Citywide 2009

Citywide

an annual celebration of poets from Chicago colleges

Thursday April 2nd 5:30pm

Conaway Center 1104 S Wabash

featuring our very own Richard Dugan!

free & open

South Side Irish Parade to be Canceled?

Growing up in Beverly on the South Side of Chicago, I remember how closeknit the community was, how the adults around knew all the kids and all the kids knew each other, something I chafed at sometimes but later came to appreciate. Sometimes the near-suburban, half social-climbers, half white-trash neighborhood could be boring as hell, which is why a lot of kids like me ended up smoking epic amounts of pot and driving home drunk from keggers in the woods and the cemeteries (i didnt personally engage in the latter, but you could find me drunk in alleys and pissing in parks on occasion). you know, good times. There were also plenty of goody-goodys who spent their time in Beverly and the surrounding area engaging in little league, where I sold hotdogs at my first job when I was 14, burning up in the sun but coming home with a fat fistful of cash so long as I lied about my age and didnt eat too many tons of free skittles (and, you know, sold the hotdogs). There was also the Beverly Art Center, where the local Future Queers of America found their calling on stage, and so on and so forth. But the one time a year when the 'hood really comes together is the South Side Irish Parade. Every year, around February, I start getting excited, gettin ready to get riled, see my old homeboys, many of whom still live in the old neighborhood, most of them with mom and dad but some starting families of their own. My old enemies, best friends, so on and so forth. The South Side Irish Parade isn't just an Irish pride parade, it's a South Side Pride parade, a neighborhood fest. As a kid we'd come out to see the floats, hear the bag pipers, eat tons of candy. aS teens, we got wasted and caused trouble. As old fuddy duddys, I looked forward to the day I'd come back for a cook-out and, you know, boring fuddy duddy standing around. Shit, what is this moisture coming into my eyes as I write this? Could it be possible, that in my lifetime, they're gonna take it all away? goddamm bastards. There's no freedom anymore. Why this very year some cop made me dump my beer! Why can't they just let people celebrate, fuck eachother up, fuck property up, and whatnot, once a goddam year? Everyone knows that the cops turn a blind eye to most of the goings on, and I guess the aging committee just doesn't wanna deal with fights and property damage, but I hardly think that the chaos has truly increased (with a mere 53 arrests, a new record) so much as that the city / the neighborhood is getting stricter on folks. I say to hell with it, if someone wants to drink, let them drink, if they wanna fight, let 'em fight, if they fuck up your property, you know who they are and where they live, go to their house and fuck up their garage! shit. or else, get the cops really out there, really enforce the law, stop bringing in a bunch of northsiders who don't know shit and don't have anyone to visit (after the parade, most southsiders head to someone's house to hang out), extend the route to spread out the crowd, get more folks on the comittee, etc. etc, but don't destroy a beautiful annual tradition. If they insist on not holding the parade, I propose that we continue to show up in full force and give 'em hell every year. We're the South Side Irish as our Fathers were before, we're Irish to the core, and we ain't gonna take it no more! -HK

South Side Irish Parade Home http://www.southsideirishparade.org/

SUN TIMES ARTICLE

Interested in saving the parade?

(1) Write to Alderman Ginger Rugai (more importantly, get her actual voting constituents to write her!) and tell her what you think.

(2) Write to the South Side Irish planning comittee and tell them what you think. (website above).

(3) If someone were to get a group together to solve this issue, hold an "alternative" event for example, they could easily get support from the Unions, the Bars, and the citzenry, and all they'd have to do is get a permit (that'd be the biggest obstacle), and the kicker would be that there would naturally be less people. Or we could simply resign ourselves to not having a parade and get with the "alt" celebrations and have a good time and enjoy our old hood anyway. If anyone's planning something, let me know.

(4) Fuck it- write to the goddamm Mayor! write to fuckin' Obama! chain yourself to the Beverly Art Center! Go on Drinking Strike (like a hunger strike, only you promise to keep drinking til you get your way, which could lead to alcohol poisoning if done properly).

"Take the eggs home" by Rob Piskac

^click on the image for a closer look^

Verbatim Rocks Out Poetry Month

Verbatim has two events planned for April. 4/20 there will be a reading/b-day celebration (with cake!) details TBA.

Of course, we all know that 4/20 is Marijuana Freedom Day. In addition to getting stoned this year, why not go public about your enjoyment of marijuana to someone, even in a small way. Tomorrow (Tuesday the 24th) IL senators will vote on legalization of medical marijuana and it's not too late to contact your representative (unless you're reading this after tuesday, in which case, yes it is. way to go, stoner).

April 30th is Poem in your pocket day. from 12-1:30, Verbatim poets will be passing out poems, texting poems, and leaving poems in public places. Why not join in? you can do it all day long, even at night if you want to get your wheatpaste on.

