Category: Poetry - Borderbend Arts Collective

Erasures & Vispo / Chicago as Grist

8/9/2016

Monday, August 22nd (6:00-7:15, 7:30-8:30 p.m.)

Mozart Park Fieldhouse
2036 N. Avers Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647

all ages, free & open to the public

You're invited to join us during our last meetup for the summer term, when we explore erasures and vispo inspired by Chicago. We'll be using found texts and images, making creative connections between objective and subjective responses to aspects of Chicago's identity.

Bring your musical instruments, art supplies and notebooks. These workshops are interactive and multidisciplinary. We have supplies and equipment on hand that workshop participants can use -- including pencils, pens, paint, a piano, other musical instruments.

Location: Mozart Park is in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood. It's on the north side of Armitage Ave. -- several blocks east of Pulaski Rd., just south of Dickens and Shakespeare Streets. Our workshop series happens in the room to the left of fieldhouse lobby; some workshop sessions may happen outside in the park, weather permitting.

Transportation & parking: Mozart Park can be reached by public transportation (such as the #73 Armitage Ave. bus, and not far from the Logan Square and Western Ave. stations on the CTA's blue line. Mozart Park has a parking lot on Armitage, east of Avers.

Registration: Click here or here to register for the fall term at the Chicago Park District website.

Additional info: You can contact us by clicking here (if you have questions about this workshop or to RSVP). Click here to find out more about Borderbend's arts workshop series at Mozart Park.

Armitage Arts: Summer City in a Garden

4/3/2016

Saturday, June 25th (1-4 p.m.)

Mozart Park
2036 N. Avers Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647

free and open to the public

Mark your calendars! Borderbend presents "Armitage Arts: Summer City in a Garden" at Mozart Park. This Night Out in the Parks event features music, poetry, fiction and an arts workshop, with--

Regina Baiocchi -- poetry
Alpha Bruton -- visual art
Andrew Change -- poetry
Lou Ciccotelli -- drums
Jon Hey -- piano
Tanner McSwain -- fiction
Kenyatta Rogers -- poetry
Valerie Wallace -- poetry
Alex Wing -- upright bass, guitar
Dan Godston -- cornet

Weather permitting, "Armitage Arts: Summer City in a Garden" will take place in front of the Mozart Park fieldhouse. In the event of inclement weather, we'll be inside the fieldhouse. Stay tuned for more details!

Our Next Workshop: Kenneth Fearing

6/29/2015

Monday, July 6th
(6:00-7:00, 7:15-8:30 p.m.)

Mozart Park Fieldhouse
2036 N. Avers Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647

all ages, free & open to the public
all ages, free & open to the public

You're invited to come to our next workshop, which is inspired by Kenneth Fearing. Poet/novelist/essayist Kenneth Fearing was born in Oak Park in 1902. More than fifty years after his death in 1961, he remains one of the most original & under-appreciated Chicago-born writers. He published numerous pulp stories, seven collections of poems and eight novels, including The Big Clock (1946), a thriller that helped to define the genre of film noir when Paramount adapted it in 1948. Few of his works remain in print today, probably because of his radical politics. In the 1930s, he was one of the most respected poets of the Popular Front and a founding editor of The Partisan Review; in 1950 he was called before HUAC. In response to the question, “are you a member of the Communist Party?” he is said to have replied, “Not yet.”

Fearing's poems and novels are machinic assemblages—big machines made of words—that critique the mechanization and mediation of white American society. In Clark Gifford's Body (1942), he uses multiple narrators to describe a futuristic version of John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, which leads to a proletarian/capitalist civil war. The raid is conducted not on an armory, but a radio station, reflecting Fearing's belief that broadcast media was the most important weapon in modern America. In Loneliest Girl in the World (1951), he employs multiple narrators—including a rudimentary computer—to ask what might become of romance in a bureaucratic, post-human society.

Come to learn more about / debate / be inspired by Kenneth Fearing. We will use Infernal Machine Poetics (IMP) technology to further our understanding of one of our region's most engaging political artists.

Bring your musical instruments, art supplies and notebooks. These workshops are interactive and multidisciplinary. We have supplies and equipment on hand that workshop participants can use -- including pencils, pens, paint, a piano, other musical instruments.

