This month, one of Chicago’s late great literary legends, Nelson Algren, would have turned 99. Algren, who died at the age of 72, dedicated most of his writing to the underbelly of cities, replete with characters ranging from corrupt politicians to pimps, prostitutes and drug addicts. His famous prose poem Chicago: City on the Make, exemplifies the way his writing captured the sorrow and the soul of Chicago.

Tomorrow at St. Paul’s Church on North Avenue, the Nelson Algren Committee will hold a birthday party for Algren. We’re joining the celebration – a bit in advance – by bringing you a clip of Algren reading what the Committee says is one of his unpublished poems.