Welcome to BROOKSDAY!

“We are each other’s harvest; we are each other’s business; we are each other’s magnitude and bond.” - Gwendolyn Brooks

Brooksday began with a simple idea: to present a marathon reading of the works of famed poet Gwendolyn Brooks on her birthday. It’s taken the Guild Literary Complex, Third World Press, and the American Writers Museum, along with Brooks Permissions, over a year to harvest what was initially just a seedling of an idea. It has always been our sincerest desire to produce an annual tribute fitting of a Pulitzer Prize winning poet, trailblazer, and literary icon that would be free and accessible to the community that she so loved.

Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks was born on June 7 in 1917 in Topeka Kansas to David Brooks and Keziah Wims. The family moved to Chicago when Gwendolyn was six months old during the Great Migration. As a young child, Gwendolyn demonstrated an affinity for words. Her love of language was cultivated through her adolescent and teen years and ultimately grew into several volumes of published poetry including, but not limited to, the works we will be reading from today.

By the 100th birthday of Gwendolyn Brooks in 2017, our vision is that Brooksday will grow into a city-wide festival with multiple sites independently sponsored in public schools, public library branches, colleges, and universities. So our intent is to make this first iteration stellar. We’ve invited a number of notable literary, cultural, civic, business people, and political leaders to volunteer as Brooksday Readers, and we are honored that you have so graciously accepted our invitation to join the party. Happy Birthday, Gwendolyn Brooks!

Brooksday Committee Nora Brooks Blakely, Rosellen Brown, Andrea L. Change, Reginald Gibbons, Quraysh Ali Lansana, Haki R. Madhubuti, Gwendolyn Mitchell, Shahari Moore, Bayo Ojikutu, Michael Puican, John Rich, Anthony Romero

For more information visit: www.guildcomplex.org ORDER OF EVENTS Sara Paretsky’s sixteen novels featuring her acclaimed ______detective V I Warshawski have been translated into thirty languages. She has also published two general novels, a book of 9:00 am essays, and numerous short stories. Original Works Inspired By Gwendolyn Brooks ______

Welcome and Introduction of Emcee 10:00 am Hour of the Young Child Toni Asante Lightfoot is a lecturer and co-editor of Dream of a Word: A Tia Chucha Anthology, The It’s Your Mug 10th READERS Anniversary Commemorative Anthology, and The Sixth Wave: Christine Houston is an actress, playwright, director, and An anthology of Black writers from the late 70s to 2000. creator of the NBC hit television series 227.

READERS Ellen Placey Wadey holds an M.A. in creative writing from Randall Horton is an educator and author. He is the the University of Illinois at Chicago and an M.F.A. in fiction recipient of the Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Award, the Bea writing from the University of Pittsburgh. She teaches González Poetry Award, and a National Endowment of the Arts Literature at Columbia College Chicago, Northwestern Literature Fellowship. University, and College of DuPage.

Chanell Ruth is an educator, writer, and performer whose Useni Eugene Perkins is a social practitioner, youth work has been published in various formats. Her latest advocate, author, poet, and playwright. He is the president of endeavors include her recent completion of a writer's residency, the Association for the Positive Development of Black Youth performing at Mortified, and finishing a collection of poems. and was recently the director of the Family Life Center at Chicago State University. Bryant Smith is an author and two-time recipient of the Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Award. He earned both his B.A. Natasha Tarpley is the author of several best-selling and and M.F.A. in creative writing from Chicago State University. acclaimed books for children and adults. Among her popular titles are I Love My Hair! (Little, Brown & Co) and Princess Tasleem Jamila is an internationally traveled poet, author, Tiana and the Royal Ball (Disney), a companion to the Disney radio host, activist, and recording artist. She draws from her movie, The Princess and the Frog. experiences growing up in Chicago, her faith, and her ancestors. Kazembe is a proud papa, poet, and professor who was delivered and developed in the Englewood community on Bobby Biedrzycki is a writer, performer, poet, and social Chicago’s south side. activist. His stories and poems have appeared in numerous publications, and he has performed on microphones, stages, Patrick Oliver is a literary consultant, program developer and and bar stools across the country. manager, host of Literary Nation Talk Radio, editor of the Essence Magazine best-selling anthology Turn the Page and Gwendolyn A. Mitchell is a poet and editor. Her poetry has You Don’t Stop: Sharing Successful Chapters in Our Lives with appeared in a number of journals and anthologies including Youth, and contributor to Open the Door: How to Excite Young American Review, Prairie Schooner, Warpland: A Journal of People About Poetry. Black Literature and Ideas, Essence Magazine, Spaces Between Us, and Valley Voices. Jan Spivey Gilchrist is the award- winning illustrator of over Kuumba Lynx (KL) is an Arts and Education Organization 73 children's books. Her awards include a Coretta Scott King founded in 1996 by three women, J. Villegas, L. Garcia, & J. Medal and a Coretta Scott King Honor, two Parent's Choice Bullie. Kuumba Lynx is dedicated to providing programs for Awards, Junior Library Guild Award, NAACP Nomination, creative expression & literacy to Chicago youth and their many ALA notable books, and many CCBC Best books. families. ______VIDEO 11:00 am Gwendolyn Brooks on We Real Cool Teens and Tweens ______

