Congrats to the second-place 2026 Poetry Out Loud winner, Damien Deen, a 12th grade student at Washington High School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, who receives a $10,000 prize. A special shout out goes to third-place winner, Jaden Conley, a 12th grade student at Niles West High School in Skokie, Illinois, who receives a $5,000 prize. Conely was the 2026 Champion of both the Suburban Chicagoland Regionals and Illinois State Competition.   

The other six national finalists were Cassie Lumba (Alaska), Mallory Lott (Louisiana), Hadas Frish (New Mexico), Astrid Santos (Rhode Island), Oona Borovicka (South Carolina), and Joeltica Rogers (U.S. Virgin Islands). Each receives a $1,000 prize. The schools or organizations representing the top nine finalists each receive $500 to purchase poetry materials. Mid Atlantic Arts administers the Poetry Out Loud National Semifinals and Finals as well all aspects of the monetary prizes awarded.

Since the program began in 2005, more than 4.5 million students and 85,000 teachers from 21,000 schools and organizations across the nation have participated in Poetry Out Loud. As a national program, Poetry Out Loud:  National Recitation Contest encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through analysis, memorization, performance, and competition.  The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, in conjunction with state arts agencies, support this nation-wide program with participants from all fifty states plus Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American, Samoa, and Puerto Rico.

For more information, please visit https://www.poetryoutloud.org/

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Poems for the Get-Through: Poem-A-Day Fundraiser

April was a month of inspiration and connection—delivered directly to everyone’s inboxes.

Inspired by Andrea Gibson’s “Angels Of The Get-Through,” the board of the Chicago Poetry Center was excited to kick off National Poetry Month by bringing back Poems for the Get-Through: Poem-A-Day Fundraiser for a second year.

Each day during the month of April, subscribers received a poem and letter curated by a member of the Chicago Poetry Center board, with a different theme each week. This year, the board draws inspiration from “Paul Robeson” by Gwendolyn Brooks.

Poets for Chicago: A Night of Art & Community Benefiting ICIRR

On April 3, we partnered with Lit for Chicago to host Poets for Chicago: A Night of Art & Community. The night featured readings by José Olivarez, Mayda del Valle, C. Russell Price, Juan Martinez, and The Borderless Poets, benefitting the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.

The event was a massive success, raising nearly $4,000 to support refugee and immigrant communities in Illinois!

Celebrating Mina Khan’s Night Shift in Perfect English

On April 4, the Chicago Poetry Center and Haymarket House celebrated the release of Mina Khan’s debut collection, Night Shift in Perfect English.

The event included readings by special guests Jesse Fairbanks, Francesca Kritikos, and Natasha Mijares.

Winner of the 2024 Two Languages Book Award, Mina Khan’s Night Shift in Perfect English is a tender, album-like retelling of the immigrant family post-American Dream. Drawing upon her Korean-Pakistani heritage, Khan discusses the NYC bodega in a gentrifying neighborhood, the aging body, and a rapidly deteriorating climate.

Night Shift in Perfect English is available for purchase here!

New Visions:
A Broadside Exhibition

On April 15, we unveiled new limited-edition broadsides in our exhibition titled New Visions.

The night was spent celebrating limited-edition broadsides designed and printed by local artist Ben Blount, featuring poetry by George Abraham, Nadia Alexis, Cathy Linh Che, Jalen Eutsey, Keetje Kuipers, Maya Marshall, Soham Patel, Monica Rico, and Jimin Seo.

After the exhibition, attendees were encouraged to join us with Diego Báez and Samyak Shertok for April’s Blue Hour open mic and featured readings.

This project was made possible by a Creative Projects grant from the Illinois Arts Council.

Joshua Tatro

P.S. If you weren’t able to attend, don’t worry! We’ll have the broadsides available on our online store soon.

Chicago Public Library: 27th Annual Poetry Fest

The post National Poetry Month: April 2026 appeared first on The Chicago Poetry Center.

This recognition means so much to us, and it wouldn’t be possible without the incredible community that supports our work. Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote and show their love.

Together we make CPC such a vibrant and special space. 

The post Best of 2025: Chicago Poetry Center wins Best Poetry Organization and Best Reading Series appeared first on The Chicago Poetry Center.

On Monday March 2, the Poetry Out Loud 2026 Illinois State Competition was held at Hoogland Center For The Arts in Springfield. The state competition featured recitations by fourteen students from each of Illinois’s eight regions: Central, Chicago-City, Chicago-Metro, Eastern, Northern, South-central, Southern, and Western. The top five finalists included Chicagoland’s very own Jaden Conely and Elliana Sheehan who were both the runner-up (Sheehan) and winner (Conley) of the Chicagoland Suburban Regionals back in February. This was their second time competing at the state competition.

