Mon June 18th 7p - Finalists present their poetry for the 19th Annual Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Awards to compete for $500 prize.  

The Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Award was founded by the noted Chicago poet almost two decades ago. Gwendolyn Brooks (1917-2000) was born in Topeka, Kansas and lived in Chicago for the rest of her life. She was the author of more than twenty books of poetry and numerous other books including novels. Her many awards and honors include Poet Laureate of Illinois, Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, American Academy of Arts and Letters award, the Frost Medal, a National Endowment for the Arts award, and fellowships from The Academy of American Poets and the Guggenheim Foundation. In honor of her birthday, every June GBOMA showcases emerging performance poets in an exciting, audience-involved competition.

Tickets $7/5 students - at the door.