Location: Mozart Park is in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood. It's on the north side of Armitage Ave. -- several blocks east of Pulaski Rd., just south of Dickens and Shakespeare Streets. Our workshop series happens in the room to the left of fieldhouse lobby; some workshop sessions may happen outside in the park, weather permitting.

Transportation & parking: Mozart Park can be reached by public transportation (such as the #73 Armitage Ave. bus, and not far from the Logan Square and Western Ave. stations on the CTA's blue line. Mozart Park has a parking lot on Armitage, east of Avers.

Registering for Chicago Portraits & Arts Journeys: Click here or here to register for the summer term at the Chicago Park District website.

Additional info: You can contact us by clicking here (if you have questions about this workshop or to RSVP). Click here to find out more about the Chicago Portraits & Arts Journeys workshop series.

Links:

Armitage Arts: Summer Edition at Mozart Park

4/25/2015

Wednesday, June 24th (6:30-8:30 p.m.)

Mozart Park Fieldhouse
2036 N. Avers Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647

free and open to the public

The Borderbend Arts Collective presents “Armitage Arts: Summer Edition,” a Night Out in the Parks event at Mozart Park that includes an interdisciplinary performance with poetry, music and projections, as well as interactive arts-making activities for all ages. The poets include Janina Ciezadlo, Steven Schroeder, Elizabeth Marino, Charlie Newman and Wayne Allen Jones, and the musicians include Adam Zanolini (flute, saxophone, djembe, electric bass), Angel Elmore (piano, clarinet), Dan Godston (cornet, pixiphone) and Lou Ciccotelli (drums).

“Armitage Arts: Summer Edition” is part of an ongoing series that is part of a community-building initiative along W. Armitage Ave; other “Armitage Arts” programs have included the 2014 Armitage Arts Festival, as well as events at the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center and Rosa’s Lounge.

This program is presented as part of the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks with the support of Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Arts programming in neighborhoods across the city advances the goals of the Chicago Park District and the Chicago Cultural Plan.

Funding for this program is also being provided by Poets & Writers. Support for Readings & Workshops events in Chicago is provided by an endowment established with generous contributions from the Poets & Writers Board of Directors and others. Additional support comes from the Friends of Poets & Writers.

Links:

Our Next Workshop: Ken Nordine and Howard Levy

4/12/2015

Monday, April 20th
(6:00-7:00, 7:15-8:30 p.m.)

Mozart Park Fieldhouse
2036 N. Avers Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647

all ages, free & open to the public

You're invited to come to our next workshop, which is inspired by Ken Nordine and Howard Levy. We will:

Talk about their work, including their connections to Chicago;
Make music and create text-and-image collages inspired by work by Nordine and Levy.

Bring your musical instruments, your poetry, your art supplies! These workshops are interactive and multidisciplinary. We have supplies and equipment on hand that workshop participants can use -- including pencils, pens, paint, a piano, other musical instruments.

Location: Mozart Park is in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood. It's on the north side of Armitage Ave. -- several blocks east of Pulaski Rd., just south of Dickens and Shakespeare Streets. Our workshop series happens in the room to the left of fieldhouse lobby; some workshop sessions may happen outside in the park, weather permitting.

Transportation & parking: Mozart Park can be reached by public transportation (such as the #73 Armitage Ave. bus, and not far from the Logan Square and Western Ave. stations on the CTA's blue line. Mozart Park has a parking lot on Armitage, east of Avers.

Registering for Chicago Portraits & Arts Journeys: Click here or here to register for the spring term at the Chicago Park District website.

Additional info: You can contact us by clicking here (if you have questions about this workshop or to RSVP). Click here to find out more about the Chicago Portraits & Arts Journeys workshop series.

Links:

"Will Ken Nordine Ever Grow Up?" by Adam Langer (The Chicago Reader, 7/12/1990)

Wide Weird World of Shorty Petterstein (Henry Jacobs MP3s on WFMU's Beware of the Blog)

"'Word Jazz' pioneer Ken Nordine's career gets a closer look at film festival" by Christopher Borrelli (Chicago Tribune, 10/9/2012)

Our Next Arts Workshop: Margaret Walker, Haki Madhubuti, Carol D. Lee, and Sterling Plumpp

3/31/2015

Monday, April 13th
(6:00-7:00, 7:15-8:30 p.m.)

