public Schools. As of late Darius has led multiple workshops and Think Tanks on Anti-Racist Education and on how educators can show up at their best for students of color, specifically Black students. Darius received his Master’s Degree in Critical Ethnic Studies from DePaul University in the Spring of 2020, Where he currently serves as an adjunct Professor in the Peace, Justice and Conflict Studies Department. Darius is also a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. and serves as the National President of Delta Phi Delta Dance Fraternity Inc.
ABOUT THE CO-CURATORS:
Tarnynon (Ty-yuh-nuh) Onumonu is an artist and licensed Paraprofessional born and raised in the Jeffery Manor neighborhood on the southeast side of Chicago and is extremely proud of and humbled by her SouthSide citizenship and West African lineage. In 2017, she took second place in the Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Awards and represented Chicago on the Lethal Poetry Team at the 2018 National Poetry Slam. She has been a Poet in Residence at the Chicago Poetry Center since January of 2019 and has been featured in Newcity Magazine and South Side Weekly. Her “Darker Girl Manifesto” Broadside was on exhibition with the Center for Book Arts in the summer of 2021 and in April of 2022, she was commissioned by the environmental justice organization, the NRDC for National Poetry Month 2022. Her EP, “Brown Liquor on a Slow Sip” is available and streaming on all platforms as she compiles her first poetry collection.
Timothy David Rey is a writer/performer who works in poetry, plays, and monologue (both fictional and autobiographical). He teaches creative writing and performance throughout the city of Chicago and its suburbs. He is a 2015 Semi-Finalist for the Guild Literary Complex’s Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Poetry Award, and one of the winners of Project Exploration (The Poetry Center of Chicago 2004). He is the co-founder of the LBGT Solo Performance Showcase, Solo Homo (2002-2011). Timothy’s plays and performance pieces have been seen and heard at venues throughout Chicago as well as out of state and in Panama. Timothy’s writing has appeared in magazines and journals including ’60 Inches From Center,’ and ‘After Hours: The Chicago Journal of Writing & Art.’ ‘His book of poetry and performance, Little Victories, was published in 2012 by NewTown Writers Press. Timothy has performed at Steppenwolf Theater (Lookout Series), New York City’s International Fringe Festival as well as The Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts.
ABOUT THE LOCATION:
The Green at 320 is a public park located in the West Loop and will be host to many family-friendly activities and events this summer!
The Green at 320 is located behind the building at 320 S. Canal, 1 block west of the river. The main staired entrance to the park is on the corner of Clinton and Van Buren with an ADA-accessible ramp off of Clinton. The park is located 1 block north of the Clinton Blue Line Stop. Please find more detailed transit and location information here.
ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION:
The mission of the Chicago Poetry Center is to connect people with poetry, equitably engage poets with communities, and foster creative literacy in the city and beyond. We envision a world where poetry catalyzes reflection, connection, and change.
Since the Chicago Poetry Center’s first readings took place at the Museum of Contemporary Art in 1975, the Poetry Center has been a mainstay of Chicago’s cultural scene. Free public readings continue to be offered monthly in virtual and physical formats. Over 325 poets have participated in public readings, and a digital archive of their work is available on the Poetry Center website. The expansive archive also serves as the basis of a digital module for teaching poetry, which was recently developed by the Center’s Executive Director and is available at no cost to teachers.
