View a video recording of this event.
Twelve Bomb Squad members visited the Newberry library in July to ponder early twentieth-century materials related to the 1919 Race Riots in Chicago. Join us as they perform poems inspired by the primary sources they saw there.
Schedule
- 6:00 pm Introductions
- Craig Davis, Director of the Adult Services Department, Harold Washington Library
- Liesl Olson, Director of Chicago Studies, Newberry Library
- 6:15 pm Bomb Squad Presents: Poems and Discussion
- Artists: Penelope Alegria, Nicholas Berry, Nilah Foster, Anaya Frazier, Jerome Kelly, Sarah Kim, Taisaun Levi, Jonquil McCray, Kristal Moseley, Kyla Pereles, Derrian Samuels, and Morgan Varnado
- Moderated by Patricia Fraizer and Kara Jackson, 2018 and 2019 National Youth Poet Laureates, respectively, and YCA alumnae
Special thanks to Jamila Woods, Associate Artistic Director, and Ana Wright, Director of Programs, at Young Chicago Authors.
Young Chicago Authors
Through creative writing, Young Chicago Authors helps young people from all backgrounds to understand the importance of their own stories and those of others, so that they can pursue the path they choose and work to make their communities more just and equitable. YCA exposes young people to hip-hop realist portraiture and teaches them how to create their own authentic narratives through a variety of arts education programs both in and out of the classroom. These programs include free Education Partnerships for qualifying Chicago schools, free weekly writing workshops and open mics for young poets, journalists, and emcees, and Louder Than A Bomb, the largest youth poetry slam in the country.
Louder than a Bomb Squad
Louder Than A Bomb Squad is a six-week summer apprenticeship with Young Chicago Authors for twelve young poets. In the months after the annual Louder Than A Bomb Youth Poetry Festival, poets are invited to apply for Bomb Squad based on their craft, content, dedication, work ethic, interest in pursuing the life of an artist/teaching artist, and ability to be an ambassador for YCA.
Chicago 1919: Confronting the Race Riots
Visit this page for a complete list of Chicago 1919 public programs.
This event is part of the Newberry's year-long initiative, Chicago 1919: Confronting the Race Riots. It has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor, and by generous support from Edith Rasmussen Ahern and Patrick Ahern. Our Youth Engagement Sponsor is Allstate.
Collaborative partners in Chicago 1919 include the Black Chicago History Forum, Black Metropolis Research Consortium, Blackstone Bicycle Works, Chicago Architectural Club, Chicago Collection Consortium, Chicago History Museum, Chicago Public Library, Chicago Urban League, City Bureau, Kartemquim Films, Middle Passage Production, and Young Chicago Authors.
Chicago 1919: Confronting the Race Riots received the 2020 Outstanding Public History Project Award from the National Council on Public History.
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Past Public Programs
Check out video recordings of past Newberry public programs on our YouTube channel.