Mozart Park Fieldhouse
2036 N. Avers Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647

all ages, free & open to the public

You're invited to come to our next workshop, which is inspired by Dr. Margaret Walker, Dr. Haki R. Madhubuti, Dr. Carol D. Lee, and Sterling Plumpp. We will:

Talk about their work, including their connections to Chicago;
Make music and create text-and-image collages inspired by work by Walker, Madhubuti, Lee, and Plumpp.

Bring your musical instruments, your poetry, your art supplies! These workshops are interactive and multidisciplinary. We have supplies and equipment on hand that workshop participants can use -- including pencils, pens, paint, a piano, other musical instruments.

Location: Mozart Park is in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood. It's on the north side of Armitage Ave. -- several blocks east of Pulaski Rd., just south of Dickens and Shakespeare Streets. Our workshop series happens in the room to the left of fieldhouse lobby; some workshop sessions may happen outside in the park, weather permitting.

Transportation & parking: Mozart Park can be reached by public transportation (such as the #73 Armitage Ave. bus, and not far from the Logan Square and Western Ave. stations on the CTA's blue line. Mozart Park has a parking lot on Armitage, east of Avers.

Registering for Chicago Portraits & Arts Journeys: Click here or here to register for the spring term at the Chicago Park District website.

Additional info: You can contact us by clicking here (if you have questions about this workshop or to RSVP). Click here to find out more about the Chicago Portraits & Arts Journeys workshop series.

Links:

Envisioning Green Cityscapes

1/25/2015

February 13, 2015 (6:30-8:30 p.m.)

Jane Addams Hull-House
800 S. Halsted St.
Chicago, IL 60607

free and open to the public

You are invited to come to "Envisioning Green Cityscapes" at the Jane Addams Hull-House, which includes performance, poetry, music, film, and visual art.

Program:

Carey Lundin talks about Jens Jensen The Living Green -- being inspired to turn Jensen's life into a plan of social action. A clip from the film is screened.
Corey Hagelberg shows examples of his artworks -- including prints that respond to the oil industry's presence in northwestern Indiana, which is also one of the most biologically diverse regions of the country. He also talks about how his art making practice relates to his connections with nature in an urban setting (Gary, IN).
"An Evening at the Ecopolis: Rethinking Chicago as a Regenerative City" with Jeff Biggers and musical ensemble -- Angel Elmore (clarinet, keyboard), Adam Zanolini (flute, saxophone, electric bass), Tim Bonbonfera Keenan (percussion) and Dan Godston (cornet).
A presentation about AREA Chicago’s Issue #15 is given. That issue’s theme is “Healing,” including topics such as interspecies perspectives; the health of soil and water; microbial communities; ecology and climate catastrophe; energy descent; … and many others.
A collaboratively written mesostic poem with the through-line "Urbs in Horto" is created while the program progresses. ("Urbs in horto," a Latin phrase that means "City in a garden," is Chicago's motto.)

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Links:

Interdunal Pipeline by Corey Hagelberg

Crossing Borders/Peace: Seven Voices

10/4/2014

Thursday, October 9 (6-9 p.m.)

Cup & Spoon
2415 W. North Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647

Free and open to the public

"Crossing Borders/Peace: Seven Voices" is a Chicago Calling Arts Festival performance event that features Beatriz Badikian-Gartler, Elizabeth Marino, Santosh Bakaya, Luis Tubens, Janet Kuypers, Tumelo Khosa, and Kate Cullan. Curated by Elizabeth Marino.

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"Crossing Borders/Peace: Seven Voices" happens during the Ninth Annual Chicago Calling Arts Festival. Chicago Calling is a multi-arts collaboration festival; during Chicago Calling 2014 people in Chicago work with people outside of Chicago -- both here in the U.S. and abroad. These collaborations include a range of art forms, such as music, dance, film, literature, and intermedia -- and they are prepared or improvised. Some Chicago Calling events involve live feeds between Chicago and other locations.

The Chicago Calling Arts Festival is part of the 19th Annual Chicago Artists Month, which highlights the work of hundreds of artists throughout Chicago with performances, exhibitions, open studios, tours and neighborhood art walks. September 27 – October 31, 2014, Chicago Artists Month (CAM) will invite residents and visitors to meet artists and see their work at venues across Chicago. The 2014 theme, “Crossing Borders,” showcases 20 featured programs and artists in neighborhoods ranging from Avondale to Andersonville, Lakeview to Little Village, West Town to Wicker Park and Lawndale to the Loop.

