Chicago is a romantic city, and what is romance without poetry? Whether you’re a Shakespeare fan, or rather hang out with your Emily Dickinson at a book bar on a cozy afternoon, you can’t miss out on a unique celebration for World Poetry Day, happening March 21st, at Truth Be Told: an English tavern residing within the University of Chicago campus.
On March 21st from 5 pm to 7 pm, every diner at Truth Be Told will receive a free poem provided by Poems While You Wait, a collective of poets and their vintage typewriters. To receive a custom-made, one-of-a-kind poem, all you need to do is providing your name and a topic (funny, sad, serious, etc).
Consisting of a group of poetry lovers and old-schoolers, Poems While You Wait (PWYW) brings the vintage nostalgia of typewritten literature to our daily life. The organization has a simple mission: to appear around the city in public places — street festivals, museums, libraries, theaters, & events — to provide our patrons with a magical, unexpected, unpretentious, & decontextualized encounter with poetry. Of course, PWYW wouldn’t miss out on national poetry day. And frankly, we can’t think of a better place to collaborate than Truth Be Told!
Having opened for only a few months, Truth Be Told is, in my personal opinion, one of the most “literary” pubs in Chicago. Contrary to most bars in Chicago, Truth Be Told’s bright, cozy environment is designed for people to read, write, and reminisce. Nestled off The Study at the University of Chicago, Truth Be Told features sophisticated cocktails, classic British food, and a giant fireplace and is the perfect place to immerse yourself in art and literature.
While the poems are complimentary, we encourage you to make a donation to support Chicago’s literature and poetry scene. All donations will be matched by Truth Be Told in support of the 2023 Phoenix Poets Literary Festival hosted by UChicago’s Humanities Division Creative Writing Program.
Image Credit: Unviersity of Chicago
About Phoenix Poets Literary Festival
The Phoenix Poets Literary Festival is a three-day program of readings, panels, and roundtables featuring world-renowned writers in conversation with University of Chicago faculty, students, and the literary community on the South Side of Chicago. The festival brings writers to campus who are engaged in the exploration of interdisciplinary aspects of their art, the expressive possibilities of language, and the urgent social and political questions of our time. The 2023 festival will take place April 12-14, 2023.
The Phoenix Poets Literary Festival is part of the Humanities Division’s larger Program in Poetry and Poetics through the creative writing program at the University of Chicago. The program brings together a diverse community of literary scholars, poets, and translators working on poetry and poetics across a spectrum of regions, historical periods, and theoretical approaches.
Featured Image: Truth Be Told
The post Truth Be Told Celebrates World Poetry Day with Free Poem for Diners appeared first on UrbanMatter.
