Past Events

All are welcome to a monthly book group moderated by library staff. In February, we read and discuss Olio by Tyehimba Jess. Space is limited to 15 participants. To register, please...

Explore the love-hate relationship between spoken-word and written poetry, with poets Patricia Smith, Tyehimba Jess, and Nate Marshall.

Join us for an evening of Korean poetry in translation with one of the most influential contemporary poets of South Korea, the work of Kim Hyesoon as translated by Don...

Come see the world premiere of The Trip, a road trip movie through the majestic, rough-hewn landscape separating Texas towns Marfa and Alpine with acclaimed poet Eileen Myles as your guide....

All are welcome to a discussion and creative writing workshop led by Maggie Queeney, Library Coordinator. In February, we focus on haiku, a Japanese verse form that in Western practice...

The Poetry Foundation Library is open to the public on select Saturdays. Browse our collection of more than 30,000 books of poetry, including 2,500 chapbooks, and a selection of local...

Celebrate the opening of The Lushness of Print, featuring the ekphrastic partnership between Samiya Bashir’s Poetry Salon and Letra Chueca Press, a woman- and Latinx-owned printing press that uses traditional...

Champions from Chicagoland high schools recite classic and contemporary poems for the chance to represent Illinois at the Poetry Out Loud National Finals in Washington, DC, in April 2019. Poetry...

Immerse yourself in an evening of poetry with one of Harvard Law School’s 50 Women Inspiring Change and author of Registers of Illuminated Villages and Seam, Tarfia Faizullah. Her poems...

Take home a piece of Chicago history as the Poetry Foundation releases the new catalog for Jun Fujita: Oblivion, a book that extends the Poetry Foundation’s 2017 exhibition. The first...

Due to the severe weather, this event is canceled and will be rescheduled for a later date. Sign up for our events newsletter to receive the latest updates about this event and...

​Due to the severe weather, this event is canceled and will be rescheduled for a later date. Sign up for our events newsletter to receive the latest updates about this event and...

Due to the severe weather, this event is canceled and will be rescheduled for a later date. Sign up for our events newsletter to receive the latest updates about this...

All experience levels are welcome to a discussion and creative writing workshop led by Maggie Queeney, Library Coordinator. This poetry discussion and creative writing workshop explores and celebrates the cadaver, those...

All are welcome to a discussion and creative writing workshop led by Maggie Queeney, Library Coordinator. In January, we will explore the form of the English sonnet, a lyrical, intricately...

Get a sneak peek of Dances with Words and Music before it premieres at the 2019 Ravinia Festival. Emmy Award-nominated choreographer Venetia Stifler and her dance company, Concert Dance Inc.,...

All are welcome to a monthly book group moderated by library staff. In January, we read and discuss Ghost Of  by Diana Khoi Nguyen. Space is limited to 15 participants. To...

The Open Door series presents work from Chicago’s new and emerging poets and highlights the area’s outstanding writing programs. Each hour-long event features readings by two Chicagoland writing program instructors...

The Poetry Foundation Library is open to the public prior to our January Open Door Reading. Browse our collection of more than 30,000 books of poetry, including 2,500 chapbooks, and a...

All are welcome to a discussion and creative writing workshop led by Maggie Queeney, Library Coordinator. In January, we focus on the negative space that surrounds and shapes both the...