CAM is presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events in collaboration with the Chicago Park District and numerous community partners.

Above: Bahrain Swat, Pakastan
Photo credit: Jabbar Kahn Mohmand

Links:

Harriet Monroe-Inspired Workshop on July 25th

7/23/2014

Friday, July 25th (4:30-5:30, 5:45-7:00 p.m.)

Mozart Park Fieldhouse
2036 N. Avers Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647

all ages, free & open to the public

You're invited to come to our next "Chicago Heroes & Arts Journeys" workshop, when we focus on the life and legacy of Harriet Monroe. During this workshop we will:

Talk about aspects of Monroe's biography;
Read selections of writings by Monroe;
Read poems by great poets with whom she worked;
Write poetry inspired by Harriet Monroe and her legacy.
More info TBA.

These arts workshops are free and open to the public, and all ages welcomed. Participants are invited to bring writing utensils and paper, although supplies will be provided if needed. Sometimes we play music and explore other art forms, so if you have a musical instrument that you'd like to bring, or if you have art supplies (e.g. colored pencils, pastels, etc.) you can bring those. We often use an upright piano during workshops as well.

Location: Mozart Park is in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood. It's on the north side of Armitage Ave. -- several blocks east of Pulaski Rd., just south of Dickens and Shakespeare Streets. Our workshop series happens in the room to the left of fieldhouse lobby; some workshop sessions may happen outside in the park, weather permitting.

Transportation & parking: Mozart Park can be reached by public transportation (such as the #73 Armitage Ave. bus, and not far from the Logan Square and Western Ave. stations on the CTA's blue line. Mozart Park has a parking lot on Armitage, east of Avers.

Registering for Chicago Heroes & Arts Journeys: You can register for this workshop series at the Chicago Park District website.

Additional info: You can contact us by clicking here (if you have questions about this workshop or to RSVP). Click here to find out more about the Chicago Heroes & Arts Journeys workshop series.

Links:

Carl Sandburg-Inspired Arts Workshop at Mozart Park

5/19/2014

You're invited to come to our next Chicago Heroes & Arts Adventures workshop --

Monday, May 19 (6:00-7:15, 7:30-8:30 p.m.)

Mozart Park Fieldhouse
2036 N. Avers Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647

all ages, free & open to the public

Come discover, discuss & debate some of the origins of Objectivst poetics during this session, when Matthias Regan reads from his edited volume of Sandburg’s poetry and prose in the International Socialist Review. Here’s all the details:

“That’s when Sandburg was a Niceberg,” writes Edward Dorn in Book IV of Gunslinger. He’s thinking of the radical Carl Sandburg – the poetic brawler who changed the shape of poetry and politics simultaneously in the early years of modernism.

During the Chicago Renaissance, Sandburg was one of the most important innovators in English language poetry. His Chicago Poems (1916) drew on contemporary slang and Native American chants to create free verse poems that spoke to working-class people. He wrote poetry against the robber barons, the war profiteers and the false prophets of Christian morality. Given the popularity of his verse, it’s not surprising that academics and the popular press have “red-washed” Sandburg, portraying him as a bland sentimentalist by excising his early years as a Socialist organizer and muck-raking journalist.

Matthias Regan will read from his edited volume of Sandburg’s writings in the International Socialist Review – the radical journal published by Charles H. Kerr Press in which he published is first and best poems. Using a variety of pseudonyms, Sandburg wrote powerful news stories on union strikes, railroad regulation, the Eastland disaster and “Preparadness Parades.”

Location: Mozart Park is in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood. It's on the north side of Armitage Ave. -- several blocks east of Pulaski Rd., just south of Dickens and Shakespeare Streets. Our workshop series happens in the room to the left of fieldhouse lobby; some workshop sessions may happen outside in the park, weather permitting.

Transportation & parking: Mozart Park can be reached by public transportation (such as the #73 Armitage Ave. bus, and not far from the Logan Square and Western Ave. stations on the CTA's blue line. Mozart Park has a parking lot on Armitage, east of Avers.

Registering for Chicago Heroes & Arts Journeys: You can register for this workshop series at the Chicago Park District website.