Schedule of Events

Schedule of Events
Highland Park, Illinois

All poets are welcome to participate -
having 60035 as your zip code
is not a requirement

Events

Carlos Cumpián & Cynthia Gallaher

Reading plus Poetry Open Mic

Saturday, August 13

5:00 PM

Madame ZuZu's

1876 First Street

Highland Park Poetry welcomes Carlos Cumpián and Cynthia Gallaher as our featured poets this month.

Carlos Cumpián is the author of five poetry collections: Coyote Sun, Latino Rainbow, Armadillo Charm, 14 Abriles: Poems, and his most recent, Human Cicada. He has contributed to more than thirty poetry anthologies, and was recognized with a Gwendolyn Brooks Significant Illinois Poet Award. Cumpián is also editor and publisher for March Abrazo Press, the first Chicano/Latino and Native American Indian small press in Illinois. He has taught English, creative writing and poetry as a high school teacher, through community arts organizations, as well as at Columbia College Chicago. Cumpián is currently working on his “anti-war years” memoir Accidental Rebel: 1968-1976.

Cynthia Gallaher, a Chicago-born-and-bred poet, is author of four poetry collections, many with themes, including Epicurean Ecstasy: More Poems About Food, Drink, Herbs and Spices, and three chapbooks, including Drenched. Her nonfiction/memoir/creativity guide Frugal Poets’ Guide to Life: How to Live a Poetic Life, Even If You Aren’t a Poet won a National Indie Excellence Award. Gallaher’s other titles are Night Ribbons, Swimmer’s Prayer, Earth Elegance, Omnivore Odes and Private, On Purpose. Retired as an advertising, corporate communications and public relations writer, she now spends her time, besides writing poetry, as an avid swimmer, yoga instructor and certified aromatherapist. Visit her Linktree account: https://linktr.ee/cynthiagallaher

Open mic immediately follows. Poets may read up to three poems (poem may not exceed one page in length).

Madame ZuZu's welcoming venue offers a great sound system, stage, and dining tables spaced apart for comfort. Enjoy delicious coffee, tea, vegan treats and dining.

There is no cover charge; however, all patrons are expected to purchase an item from the cafe. Please support the businesses that support us.

Susan T. Moss & Kate Hutchinson Reading plus Poetry Open Mic

Saturday, September 10, 2022

5:00 PM

Madame ZuZu's

1876 First Street

Highland Park Poetry welcomes both Susan T. Moss and Kate Hutchinson this month as our featured poet guests.

Susan T. Moss is the author of three books of poetry including one full-length collectionentitled Mapping A Life and two chapbooks, In From The Dark and Keep Moving ‘til The Music Stops. Her work has appeared in numerous publications including Vermont Literary Review, Caduceus, After Hours, the Kerf, Steam Ticket and Soundings Door County in Poetry. Susan has read her work on WLUW-FM and Highland Park cable television’s “Poetry Today.” Further credits include two Illinois Humanities fellowships and a month-long residency at the Vermont Studio Center. Presently, she is serving a sixth term as president of Illinois State Poetry Society. Susan holds a Master of Arts from Middlebury College Bread Loaf School of English.

Kate Hutchinson recently retired from a 34-year career of teaching high school English in Chicago's northwest suburbs. Her poetry and personal essays have appeared in dozens of publications and won numerous awards, both regional and national, as well as three Pushcart Prize nominations. Her latest collection of poems, A Matter of Dark Matter, was released in 2022 by Kelsay Books; her previous two books include Map Making: Poems of Land and Identity (2015, THEAQ Press) and The Gray Limbo of Perhaps (Finishing Line Press, 2012). Kate is active with several local poetry organizations, including serving as contest chair for Chicagoland Poets & Patrons and as assistant editor for the literary arts journal East on Central in Highland Park. To find more of her work and information about her new book, visit: https://poetkatehutchinson.wordpress.com/

Open mic immediately follows. Poets may read up to three poems (poem may not exceed one page in length).

Madame ZuZu's welcoming venue offers a great sound system, stage, and dining tables spaced apart for comfort. Enjoy delicious coffee, tea, vegan treats and dining.

There is no cover charge; however, all patrons are expected to purchase an item from the cafe. Please support the businesses that support us.

Daily Poem Posts

Here are the poems from July 2022.

Thank you to our contributors to this special section:

Sutter Ahn, Cheryl Caesar, Carmen A. Cisnadean, Idella Pearl Edwards, Michael Escoubas, Mardelle Fortier, Elisabeth Guichard, Rev. Lucas Hergert, Caroline Johnson, Richard V. Kaufman, Tricia Knoll, Arlene Gay Levine, Terry Loncaric, Karian Markos, Silvia Morgan, Howard Nemeroff, Carl "Papa" Palmer, Marianne Peel, Jonathan Plotkin, Jenene Ravesloot, Donita Ries, Marjorie Rissman, Ellen Savage, Michael Simon, Alice Marcus Solovy, Lori Wall-Holloway, Marilyn Zelka Windau, R. M. Yager, Kao Ra Zen, and Jill Zimmerman.

Previous months are available for review as archive downloads at the bottom of the Muses' Gallery.

Please also enjoy our Muses' Gallery. Join us on Facebook.

Continue to celebrate poetry and stay healthy!

Poetry Today - Past Episodes

March 2020 - Joris Soeding

February 2020 - Dipika Mukherjee

January 2020 - Herb Berman

December 2019 - Mike Freveletti

November 2019 - Jan Bottiglieri

June 2019 - Jamie Wendt

May 2019 - William Lederer

April 2019 - Patrice Boyer Claeys

March 2019 - Khalid Mukhtar

February 2019 - Olivia Maciel Edelman

January 2019 - Weather the Weather with Emma Alexandra and Betsy Dolgin Katz

December 2018 - Cathleen Schandelmeier

October 2018 - C. J. Wilkens

August 2018 - Caroline Johnson

July 2018 - William Carey & Mary Beth Bretzlauf discuss Coffee, Tea & Other Beverages in 2018 Summer Muses' Gallery

June 2018 - Wilda W. Morris

May 2018 - Oliver Mansfield & Constance Vitale

March 2018 - Dr. Shai Har El

February 2018 - Cynthia Gallaher

January 2018 - Faisal Mohyuddin

December 2017 - Arlyn Miller, Poetic License, Inc

October 2017 - Public Art Poetry with Marjorie Rissman & Kerry Leaf

September 2017 - Naoko Fujimoto

August 2017 - Donna Vorreyer

July 2017 - Bakul Banerjee

June 2017 - Curt Vevang

May 2017 - William Marr

April 2017 - HPHS Focus on the Arts

March 2017 - TRAVEL Poetry on Poetry Today!

November 2016 - Jacqueline Harris on Poetry Today!

October 2016 - Lennart Lundh on Poetry Today!

September 2016 - Al DeGenova on Poetry Today!

Technical difficulties during taping of this episode leave the screen blank for about three minutes; however, have faith - the audio continues just fine and the interview goes on.