January Blue Hour Featuring Christian Collier & Maya Marshall

The Chicago Poetry Center presents BLUE HOUR, a free monthly in-person reading series and open mic. Our January featured readers are Christian Collier & Maya Marshall.

Each event takes place at Haymarket House (800 W. Buena) and includes a brief open mic followed by two featured poets. Pre-registration is free and recommended. The open mic includes five readers drawn lottery-style from a hat that goes out at 7:15. The reading starts promptly at 7:30. Each open mic poet reads one poem or for three minutes, whichever comes first.

ABOUT THE FEATURES:

Christian J. Collier is a Black, Southern writer, arts organizer, and teaching artist who resides in Chattanooga, TN. He is the author of "Greater Ghost" (Four Way Books, 2024), and the chapbook "The Gleaming of the Blade," which was the 2021 Editors’ Selection from Bull City Press. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Atlantic, Poetry, December, and elsewhere. A 2015 Loft Spoken Word Immersion Fellow, he also won the 2022 Porch Prize in Poetry and the 2020 ProForma Contest from Grist Journal.

Maya Marshall is a poet and essayist, is the 2024 Winner of the Holmes National Poetry Prize, and the author of "All the Blood Involved in Love" (2022). She holds fellowships from MacDowell, Cave Canem, and Bread Loaf. Marshall is cofounder of Underbelly, the journal on the practical magic of poetic revision. Her poetry and prose have been published in Prairie Schooner, The Rumpus, Boston Review, and Best New Poets. Marshall is an acquiring editor for Haymarket Books.

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION: The mission of the Chicago Poetry Center is to connect people and poetry, equitably engage poets with communities, and foster creative literacy in the city and beyond. Learn more about our programs at www.poetrycenter.org.

ABOUT THE SPACE - Accessibility, Health, & Safety:

- All restrooms at Haymarket House are gender-neutral, including single-user and stalled restrooms.

- Each event includes ASL interpretation. Haymarket House is ADA compliant and fully wheelchair-accessible; email [email protected] to ensure ramp access and with any other accessibility needs.

- Masks are currently strongly encouraged for all indoor events, and the space is equipped with a professional air filtration system.

PARKING: Limited free and paid street parking is available near Haymarket House. The parking lot at Disney Magnet School is relatively close and is a paid lot; there are also locations nearby available through SpotHero.

Looking for the Workshop? Register here.

Host or Publisher Chicago Poetry Center