Performances

blk: Blues Funeral for James Baldwin

| 12:00 AM - 2:30 AM
Poetry Foundation, 61 West Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60654mapMarker

In December 1971, a two-part episode of Soul! featured a conversation between James Baldwin and Nikki Giovanni. In the spirit of remix and reverence, avery r. young and Jamila Woods will riff on Baldwin and Giovanni’s conversation on Black Arts and People. The ceremony will feature music and poetry performances from Samiya Bashir, Toronzo Cannon, and t'ai freedom ford. Audience members will have the opportunity to share their greatest lesson from Baldwin. Suggested attire: Dandy Lion/Ness.

This event is part of the Poetry Foundation’s fall 2024 season, Murmuring Americas. All Poetry Foundation events are completely free of charge and open to the public, though advanced registration is encouraged. The performance space is ADA-compliant and wheelchair-accessible, and the program will feature CART captioning and ASL interpretation. For more information about accessibility at the Poetry Foundation, please visit our Accessibility Guide.

Reading 6-7:30 PM  CT
Reception with open bar 7:30-8:30 PM CT
Murmurs from the poets:
quoteRight
If I’m a kind of poet then I'm responsible, from my own point of view, to the people who produced me and the people who will come after
me.
quoteLeft
— James Baldwin