READERS 12:00 pm Khary Y. Armster is a freshman at Whitney Young Magnet A Street in Bronzeville High School where he is actively involved in the National Junior Honor Society. Introduction of Emcee

Shanara “The MouthPeace”, a Chicago native of the Jackie Taylor is the Founder, Executive Director and CEO of Westside, is a “poetemcee”, vocalist, actress, and entrepreneur the Black Ensemble Theater. Ms. Taylor is also an outstanding through her company: MouthPeace Entertainment. actress, director, and playwright, having written more than 100 plays. Awthentik is a national writer, performance poet, teaching artist, and activist from the west side of Chicago. Winner of READERS "For Colored Girls who Consider Suicide." Poetry slam held by Donald G. Evans is an author, founder and executive director Tyler Perry studios, Awthentik has performed alongside Dr. of the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame, and the Chicago editor of Sonia Sanchez, Nikki Giovanni, Dr. Cornel West and many the Great Lakes Cultural Review. others. Elise Paschen is an editor and author whose honors include Keli Stewart is an author whose work has appeared in the Nicholas Roerich Poetry Prize. Paschen is the former numerous journals. Among her honors are the 2010 Adrienne Executive Director of the Poetry Society of America. Reiner Hochstadt Award, and the Augusta Savage Gallery’s Arts International Residency program. Achy Obejas is a novelist, journalist, poet and translator. She was born in Havana, Cuba. Jacqueline Johnson is an Assistant Professor and chair of the African American Studies Department at Olive-Harvey Zada Johnson, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor in the College, One of the City Colleges of Chicago. Department of Educational Inquiry and Curriculum Studies at Northeastern Illinois University. She holds a Ph.D. in Discopoet Khari B. is a spoken word musician and educator Anthropology from the University of Chicago. working internationally as both a performer and instructor in the literary arts. His inspirational and mentally rousing work Valerie Jean Johnson is a Chicago-based writer and has been recognized, hailed, and requested across the globe. director, and the managing editor of Poetry magazine. She is a founding member of the Affrilachian Poets and a Cave Canem fellow.

Kelly Norman Ellis is a poet who directs the MFA in Creative Ronne Hartfield is an author, essayist, and international Writing program at Chicago State University. She is a founding museum consultant whose books include Another Way Home: member of the Affrilachian Poets and a Cave Canem fellow. The Tangled Roots of Race in One Chicago Family.

Ed Roberson, Distinguished Artist in Residence at VIDEO Northwestern University, is author of ten books of poetry. He is Gwendolyn Brooks Interview Part.1 a Poetry Society of America Shelley Memorial Award winner ______and member of International Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent at the Brooks Center. 2:00 pm ______In Montgomery

1:00 pm READERS Gottschalk and The Grand Tarantelle Julie Parson-Nesbitt is an editor and author whose books include the collections Finders and Power Lines: A Decade of READERS Poetry from Chicago's Guild Complex. Among her honors is Michelle Boone is the Commissioner of the City of Chicago’s the Gwendolyn Brooks Award. Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, which presents and promotes high-quality free festivals, exhibitions, Jacob Saenz has been the recipient of a Letras Latinas performances, and holiday celebrations each year in parks, the Residency Fellowship and a Ruth Lilly Poetry Fellowship. He historic Chicago Cultural Center, and other Chicago venues. currently serves as an associate editor for RHINO.

