Readings, Rated
NWA Gala – May 27 – Every person is a philosopher
What: Neighborhood Writing Alliance Gala
When: May 27, 2009; 5:30 – 8 pm
Location & Address: Chicago Cultural Center, GAR Rotunda; 78 E Washington Ave
Participants: Stuart Dybek, NWA writers Helena Marie Carnes-Jeffries & Kenneth Johnson, Chicago Tribune’s Rick Hogan, some lovely Literagoans, you
The Neighborhood Writing Alliance (NWA), publishers of the Journal of Ordinary Thought (JOT), announces this year’s gala, “Every Person Is a Philosopher.”
The evening features readings by NWA writers Helena Marie Carnes-Jeffries and Kenneth Johnson, who will share a piece about being ten years old, reading about the Black Panthers while living in a Chicago Housing Authority apartment on the West Side.
The evening will close with an engaging fireside conversation between Rick Kogan, Senior Writer at the Chicago Tribune and host of WGN’s Sunday Papers with Rick Kogan, and Stuart Dybek, award-winning author of The Coast of Chicago and I Sailed With Magellan, among others.
Throughout the night, Blue Plate restaurant will be serving hors d’oeuvres, including saffron-poached chicken, red grape truffles, sweet corn succotash, and mini pizzas. There will be an open bar with drinks including the delicious JOT ink martini.
The event takes place on Wednesday, May 27th from 5:30-8:00pm at the Chicago Cultural Center GAR Rotunda (78 E Washington Ave). Individual tickets cost between $30 and $100, and all include food, drinks, and the performance. To purchase, visit www.jot.org/Benefit2009.php or call 773.684.2742.
NWA provokes dialogue and promotes change by creating opportunities for adults in low-income Chicago neighborhoods to write, publish, and perform works about their lives. We hold free, weekly, and ongoing writing workshops in libraries and social service centers across the city. Pieces written in these workshops are published in the award-winning Journal of Ordinary Thought and performed at 25-30 events each year.