Top 10 Reading Series in the Midwest
Here at LitBridge, we love to hear writers read. We think participating in readings is an integral part of the writing experience that is irreplaceable. We also think that we should reward and celebrate those writing series that are consistently introducing dynamic voices to their communities. To write an exhaustive list of all the series, we’re happy to say, would be a unfathomable task. But below are links to ten reading series in the Midwest that we love and we think you’ll love too. Check it out!
The Big Big Mess Reading Series (http://bigbigmess.tumblr.com/)
Akron, OH
Past Readers:
Nick Courtright - Punchline
Leslie McIlroy – Rare Space
James Tadd Adcox – The Map of the System of Human Knowledge
The Danny’s Tavern Reading Series (http://dannys.noslander.com/)
Chicago, IL
Past Readers:
Hannah Gamble – Your Invitation to a Modest Breakfast (National Poetry Series)
Peter Richards- Helsinki
Cathy Park Hong- Engine Empire: Poems
The Dollhouse Reading Series (http://thedollhousereads.tumblr.com/)
Chicago, IL
Past Readers:
Jonterri Gadson – Pepper Girl
Rebecca Hazelton – Fair Copy (OSU JOURNAL AWARD POETRY)
Zachary Schomburg- Fjords Vol.1
Kalamazoo Book Arts Center (http://www.kalbookarts.org/)
Kalamazoo, MI
Past Readers:
Adam Clay – A Hotel Lobby at the Edge of the World: Poems
Nina Corwin – The Uncertainty of Maps
Jennifer Perrine – In the Human Zoo (Agha Shahid Ali Prize in Poetry)
Left Bank Books Reading Series (http://www.left-bank.com/)
St. Louis, MO
Past Readers:
Brian Katcher – Awake
Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes – Trumpet
Adriana Trigiani – The Shoemaker’s Wife: A Novel
Monsters of Poetry (http://monstersofpoetry.org)
Madison, WI
Past Readers:
Eduardo C. Corral – Slow Lightning (Yale Series of Younger Poets)
Kevin Gonzalez- Cultural Studies (Carnegie Mellon Poetry Series)
Nate Slawson – Panic Attack, USA
Prairie Lights Reading Series (http://www.prairielights.com/)
Iowa City, IA
Past Readers:
Harry Brod – Superman Is Jewish?: How Comic Book Superheroes Came to Serve Truth, Justice, and the Jewish-American Way
Steve Erikson – Forge of Darkness (Kharkanas Trilogy)
Dylan Nice – Other Kinds
Spectra Poetry Reading Series (http://www.midwestwritingcenter.org/)
Rock Island, IL
Past Readers:
Matthew Guenette – American Busboy (Akron Series in Poetry)
Daniel Khalastchi – Manoleria
Daniela Olszewska – cloudfang : : cakedirt
Taproom Poetry Series (http://taproompoetry.blogspot.com/)
Lawrence, KS
Past Readers:
Chandra E.A. Dickson – A Short History of Our Love
Iris Moulton – Where The Echoes Go
Kellie Wells – Fat Girl, Terrestrial: A Novel
Wit Rabbit Reading Series (http://www.witrabbitreads.com/)
Chicago, IL
Past Readers:
Eugene Cross -Fires of Our Choosing
Adam McOmber – The White Forest: A Novel
Brian Russell – The Year of What Now: Poems
[...] Bridge just let me know they’ve listed me as a reader among their Top 10 Reading Series in the Midwest post — there’s some seriously good series listed here, and if you have ever wanted to be in [...]
Great list, but how about some love for Mpls/St. Paul?
Just to name a few of the amazing reading series that take place each year: the library’s Pen Pals, Talking Volumes, The Loft’s Mentor Series, Literary Witness, Equilibrium: Spoken Word, Rain Taxi Reading Series, and the U of M’s Edelstein-Keller Visiting Writer Series. And that just scratches the surface.
This is an awesome list! Thanks so much for sharing!
Okay, it took awhile, but we’ve posted many of the events from these reading series (mostly from the Loft). Thanks for the tip, Chris!