After three rounds of riveting recitations from student competitors, Jaden Conley from Niles West High School (Skokie) emerged as the 2026 Illinois Poetry Out Loud state champion.  Conley captivated the audience and judges with his phenomenal recitations of “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes; “Chicago” by Carl Sandburg; and “Enigma” by Leonora Speyer. Conely, will now advance to Washington D.C., where he will compete in the Nationals competition this April.

Congrats to Elliana Sheehan from Wheaton-Warrenville South High School from Wheaton, IL who earned second place in the competition. 

2026 marks the 21^st anniversary of Poetry Out Loud and America’s 250th Anniversary. This year’s poem selections reflected America’s rich and diverse history. More than 2,900 students and nearly 120 teachers from 31 high schools in Illinois took part in this year’s Poetry Out Loud program.

2026 Illinois Poetry Out Loud regional winners and their high schools:

• Revolution Chaput – Chester, Chester
• Lana Cooper – University of Illinois Laboratory, Urbana
• Jillian Garcia – Eisenhower, Decatur (finalist)
• Feben Gates – Eureka, Eureka (finalist)
• Mikiah Gerrity – Jefferson, Rockford
• Aminah Givens – Rockford East, Rockford (finalist)
• Rebekah Kreighbaum – Freeburg Community, Freeburg
• Yarely Lopez – Walter Payton College Prep, Chicago
• Sam Miller – Eureka, Eureka
• Ace O’Malley – Southeast, Springfield
• Julia Sohn – University of Illinois Laboratory, Urbana
• Victoria Syverson – University of Chicago Laboratory, Chicago

The Illinois Poetry Out Loud program is a collaboration between the Illinois Arts Council and six regional arts agencies. The 2026 state competition was coordinated by Susan Dickson, Illinois Arts Council Program Director, and Sheila Walk, Arts Education Coordinator of the Springfield Area Arts Council.

Special guests were Illinois Poet Laureate Mark Turcotte and Greg McCormick, director of the Illinois State Library. Mark Turcotte graced the audience with a performance of his poetry, as well as poems written and inspired by prior Illinois Poet Laureates such as Gwendolyn Brooks and Angela Jackson.

Recitation judges included Adam Flores (professor of theater in Carlinville), Antonio Foli (writer and performer from Chicago), Jenna Goldsmith (former city poet laureate of Rockford), and Corey Van Landingham (poet and associate professor in Urbana-Champaign), with Thèa Chesley (poet from Springfield) serving as the accuracy judge, Carey Smith as prompter, and Bob Jessup as Scorekeeper.

Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts, working in partnership with state arts agencies nationwide. The initiative fosters an appreciation for classic and contemporary poetry through analysis, memorization, performance, and competition while building both performance skills and self-confidence. Students from all 50 states, Washington, D.C.; the U.S. Virgin Islands; Guam; American Samoa; and Puerto Rico participate annually. To learn more about the Poetry Out Loud program, visit the national website at www.poetryoutloud.org.

            This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency 

The post Poetry Out Loud 2026 Illinois State Champion !!! appeared first on The Chicago Poetry Center.

On February 4 and February 11, teens from the Chicago city and suburban schools competed for a spot at the state competition and the chance to advance to the national competition in Washington, DC in May to win $20,000! The first and second place city and suburban winners will progress to the Illinois state competition level in Springfield on March 2.

City Regional Participants & Winners

Yarely Lopez (First Place) Walter Payton College Prep

 Victoria Syverson (Second Place) University of Chicago Laboratory Schools

Uzair Jalali (Third Place/Alternate) Von Steuben High School

Richard Sareth   Stephen T. Mather High School

Cordelia Rodriguez     Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences

Metro/Suburban Regional Participants & Winners

Jaden Conley (First Place) Niles West High School

Elliana Sheehan (Second Place) Wheaton Warrenville South High School

Kaci Figures (Third Place/Alternate) Homewood-Flossmoor High School

Alexia Erdei John Hersey High School

Scarlet Tabuena   Hinsdale Central High School

Luigi Biscaglio Elmwood Park High School

Adriana Escho  Niles North High School

Isabella Reyes Rolling Meadows High School

2026 Chicagoland Regionals Judges Panel

Chicagoland Regional Poetry Out Loud Coordinator: Joy Young

  Recitation Judges: Alyx Chandler, Madison Mae Parker, C. Russell Price

Scorekeeper: Fullamusu Bangura

Accuracy Judge: Janel Galnares

Prompter: Ayme Frye

M.C./ Speaker: Jennifer Karmin

The Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest is a national program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through analysis, memorization, performance, and competition.  The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, in conjunction with state arts agencies, support this nation-wide program with participants from all fifty states plus Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico.