"I'm in love with the woman who sold me my first sex toy!" by Beatriz Ruiz, collage by Joe Bly

^click on the image for a closer look^

POETRY TONITE

TONITE:

reading by Kimiko Hahn & Tracie Morris

5:30 p.m. Columbia College Chicago: Sherwood Conservatory Recital Hall 1312 S. Michigan Ave. Free and open to the public

The Ashland Open Mic
w/Niko & Rachele Eve

held two wednesdays a month at Ashland/Diversity
10pm
http://theashlandchicago.com
5 min limit
Tonite the feature is ronnie appert
april 1st WET www.myspace.com/wetband

Happy Paddy's Day!

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, here's a poem by W. B. Yeats (this one is special to me because my own grandfather was in the airforce):

An Irish Airman Foresees His Death
I know that I shall meet my fate
Somewhere among the clouds above;
Those that I fight I do not hate,
Those that I guard I do not love;
My country is Kiltartan Cross,
My countrymen Kiltartan's poor,
No likely end could bring them loss,
Or leave them happier than before.
Nor law, nor duty bade me fight,
Nor public men, nor cheering crowds,
A lonely impulse of delight
Drove to this tumult in the clouds;
I balanced all, brought all to mind,
The years to come seemed waste of breath,
A waste of breath the years behind
In balance with this life, this death.

here's a great irish song, while we're at it. this is a traditional song that is about poverty, oppression, and the triumph of the human spirit, as sung by a great Irish Punk band (yeah, Irish heritage is not solely about alcoholism): Fields of Athenry

hurricane four line poems

WANT

WORK

NEED

FOOD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GN7J3JmZxQY

Vaginas on Parade! *

*(penises & ambiguous genitalia, too, Oh My!)

Tonite: Chapbook Party!

Starring Switchbackers Hanna & Bex, come to an after-hours BYOB Poetry Read at Dollop Cafe. Should be goin til the wee hours.

SALT LINES

another upcoming event (from VERBATIM):

[VERBATIM is the newly founded Columbia College Performance Poetry group, headed by Faith Rice and Jacob Olson. rumor has it you'll be seein some guerilla action from them, to which i'm sure they'd love to invite participants, at Manifest, Columbia's end of year Art Fair.]

"On national tour, powerhouse slam poets Andrea Gibson, Tara Hardy, Denise Jolly & Sonya Renee (all poets with awards & titles from the slam circuit) bring their poems of release, revolt & redemption to the Columbia stage. This verbal quartet will storm, sing, slam, and sling salt into the eye of all that has ever silenced voices meant to be heard."

Tuesday, March 17 * 5:30pm - 7:30pm * 731 S. Plymouth Ct.

(yes, it's St Paddy's Day, and what better way to celebrate yr Irish Heritage than drunkenly listenin to some kickass women spit poetry atcha?)

GENDERFUSIONS

speaking of genitalia, get ready for this year's GenderFusions 5 in April, which may or may not feature some sweet poets of elephantine origin, but will most DEFINITELY feature some awesome drag queens, drag kings, and performance pieces in praise of gender (and sexual) diversity. Details TBA.

"listening noises" by Andy Kozewski

^click on the image for a closer look^

contributors and back pages

There's still plenty more of Volume #2 to come, but we figure you'd like to know a little bit about the folks who made it:

^click on the images for a closer look^

Jettison Quarterly

dude, this is badass. it's a highly visual new online magzine by the guys who brought you the mustache gallery. food and fashion, art and fiction, with the chicago art outsider in mind. dense and playful, with teeth. check it out at jettisonquarterly.com.

allow loading time: it's worth it. here's a video or two to watch while yr waiting. Or you could take another look at Martian Law or Blackbird's Field.

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Villians of poetry tonite! & Friday- Hanna & Bex @ Dollop. but of course, the big event this Sunday is the South Side Irish Parade! get sum whiskey & meet me down there early as hell in the morning for the best fest of drunken vaguely ethnic dirty south side pride you'll ever experience!

-HK

VILLIANS OF POETRY

the columbia poets collective is holding a reading at

Villains Bar & Grill,

649 S. Clark St

Wendesday March 11th

starting at 10pm.

for more info or if you want to get on the reading list, e-mail kristinravel@gmail.com.

also on the 20th there may be a reading at a buddhist temple. stay tuned.

and dont forget about bex & hanna on friday!

note by Carl Aagesen

^click on the image for a closer look^

weekend happenings

JETTISON QUARTERLY RELEASE PARTY

brought to you by the some of the folks behind the mustache gallery, this is a new, mysterious online zine that will be available at jettisonquarterly.com. come by Subterranean THURSDAY MARCH 5th at 2011 NORTH AVE (right off Damen Blue Line) 8pm to celebrate. kids, its a bar, so bring your fake IDs. punch and pie.

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SWITCHBACK BOOKS: LATE NITE WITH HANNA AND BECCA

chapbook party to celebrate the release of two new kickass books by two kickass poets from the Switchback Books press. poetry. music. good times. FRIDAY MARCH 13th 9pm at 4181 N Claredon (off Sheirdan red line). BYOB. flier. punch and pie.

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