Listen in to the third installment of the new reading series The Encyclopedia Show! Each month, a topic is picked randomly from an encyclopedia and a clutch of volunteering writers are given assignments on that entry. These are Def Poetry Jam vets, writing professors, slam poets, stand-up comics, fiction writers, artists and performers.

This month’s topic: The Visual Spectrum

Featuring: Tristan Silverman (two-time National Poetry Slam semi-finalist) on rainbows; Shadell Jamison (Louder Than A Bomb Champion 2007) on the color red; Leena Trivedi (food scientist) on (an) orange; Joel Chmara (HBO Def Poet) on yellow; Kiana Itson (Louder Than A Bomb Champion 2008) on green; Cameron McGill (musician; Cameron McGill & What Army) on blue(s); Jonathan Messinger (Featherproof Books/TimeOut Chicago/Dollar Store Show) on indigo (the worst color); Alex Petruszak (UW Whitewater Creative Writing Festival Poetry Champion) on violet; Marc Smith (Founder of Slam Poetry) also on rainbows; and Shawnimal Smith (Visual Art; Shawnimals) on the human eye; along with The Encylopedia Show cast Jilted Emily Rose, Tim Stafford, the Encartigans, and Dan Telfer and Kurt Heintz from the Institute of Human Knowledge and Hygiene. Hosted by Shanny Jean Maney and Robbie Q. Telfer.

The Encyclopedia Show is part of YCA’s Louder Than A Bomb (LTAB) University. LTAB University consists of all spoken word performing arts and presents: WordPlay, a weekly Tuesday night open mic event for teens between ages 13 and 19 years of age; the newly formed LTAB College, a monthly open mic series for college students hosted by Kevin Coval; The Encyclopedia Show, providing a monthly spoken word alternative to slam; and the annual LTAB Teen Spoken Word Poetry Festival.

Recorded Wednesday, February 04, 2009 at Chopin Theatre.