The Poetry Center

Poetry Residencies - A creative literacy residency program in Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Metro Area. The Organization hires Chicago poet/teaching artists (Poets In Residence) to teach multi-week residencies. The poets meet with their classrooms weekly, and publish student work after each session on the Organizations school publishing platform online. Each week poets and students read, write, discuss, and perform poetry. The program improves reading and writing skills, builds confidence, and affirms the voices of young Chicagoans.Pop Up Poetry - A touring, after school, and custom built performance poetry program. Hosting assemblies and one-time workshops in schools and organizations, Pop Ups typically feature three performance poets in an engaging round-robin style poetry slam, with an educational component and interactive poetry games are played with the audience.Queen Zees Poetry Adventures - A free, streaming series of poetry lessons for students in grades 2-5. Videos come with student workbooks and teacher lesson plans with optional extension materials.Blue Hour Reading & Workshop Series - A monthly, free and public reading series, and accompanying generative writing workshop hosted at Haymarket House. The series features emerging and established as well as local, national, and international writers.Literary Life Programs - In addition to Blue Hour, the Organization partners with organizations across Chicago to provide both one-time and recurring public poetry events in and around Chicago and online.Online Archive + Education Resource - A free online poetry resource and archive features a page for every poet who has read for the Poetry Center reading series since the Centers founding in 1974. Pages feature streaming audio, reading information, and offer additional resources and information on each writer.Critical Conversations @ Work - An inclusion-centered anti-racism program targeted to workplaces and organizations for employees, volunteers, and board member training. Utilizing contemporary poetry to facilitate important and challenging conversations in workplaces.