Crowd shot of a sea of faces in the audience at a Poetry Foundation reading.
Program

Facing Life: Fall 2025 Season

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“Facing Life I take up this unbridled cry,“ exclaimed Peruvian poet and activist Magda Portal, whose life and work are centered in Victoria Martinez’s exhibition at the Poetry Foundation, Frente a la vida / Facing Life. 

The Poetry Foundation’s fall 2025 season builds on this legacy and pursues a double dare: we gather through poetry to face ourselves more honestly, while also facing the world and refusing to look away. Each moment arrives without precedent, but poetry helps us find the words as we stand face to face, transformed by the “enormous sea, human Sea.” 

Quote: Facing Life I take up this unbridled cry.. Unquote.
— Magda Portal

Like a mural, our season showcases the many faces of poetry’s “human Sea” in Chicago and the Midwest:

Image of Cornelius Eady
Events

VS Live! with Cornelius Eady and Major Jackson

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Poetry Foundation
Join us for the last ever live taping of the VS podcast featuring poets Cornelius Eady and Major Jackson!
Headshot of poet Raymond Antrobus
Events

Chicago Transatlantic

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Poetry Foundation
A multilingual celebration of European Day of Languages and a new Black British Poetry folio in Poetry magazine. 
Taylor Byas, a Black woman with black braids, wears a black, sleeveless shirt and gold necklace, stands in front of a grey background.
Events

Facing Pages

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Poetry Foundation
A poetry reading with Taylor Byas, Bryan Byrdlong, jason crawford, Shaneika McIntosh, and Keith S. Wilson.
Mister Wallace at Arbella Chicago for Legendary
Events

One for the Books: Rapbrary 1 Year Celebration

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Poetry Foundation
A Rapbrary-curated evening of poetry and music performances by Wallace, J Bambii, Darius Caffey, and Mason Pippenger.
Black and white photo of the poet Martín Espada.
Events

Jailbreak of Sparrows 

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Poetry Foundation
A poetry reading featuring Martín Espada alongside Carlos Cumpián, Faylita Hicks, and Allison Joseph. 
féi iká shumarí wears a red band around her forehead. Long brown hair beneath it, a white blouse and acrylic nailed hands rested on her chest. She wears a 310, shumarí; and iká silver necklace as well as a protective womb belt over black pants. Eyes are closed and chin to the air
Events

Grief Transmutes in (Re)Connection

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Poetry Foundation
A poetry reading on Trans Day of Remembrance with Temperance Aghamohammadi, River Coello, jzl jmz, féi iká shumarí, and Rose Zinnia.
Photo of poet Pádraig Ó Tuama, wearing a grey shirt and a multicoloured woolen scarf.
Events

Peace Concert

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In Person
Poets Pádraig Ó Tuama and E. Ethelbert Miller join the Fulcrum Point New Music Project for their 27th annual Peace Concert at Fourth Presbyterian Church.