Gigantic Poetry Reading During the Chicago MLA

At last it can be told: Patrick Durgin, Jen Karmin, and your present humble blogger have cooked up a gargantuan poetry reading to take place during the Chicago MLA Convention this year. Though my phalanx of lawyers advises me with quaking knees to mention that the event is in no way affiliated with the MLA, there's been a long tradition of off-site, unofficial group poetry readings during the MLA, dating back at least to 1989, when Rod Smith dreamed it up as a necessary escape from the convention itself. Aldon Nielson has called the tradition a "floating Burning Man of verse." Since Aldon's going to be one of the readers, he can judge how well this year's iteration measures up.

The event will be held in the very swank ballroom of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, starting at 7:00 pm on Friday, December 28, and continuing until we all pass out from an excess of joy. Light refreshments provided, and we're working on a book table.

What what? You don't believe me about the swankness of the room? Well, check it out, bubs:



It'll be cold outside, so come on in and warm up with the poetry of:

Joe Amato
Robert Archambeau
Dodie Bellamy
Ray Bianchi
Tisa Bryant
Charles Cantolupo
Stephen Cope
Josh Corey
Joel Craig
Elizabeth Cross
Garin Cycholl
Michael Davidson
Patrick Durgin
Joel Felix
Kass Fleisher
C. S. Giscombe
Renee Gladman
Chris Glomski
Steve Halle
Duriel Harris
Carla Harryman
William R. Howe
Pierre Joris
Jennifer Karmin
Kevin Killian
Petra Kuppers
Quraysh Ali Lansana
David Lloyd
Nicole Markotic
Cate Marvin
Philip Metres
Laura Moriarty
Simone Muench
Aldon Nielsen
Mark Nowak
Orlando Ricardo Menes
Kristy Odelius
Bob Perelman
Kristen Prevallet
Jen Scappettone
Robyn Schiff
Susan Schultz
Don Share
Ed Skoog
Chuck Stebelton
Mark Tardi
Catherine Taylor
Tony Trigilio
Nick Twemlow
Lina Ramona Vitkauskas
Barrett Watten
Tyrone Williams, and (last but never least)
Tim Yu

We owe all this to the good people at the Writing Program of the School of the Art Institute, the Poetry Foundation, and Poetry magazine — many thanks to all Medicis everywhere!