WICKER PARK — The legacy of a famed Chicago author known for mentoring other poets and giving away prize money out of her own pocket will continue Wednesday as poets invoke the creative spirit of Gwendolyn Brooks by sharing their work and competing for a $500 grand prize.
Scheduled for 7-9:30 p.m. Wednesday, the 21st Annual Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Reading and Awards takes place inside Wicker Park's Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St. in Wicker Park.
Born in 1917, Brooks published her first poem at age 13 and was the first black author to win a Pulitzer Prize. She later served as Illinois Poet Laureate and is considered to be one of the nation's most honored and highly regarded poets.
Brooks passed away in 2000, but, for the first few years of the competition, she used to cut the winner a personal check, said Anjulie Rao, a spokeswoman for the Literary Guild Complex, which organized the evening with sponsor The Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture at University of Chicago.
This year, Brooks' daughter Nora Brooks Blakely donated the $500 award in honor of her mother, Rao said.
Hailing from 41 ZIP codes and 19 cities across Illinois, the 20 semifinalists participating in the open mic were selected from 80 submissions received by the guild from June 7 to June 20.
While the audience will be responsible for judging the semifinalist performances via a ballot system, Rao said "raucous cheering is highly encouraged" at the event, which was described in a news release as "more a party than a reading."
Poet JW Basilo selected the 20 semifinalists, listed below:
Fatimah Asghar; Chirskira Caillouet; Miles Clark; Olivia Cole; Livia Regina Harkow; Andy Karol; Samy Lang; Ele Matelan; Cameron McGill; Sharon L. Powell; Kelly Reuter Raymundo; Charles Reynard; Irene Savine; Rachel Lena Slotnick; Mojdeh Stoakley; Deepak Unnikrishnan; Jacob Victorine; Erin Watson; Dylan James Weir; and Jamila Woods.
The evening includes a cash bar, door prizes and a raffle. Tickets, which are $8 for adults and $6 for students and seniors, can be bought at the Chopin Theatre door, 1543 W. Division St.
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