Bill Savage teaches American literature at Northwestern and Nambi Kelly is an actress and playwright whose career the Newberry Library. He cannot imagine teaching his primary includes penning plays for the Steppenwolf, Goodman Theatre, specialization, Chicago literature, without Gwendolyn Brooks. and Court Theatre in Chicago, and Lincoln Center in New York.

Carolyn Aguila, a life-long Chicago poet, has written and Bryant Smith is an author and two-time recipient of worked with the Gwendolyn Brooks Literary Estate, Chicago’s the Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Award. He earned both his B.A. and Department of Cultural Affairs, and the National Poetry Slam. M.F.A. in creative writing from Chicago State University. Her poetry has been published in Oyez Review and on the CD She Laughs. Flirting with Rhyme & Reason is her first book. Alex Kotlowitz is the award-winning author of three books, including the national bestseller There Are No Children Here. Calvin Forbes lives in Chicago and he teaches at the School of Kotlowitz is a writer-in-residence at Northwestern University. the Art Institute of Chicago. He is the author of two books, Blue Monday and The Shine Poems. Simone Muench is the author of five full-length poetry collections. She has received awards and fellowships from the Alice Kim is a cultural organizer, activist, and writer. She is National Endowment for the Arts, Vermont Studio Center, the Director of The Public Square, a program of the Illinois Yaddo, Illinois Arts Council, Black Lawrence Press, and the Humanities Council that creates spaces for public Poetry Society of America. conversations about social, political and cultural issues with a social justice emphasis. VIDEO Gwendolyn Brooks Interview Part.2 ______Sterling D. Plumpp—blues poet and essayist—is the author of fourteen books. He is Professor Emeritus at the University of 3:00 pm Chicago and recently served as a visiting professor in the MFA Annie Allen Program at Chicago State University ______Introduction of Emcee 4:00 pm Carol L. Adams is President and CEO of the DuSable The Bean Eaters /Maud Martha Museum of African American History. An esteemed educator, Dr. Adams helped to bring about the convergence of art and READERS education in Chicago. Beverly Reed-Scott is a writer and activist who is currently working with her husband, Col. Eugene F. Scott, to help youth READERS succeed via their work with the Chicago Defender Charities. Richard Steele is an award-winning host and correspondent for WBEZ Chicago Public Media, where he contributes Stephanie Brown is a poet, vocalist, actor, and health care interviews and reports to Morning Edition, All Things professional who enjoys the performing arts. Considered, and special programming. Amina Gautier is the author of At-Risk, a collection of short Willie Williams is a poet and a former board member for stories which won the Flannery O'Connor Award. Gautier is the Broadside Press in Detroit, Michigan. He is also a former second African American to win the award in its thirty-year coordinator of the Poets Theater of Broadside Press. history.

Donna Seaman is a senior editor for Booklist. A recipient of Myiti Sengstacke-Rice is an author whose media the Studs Terkel Humanities Service Award, Seaman also appearances include Essence, Ebony and Jet, the Wall Street writes for the Chicago Tribune, among other publications. Journal, New York Times, CNN, and PBS.

Regina Harris Baiocchi is a composer, poet, and author of Reginald Gibbons is the author of nine books of poems, and three books. Regina founded Haiku Festival, a poetry initiative has been a Finalist for the National Book Award in poetry. He is offering workshops, readings, and juried events, which the Frances Hooper Professor of Arts and Humanities at celebrates its 9th year in 2013. Northwestern University.

Christina Pugh is an educator, editor, and author whose Barbara Kensey is an award-winning public relations awards include fellowships from the Poetry Society of America consultant, writer, tour guide, and pioneer in African American and the Illinois Arts Council, among others. tourism as creator and publisher of Chicago’s first comprehensive resource and visitors guide to Black history and Duriel Harris is a poet, performer/sound artist, and scholar. culture. Among her honors are awards from the Illinois Arts Council, the Cave Canem Foundation, and the Rockefeller Brothers Sandra Jackson-Opoku is a native of Chicago and the Fund. award-winning author of Where Blood is Born.

