At the Poetry Slam

At the Poetry Slam
Poet Allen Frank McNair Sheila Barabad
At the Poetry Slam
Poet Allen Frank McNair Sheila Barabad

At the Poetry Slam

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Poet Allen Frank McNair of Lincoln Park wrote his piece to honor the fellowship he found at a community church poetry slam. Allen shares that he “found [his] voice in poetry” and this workshop taught him to use even more poetic license in telling his stories. 

Click here to read this piece.

Verse Journalism is a form of poetry inspired by the news. It was born here in Chicago when Gwendolyn Brooks coined the term. Another gifted local poet, Quraysh Ali Lansana, taught the form to participants in a Neighborhood Writing Alliance special workshop series. Lansana had NWA writers turn their opinions and reactions to news events into poems, which WBEZ will present throughout the month of April in celebration of National Poetry Month. This series was recorded in collaboration with the Neighborhood Writing Alliance, a station partner.

Click here to listen to other Verse Journalism recordings made as part of this project.

You can also listen to Quraysh Ali Lansana speak with WBEZ’s Jason Marck about the origins of verse journalism and his own experiences with the form.