Join us for a night of dialogue and performance by Patricia Smith, accompanied by Kush Thompson and Essie Linsey from the Young Chicago Authors/Louder Than A Bomb All Stars. Patricia Smith is a rare blend of orality and page poetry in one person and is one of the most important voices in the country and in the Louder Than A Bomb Community.  

Born and reared on the West Side of Chicago, Patricia Smith has been called “a testament to the power of words to change lives,” Patricia is a renaissance artist of unmistakable signature, recognized as a force in the fields of poetry, playwriting, fiction, performance and creative collaboration. 

She is the author of six critically-acknowledged volumes of poetry, including Shoulda Been Jimi Savannah, Blood Dazzler, a National Book Award finalist, and Teahouse of the Almighty, a National Poetry Series winner (all from Coffee House Press), Close to Death and Big Towns, Big Talk (both from Zoland Books), Life According to Motown (Tia Chucha), just released in a special 20th anniversary edition. 

This program is a part of the Louder Than A Bomb Teen Poetry Festival.

This program was made possible in part by the generous support of the Joyce Foundation, improving the quality of life in the Great Lakes Region and across the country.