Marvin Tate

Marvin Tate is a Chicago-based poet, performer, and cultural organizer known for deeply introspective and spiritually charged work. 

A longtime fixture in the city’s underground arts scene, Tate blends poetry, music, and performance into immersive experiences that explore themes of grief, healing, memory, identity and transformation and has performed in jazz festivals throughout Europe. Tate’s performances are often described as meditative and emotionally raw, drawing audiences into a shared reflective space. 

Raised in the North Lawndale neighborhood, Tate emerged from Chicago’s vibrant poetry and performance scenes in the 1980s and became known for blending raw storytelling, humor, improvisation, and political reflection into deeply personal performances. Tate gained recognition through the band Marvin Tate’s D-Settlement, an innovative collective that fused poetry, funk, jazz, and avant-garde performance. Over the years, Tate has collaborated with artists including Angel Olsen, Tim Kinsella, and Theaster Gates while continuing to mentor young creatives through arts education and community programming.

In recognition of contributions to performance and theater, Tate received a Joseph Jefferson Award (Jeff Award) in Best Scenic Design, for a play.