Congrats to all the students who participated in the competition. We wish good luck to our city and suburban winners as they prepare for the state competition. Many thanks to the CPC poets and community that supported this effort. For more information about the competition, visit the Poetry Out Loud website.

Photos by Glenn Willoughby courtesy of Chicago Poetry Center

This program is made possible with support by the Illinois Arts Council.

The post Poetry Out Loud 2026 Chicagoland Winners! appeared first on The Chicago Poetry Center.

Downloadable PDF – Content Manager Job Posting

Deadline to apply: Sunday, March 1, 2026

Interviews: March 9 – 13, 2026

Position start date: Week of March 16, 2026

ABOUT THE CHICAGO POETRY CENTER

Mission & Programs

The Chicago Poetry Center’s mission is to connect people and poetry, equitably engage poets with communities, and foster creative literacy in the city and beyond. We do this work through poetry education programming across Chicago, public poetry events, Critical Conversations @ Work, and special projects and online resources. Learn more at poetrycenter.org

Culture 

We are a small and actively growing organization that sets our goals into action through collaboration, clear communication and expectations, and strategic and creative thinking. Staff work both independently and as part of a team. Our culture is one that supports feedback, communication, and growth, and values artistic and creative expression and creative community.

Commitment to Inclusion 

The Chicago Poetry Center values diversity at all levels and understands that a safe and supportive environment is necessary to facilitate our work in valuing and uplifting creative expression. The Chicago Poetry Center commits to inclusion and will not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, socio-economic status, age, religion, national origin, marital, parental, or veteran status, or any other legally protected status. We strive to uphold our values in action through our decisions, programming, community building, and fostering an environment of continuous learning. The Chicago Poetry Center is committed to the principles of equal opportunity and it is the Poetry Center’s policy to comply fully with all federal and state laws that ban discrimination in the employer-employee relationship, and to continue to strive to go above and beyond the regulations of anti-discrimination law in fostering a workplace of equal opportunity and inclusion for all. CPC works in an ADA accessible building with gender neutral bathrooms. CPC supports a staff, teaching artist team, and program participant community that is diverse in race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, age, and ability, and leadership continuously audits our practices to deepen our inclusion.

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Content Manager (CM) works closely with our Executive Director and Directors to develop and implement marketing plans and strategies. CM is tasked with identifying marketing trends and opportunities for growth, as well as creating marketing materials such as social media content, site posts, newsletters, and occasionally print collateral. The role is largely focused on the creation and management of CPC’s social media, newsletters, and website posts. The Content Manager receives direction and feedback, but works independently to manage the success of projects. At start, the CM should expect to spend time familiarizing themselves with our brand, programming, mission, and values, as well as our communication goals and style. Ongoing, the CM is expected to attend team meetings, learn current staff and program happenings, and proactively pitch relevant, values-aligned ideas for socials, newsletters, and web posts.  

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Implement the marketing strategies and campaigns organized by Executive Director and other Directors 
• Manage social media content calendar and community management
• Create and edit video content for social media
• Write content and copy for various channels including socials, newsletters, and website
• Create promotional timeline and materials for events
• Communicate timeline, deliverables, and project needs across team 
• Maintain a database of external contacts (partnerships, media contacts, donors)
• Actively participate and help organize the promotional events and campaigns organized by the company
• Maintain positive communications and strong relationships with external contacts
• Drive marketing campaigns and promote CPC presence in the Chicago market 
• Represent CPC at in person events throughout the year
• Provides fact-checking, copy-editing, and formatting assistance
• Apply marketing analytical technique
• Adhere to brand guidelines 
• Manage email marketing campaigns

QUALIFICATIONS

Skills and Experience 

• Preferred: BA in Marketing, Communications or prior experience in a similar role. 
• Prior experience managing content or relevant/related experience (job, internship, personal or volunteer)
• Multi-tasker with good time management skills.
• Strong communication and people skills.
• Interested in a reciprocal feedback working environment in which CM offers feedback to directors and receives feedback from team members on processes, content, and elsewhere as relevant.

Technical Proficiencies 

• Strong proficiency in Canva, comfort with design and video editing (ex: turning a student poem into a reel)
• Strong writing proficiency, including comfort and familiarity with the format of poetry and poetry quotations
• Strong Proficiency in Constant Contact and WordPress 
• Proficiency in in Edits, and/or other app based video editors

REPORTING & COMPENSATION 

• This is a part time contract position with end of month payroll
• The position is 20 hours per week at $25 dollars per hour

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

• Hours: Content Manager will work with directors to determine standard weekly office hours (totally 20). 
• Work typically falls in standard business hours, Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm.
• Occasional nights and weekends required to support events. 
• Travel: May require occasional travel within the metropolitan area.
• Work Location: Chicago metro area required
• Hybrid Remote/In-Person:
  •  Our team meets in person at our Haymarket House office (800 W Buena) on Wednesdays and for live events (typically one Wednesday night per month Fall – Spring, Mondays in the summer, and 2-3 saturday events per year). We otherwise work remotely. 
  • It is possible for the CM to join weekly team meetings remotely and only attend live events in person.

