Chicago Calling TallGrass

Sunday, September 27 (2-4 p.m.)

Powell's Books
1218 S. Halsted St.
Chicago, IL  60607

$6 donation / $5 for students, all ages

You're invited to come to "Chicago Calling TallGrass," which involves a special collaboration with the TallGrass Writers Guild -- including a reading by featured poet Allan Johnston, an open mic, and creative writing "stations" that involve collaborations with writers who live outside Chicago.

Allan Johnston's latest collection of poetry is Contingencies (Finishing Line Press), which Johnston will debut during this event. Johnston's poems have appeared in Poetry, Poetry East, Rattle, Rhino and many other journals. His poetry collections include Tasks of Survival and Northport, also published by Finishing Line Press. He has received an Illinois Arts Council Fellowship, a Pushcart Prize nomination, and other awards. Originally from California, he now teaches writing and literature at Columbia College and DePaul University in Chicago, and serves as a reader for Word River and for the Illinois Emerging Poets competition. He is also an editor for the Journal for the Philosophical Study of Education and Roundtable. His scholarly articles have appeared in Twentieth Century Literature, College Literature, and several other journals.

Chicago Calling TallGrass includes creative writing "stations" that involve collaborations with writers who live outside Chicago -- Lisa Hemminger (San Diego, CA), Tim Hunt (Normal, IL), Duane Vorhees (Thailand) and Andy Jones (Davis, CA). Vorhees, Hemminger, Jones and Hunt have provided creative writing prompts that are being used to spark pieces of writing that will be shared during this event. 

Following Johnston's reading is the regularly scheduled mpen mic -- when readers can present up to ten minutes of poetry, fiction, essays, comedy and more. Everyone is welcome at this 'most supportive and encouraging open mic in Chicago.'

Chicago Calling Tall Grass happens during the Tenth Annual Chicago Calling Arts Festival. Chicago Calling is a multi-arts collaboration festival; during the Tenth Annual Chicago Calling Arts Festival 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.

Links:

• Allan Johnston 
• Andy Jones
  
• Chicago Calling Arts Festival
• Duane Vorhees
• Finishing Line Press 
• Lisa Hemminger
  
• Outrider Press
• Powell's Books
• TallGrass Writers Guild