happenings: WSSD hosts Stevie Edward's Chapbook Release Party

straight from the face-eating-book invite:

On March 26th, West Side School for the Desperate (3608 W. Wrightwood) is hosting Stevie Edwards' release party for her first chapbook, Pain Needs to Remember (tiny house, 2011).

Doors open at 7 pm, show starts promptly at 8 pm.

If you show up late, on top of being a bit of a douche, you will also risk missing part of the phenomenal line up of opening poets:
...Roger Bonair-Agard
Marty McConnell
JW Basilo
Benjamin Clark
John Paul Davis

After the show, Stevie will be selling copies of her chapbook for $9. They are very pretty and have naked ladies on them. You know you want to buy one. Everyone is also welcome to stay after the show and throw back a few libations (if over 21).

Attendees are encouraged to bring wads of cash to generously donate to West Side School for the Desperate, to stay lubricated at the cash bar (beer, whiskey, wine), to buy Stevie's book, and to throw money at all the hotness about occur on the mic.


Bio:
Stevie Edwards spent her formative years in the majestic city of Lansing, MI. She currently lives in Chicago, where she works for a non-profit by day and writes and debauches by night. She is Editor-in-Chief/ Founder of MUZZLE, an online literary magazine. Her poetry has appeared in several literary magazines, including decomP, Word Riot, PANK Magazine, Night Train, Bestiary, and Union Station. She completed her BA at Albion College (a liberal arts school in Michigan) in 2009, where she worked as Poetry & Fiction Editor for the Albion Review. Starting in September 2011, she will be pursuing an MFA in creative writing. Check out her janky website: www.stevietheclumsy.com.


http://schoolforthedesperate.wordpress.com/

Happenings: Buddy Wakefield

Moday Feb 28- Columbia Colleges rouge slam poetry group (teamed up with Silvertongue, rough flash fiction squad), is hosting slam champ Buddy Wakefield, at 7pm in 1104 Wabash. Teams of poets will team up against flash fictionists in a battle of words "to the death". or perhaps to the pain? if you're a columbia student you don't have to give a donation, if you're a nonstudent who can't figure out how to fake IDs or sneak into buildings through vents you have to fork over $5. There's an after party at WSSD ...after.

Happenings: WSSD Launch, Chi-exchange

West Side School for the Desperate, now located at 3608 w. Wrightwood, is celebrating the new digs with a reading Saturday, 2/26. Featuring Zach Green & Evan Collins.
"there will be an open mic with sign-up available the night of the show for those of you who like to get down. Per usual, there will be beverages at an extremely reasonable price (we ask that you do not b your own b).

$5 donation or pay-what-you-can (no one turned away for being broke). All proceeds go toward paying the performers, the space, and to fund future projects."

This is basically a house party so please respect the space.

The City is Yours! Chicago Exchange
Thursday 2/24th @ wicker well & Friday 2/25 @ multi kulti/Q4
the Fest promises a shit-ton of music, mural painting, poetry reading, they're gonna sell food, they're gonna have "dance collectives", it seems like the kinda show you can just kinda bring a djembe, a poem, or some cool pins to hustle. they want community involvement, give it to 'em; bring art supplies, perform a skit, wear something silly. donations at the door, refreshments in the back, respect the space. it's an undisclosed secret hideout visible only to wizards {floating somewhere around 1000 N Milwaukee) and has been host to story slams, jams, free expression & empanadas.
This event has an ambitious purpose: "There will be music from all over the world each day, and with your help we can create or awaken a new culture in Chicago."

*

Coming on the heels another round of The Bullshit Olympics, I dunno whether to laugh or cry reading that.... but that's something I hear all the time from mostly outtatowner kids traveling the city's artist underground. "we gotta build a community." I feel like we are building it, maybe based on nothing more than just a group of people united in being fucking wierdo loners, a segment of the hive, one of many tribes in the city. we trade with each other, we go to each other's shows, we have each other's backs. Multi Kulti doesn't need to panic; there is consistently a voice for people from diverse backgrounds on a stage in front of a pretty mixed group- it's not just white kids, it's not even just kids or just hippies; there is a strong Latino presence, poets and music people, friends of friends. it's just Chicago folks who are chill and like art. as far as I'm concerned, Multi Kulti already building a space that brings people together. Spaces like West Side School for the Desperate, a home for poets, are springing up all the time. There are many collectives hiding away in the city. I'm keen to see if these guys can wake Chicago outta hibernation. I'm sure they can manage it at least long enuf to put on a good show.