HOW TO APPLY

• Submit your resume and a cover letter by email to jobs@poetrycenter.org 
• In the subject line, please use this format: Content Manager: Applicant Name 
• We’re eager to hear about your values-alignment and connection to poetry and the arts 
• NOTE: Applications submitted via external sites and not to the email listed above will not be reviewed. 
• See application deadline and hiring timeline at the top of this application.

The post We’re Hiring: Content Manager appeared first on The Chicago Poetry Center.

The Chicago Poetry Center is pleased to serve in its 9th year as the Chicagoland Regional Host Organization for the national Poetry Out Loud Teen Competition. Poetry Out Loud is a collaborative project in partnership with Illinois Arts Council Agency, and seven arts agencies, each of which hosts a regional contest.

The Chicagoland regionals two-day competition will be held at the Poetry Foundation. The competition is free to attend but registration is requested. Competitors are high school students from the Chicago city area and surrounding suburbs, who have won the competition at their school or local arts organization. You can register to attend one or both contests.

In recognition of America’s 250th anniversary, the 2026 Poetry Out Loud program will focus on poems that celebrate America’s rich history and culture.

*Please note the Performance Space seats only 120 guests, so seating is limited, with priority given to student participants and their guests.

Contest Dates: 

City schools: Wednesday, February 4, 2026, 10am-1pm.

Registration deadline: Feb. 2, 2026

Important update: Registration for Feb. 4 City Schools Competition is now Closed. We have reached our quota for guests.

Suburban Schools:  Wednesday, February 11, 2026, 10am-1pm.

Registration deadline: Feb. 8, 2026

Please register to attend contests here

Location: Poetry Foundation: 61 W. Superior St, Chicago, IL 60654

Entrance Description:  The building is located at the corner of Dearborn Street and Superior Street. The entrance begins by the ramp or steps at the corner where the tree lined courtyard opens. Walking through the tree lined courtyard leads past the performance space and gallery, to the doors which are just before the library.

For Accessibility, Health & Safety click Visit | Poetry Foundation

Please send any questions about the contests or registration to pol@poetrycenter.org

Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through analysis, memorization, performance, and competition. The National Endowment for the Arts, in conjunction with state arts agencies, support this nation-wide program with participants from all fifty states including Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico. More information can be found at  www.poetryoutloud.org

Photo of 2025 Metro/Suburban Regionals Winner Jaden Conley, photographed by Glenn Willoughby

            This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency 

The post Be our guests at Poetry Out Loud 2026! appeared first on The Chicago Poetry Center.

In recognition of America’s 250th anniversary in 2026, the 2025-2026 Poetry Out Loud program will focus on poems that celebrate America’s rich history and culture.

The program starts at the local level with a school or participating organization. Winners will then advance to a regional competition, then state, and ultimately to the national finals in Washington, D.C. Awards and placements are determined by a panel of judges’ scores that are based on the Poetry Out Loud Evaluation Criteria.

Poetry Out Loud offers free materials to aid teachers in implementing the program in their schools. Students from all types of high schools are welcome to participate. This includes public, private, parochial, independent, charter, and homeschool. Non-school organizations, such as after school clubs, libraries, or nonprofit organizations, may choose to run Poetry Out Loud as well.

Registration for Illinois is now open on the Illinois Arts Council Agency’s website. Teachers can register their students for Poetry Out Loud 2026 HERE

The deadline to register is January 16, 2026.

Poetry Out Loud is a collaborative project of the Illinois Arts Council Agency and seven arts agencies, each of which hosts a regional contest. The Chicago Poetry Center with the support of the Illinois Arts Council Agency will act for an eighth year as the regional hosts for Chicagoland.

2026 Chicagoland Regionals Competition Location & Dates:

The Chicagoland Regionals two-day competition will be held at the Poetry Foundation , 61 W. Superior St, Chicago, IL 60654

City Schools Regionals: February 4, 2026, 10am-1pm

Suburban Schools Regionals: February 11, 2026, 10am-1pm

Please note: We will be asking schools to have their student winner information to the Chicagoland Coordinator at least one week before regionals. Please plan accordingly for hosting your school-wide contest.

For questions about registration and contests details please contact pol@poetrycenter.org

For more information about the competition and how to participate please visit the Poetry Out Loud official website.

Photo of 2025 Metro/Suburban Regionals Winner Jaden Conley, photographed by Glenn Willoughby

            This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency 

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