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5:00 pm 6:00 pm In The Mecca/Family Pictures After Mecca and New Works on Brooks

READERS Introduction of Emcee Kevin Stein is the Illinois Poet Laureate and the author of eleven books of poetry, criticism, and anthology. His work has Quraysh Ali Lansana is an educator, editor, and the author earned the Frederick Bock Prize from Poetry, the Indiana of five poetry books. Lansana served as the Director of the Review Poetry Prize, the Devins Award, and an NEA fellowship. Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Creative Writing from 2002- 2011. Rosellen Brown has published five novels, most recently Before and After and Half a Heart, and three books of poetry. READERS Her stories have appeared in half a dozen O. Henry, Best Mark Turcotte is an educator and the author of four poetry American Stories, and Pushcart Prize collections. collections, including The Feathered Heart and Exploding Chippewas. Bayo Ojikutu is a writer of Nigerian & African American heritage, whose first novel, 47th Street Black, received both the Kimberly Dixon is a poet, performer, and playwright. She is a Washington Prize for Fiction and the Great American Book Cave Canem and Ragdale fellow and is the former Executive Award. Director of the Guild Literary Complex.

Michael Warr is an author and editor whose honors include Angela Jackson, poet, novelist, playwright, is the recipient of the Gwendolyn Brooks Significant Illinois Poets Award, a many honors including an American Book Award and a National Endowment of the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship, National Book Award nomination. and the 2012 PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Award for Excellence in Literature. Haki R. Madhubuti, an award-winning poet, educator, essayist, founder and publisher of Third World Press, is the avery r. young is a writer, performer and visual artist. He is a author of thirty-one books. He is the co-founder of the Institute Cave Canem Fellow and the recipient of a Public Life Artist-In- of Positive Education and the co-founder of four schools in Residency at University of Chicago. Chicago.

Runako Jahi is an educator, artists, artist, theater director, Babu Atiba is a company member and the Artistic Director of and playwright. He is the Artistic Director of eta Creative Arts Muntu Dance Theatre. Foundation. Brooks Permissions featuring Maggie Brown. An Nora Brooks Blakely is a committed educator and the educator, singer, and performer, Brown continues in the daughter of Henry Blakely and Gwendolyn Brooks. She tradition of her father Oscar Brown Jr. developed Brooks Permissions in 2000 to manage her mother’s body of work. ______

7:00 pm Closing Remarks with Nora Brooks Blakely

Event photography provided by Alexis Buryk Photography.

THANK YOU! Guild Complex is partially supported by a CityArts grant and a

CAAP grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural We extend our deep thanks to everyone who contributed to Affairs and Special Events, and by a grant from the Illinois Arts Brooksday. The fullness of this event could not have been Council, a state agency. Additional support comes from realized without the generosity of many – a true tribute to the Alphawood Foundation, Chicago Community Trust, The lasting kindnesses of Gwendolyn Brooks! Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, The Richard H. Brooksday Partners Driehaus Foundation, the Illinois Humanities Council, the Guild Complex National Endowment for the Arts, and individual supporters. Third World Press The American Writers Museum

Supporting Organizations Brooks Permissions Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Columbia College Chicago, Department of English Illinois Humanities Council The Library of America

School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Writing Department The University of Chicago Graham School of Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies | Division of Humanities, Arts and Sciences, and Summer Studies We welcome your thoughts and comments on the first annual Brooksday, and ideas for Brooksday 2014. Brooksday Task Force Nora Brooks Blakely, Rosellen Brown, Andrea L. Change, Reginald Gibbons, Email: [email protected] Quraysh Ali Lansana, Haki R. Madhubuti, Gwendolyn Mitchell, Shahari Moore, Bayo Ojikutu, Michael Puican, John Rich, Anthony Romero Twitter: @guildLITcomplex | #brooksday Or like us on Facebook and leave a comment. Brooksday Program Coordinator Shahari Moore

Brooksday Emcees Carol L. Adams, Quraysh Ali Lansana, Toni Asante Lightfoot, Jackie Taylor

Volunteer Hospitality Whole Foods Market GUILD

Our 60+ volunteer readers LITERARY COMPLEX

Our indiegogo campaign Poet-Laureate level donors Debbie Carlson, Reginald Gibbons, Simone Muench, Julie Parson Nesbitt, Vesna Neskow, Beverly Reed-Scott, Ed Roberson, Ann Folwell Stanford, Mark Turcotte, Michael Warr, Jackie White, avery r. young, anonymous.

Cheryl Johnson and the staff of the Chicago Cultural Center

And all of our other donors, volunteers, and attendees. Thank you!

And all of our other donors, volunteers, and attendees. Thank you!