Ellen Wadey, ED at the Guild Complex, just published a brilliant blog-in-progress on lit culture in Chicago. Full disclosure: Literago’s mentioned, but we’d post this even if we weren’t. O, that all our bonneted bees were this eloquent.

Date: June 7, 2008

Time: 2:00-4:00 p.m.

Location: Paseo Prairie Garden (Kedzie and Milwaukee, right by the south exit of the Logan Square Blue Line stop)

This issue of AREA Chicago, edited by Aaron Sarver, Daniel Tucker, and Micah Maidenberg, imagines our city’s a lab, and looks at the experimental housing, labor, and education policies tested in it. Good people, good work. Plus a garden, a sweet rat, and a theme that allows you to make all the bad zombie jokes you want, in theory. What could be better?

Last Sunday at Steppenwolf, several Chicago teachers (including Toni Asante Lightfoot, Bill Ayers, Amanda Klonsky, Avery R. Young … and a cheesecake brownie) told stories — to kick off Bob Boone’s Teacher Tales project, and also to raise money for Young Chicago Authors.

Young Chicago Authors provides free student-centered, artist-led workshops to youth in schools and communities throughout Chicago. At the fundraiser, they also provided macaroni and cupcakes, which makes them even awesomer in my book. Cheese and frosting > crackers and broccoli.

The best came last, when youth performance artists did a small set (to an unfortunately smaller crowd). Melanie “George” Decelles’ performance was particularly bright, thanks in part to her electrically purple hair. She read about Israel: personally, politically, and eloquently, too. That’s a hard mix. Adam Gottleib called, hilariously and cheekily, for more PDA at Northside. And I was struck by Esther Ikoro, who dedicated her piece to “all the teachers who say I have selective hearing,” then slammed into a smart, smart piece about blood diamonds.

All the youth will be performing at Brave New Voices, the national youth poetry slam, in DC this July. Break six legs!

Date : Thursday, May 22nd - Sunday, May 25th

Time : All weekend long

Location : Various, all in Lakeview (full schedule here )

Participants : authors, poets, librarians, booksellers, publishers

Curated by Amy Guth and Leah Jones, Pilcrow Literary Festival is four days of workshops, discussions, lectures, and readings, all about small presses and independent media. Check Saturday night’s auction, including eyeglasses, brainstorms, and "luck." Proceeds go to the New Orleans Public Library Foundation. And check also the list of participants , from Attenberg to Featherproof to Zulkey. Too bad Pilcrow’s not a football game; Literago’d totally show up in blue wigs! And gold facepaint.

Returning From One Place to Another: A Poet’s Theater Showcase is a four-week, four-program festival curated by poet John Beer. The second program was Joyelle McSweeney and Johannes Göransson’s The Widow Party , parts of which were written collaboratively with Jennifer Karmin and Patrick Durgin), inspired in part by a car crash and infomercials.

Beer introduced the play and its players, then wham! old Westerns suddenly beamed across his face, and out flounced McSweeney and Jennifer Karmin. The former wore a red and denim dress, and the latter wielded a drumstick-like plastic gun.

“Blat!” she said. “Blat!”

The show was ninety minutes and a valentine to the outlaw — Ronald Regan, Satchmo, and Britney Spears; audience participation, soap, and the press. Sometimes, this sort of Thing dissolves into chaos and hero worship, but thanks to Johannes Göransson’s clever pen and an engaging cast of weirdo poets (including Literago’s Jacob Knabb! covering Louis Armstrong!), it worked whiz-bang roller coaster well.

Similarly sharp: Göransson’s A New Quarantine Will Take My Place (Apostrophe Books), which has a pretty blue cover. Favorite Line #1: “the codfish is wrangling.” #2: “I WRITE LIKE I’M A GIRL/YOU READ LIKE YOU’RE IN THE CLOSET.”

This weekend features five new works by poet/performer/Californian Carla Harryman, plus sculpture by Julia Klein and text from Kathy Acker’s Requiem . Performances are at Links Hall, on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. More information here .