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Spring 2025 Poetry Foundation Season: Celebrating Voice and Lineage

The Poetry Foundation is thrilled to announce its lineup of free public events for the upcoming Spring 2025 season, themed "Power Lines." This vibrant initiative draws inspiration from a historic anthology of the same name that was introduced 25 years ago by the Guild Literary Complex. The season will spotlight works from local Chicago and Midwest presses, along with collaborations with various partner organizations and authors.

Exciting Kickoff Events

The season launches on February 27 with an event titled Archive(s) of Style, coinciding with both Black History Month and the birthday of renowned feminist poet Audre Lorde. Attendees will witness an impressive display of spiritual artistry as poets Cheryl Clarke, Harmony Holiday, Nikki Patin, and Natalia Molebatsi honor the intergenerational lineage of Black queer feminism with readings from their latest compilations.

Following this, on March 6, there will be an engaging session featuring the contributors of Like a Hammer Poets on Mass Incarceration, an anthology examining the US prison-industrial complex curated by editor Diana Marie Delgado along with poetry readings from contributors such as John Murillo and Nicole Sealey.

As April approaches, the Poetry Foundation will partner with the Center for Native Futures to celebrate the launch of Blood Wolf Moon by Elise Paschen on April 10. This event will also feature Osage visual artists, June Carpenter and Lydia Cheshewalla, alongside Esther Belin, who will discuss her upcoming Diné Poetics issue in Poetry Magazine, showcasing Indigenous literary voices.

Celebrating Legacy and New Work

In May, the season continues to honor significant literary contributions with Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize winner Kimiko Hahn launching her retrospective collection Ghost Forest during an evening reading featuring other contemporary poets such as Sarah Ghazal Ali, Mónica de la Torre, and Rosalie Moffett. The festivities will culminate on May 22 with a celebration marking the 25th anniversary of the Power Lines anthology, featuring a diverse range of readers including Ana Castillo, Angela Jackson, and many more.

In addition to the readings, The Forms Workshop Series is designed to connect poets at all levels to the craft of poetry, offering workshops focused on various poetic forms, themes, and techniques year-round—both online and in-person. Workshop participants will have the opportunity to showcase their work at a Community Reading event on June 12. There's also a monthly book club for poetry enthusiasts to gather and share thoughts on the poetic works being explored.

The Poetics of Home and Identity

Opening in April and coinciding with National Poetry Month is the exhibition Escaramuza: The Poetics of Home, which delves into the complexities of identity through the lens of escaramuza, a traditional Mexican American women’s horse-riding performance. This exhibit will feature powerful photography by Constance Jaeggi along with evocative poems by Angelina Sáenz and ire'ne lara silva, sparking engaging dialogues about family, gender, and heritage. The exhibition will run from April 17 to August 23 and will kick off with a captivating opening event that includes an artist talk and readings.

Don’t miss out on the chance to immerse yourself in the transformative power of poetry. While the landscape of Chicago can feel bleak and cold in winter, the Poetry Foundation has invited everyone to experience the mesmerizing exhibition More Light! by Luftwerk, inspired by Aram Saroyan’s poem “lighght.” This installation creates a dynamic lightscapes, turning the gallery space into a kaleidoscope of bright colors before it closes on February 15.

The Poetry Foundation has a wealth of offerings planned for this spring season, and we encourage everyone interested to subscribe to the Poetry Foundation's newsletters to keep updated on upcoming events and exhibitions. The organization is dedicated to amplifying poetry’s reach and providing welcoming spaces for creativity.

Stay connected with the Poetry Foundation and explore how the power of words can transform not just lives, but entire communities.