Announcing the Printers’ Ball: TIME WARP!

CHICAGO — The Poetry Foundation and Poetry magazine are pleased to announce the Printers’ Ball: TIME WARP!, presented with Columbia College Chicago’s Silver Tongue Reading Series and its Center for Book & Paper Arts, the Read/Write Library, and MAKE magazine. The eighth annual event, one of the largest free celebrations of literary culture in the country, will take place Friday, July 20, in Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood.

This year’s Printers’ Ball will include a musical performance and dance party presented by Quintron and Miss Pussycat, scheduled for 10:00 PM—one of many live performances featured at the 2012 Printers’ Ball, which welcomes more than 200 organizations and 2,000 fans of the literary arts. The Printers’ Ball: TIME WARP! also features DJ sets by Rob Sevier and Dustin Drase of Numero Group; The Baffler’s literary quiz show featuring contestants Amber Tamblyn and Roxane Gay; An Evening of Contemporary Theremin Music with readings by poets Will Alexander and Andrew Joron and short films by video artist Adam Shecter; Paul de Jong of The Books fame celebrating Poetry’s centennial with a multimedia presentation; Chic-A-Go-Go’s Soul Train Time Machine Dance; limited-edition Poetry postcards; and Margaret Anderson’s Beach Party on Mars.

Founded by Poetry magazine and other independent Chicago literary organizations, the Printers’ Ball celebrates literary culture by offering thousands of magazines, books, and broadsides free of charge; showcasing live music, readings, and other performances; featuring letterpress, offset, papermaking, and bookbinding demonstrations; and providing other activities, entertainment, food, and drink free to attendees of all ages.

The first 150 people to preregister at http://printersball2012.eventbrite.com and check in at the Printers’ Ball preregistration booth on the eighth floor of the Ludington Building will receive a limited-edition commemorative Printers’ Ball poster created by Jeremiah Chiu.

What: Eighth Annual Printers’ Ball
Where: The Ludington Building, Columbia College Chicago
1104 South Wabash Avenue, one block west of Michigan Avenue
When: Friday, July 20, 2012, 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Admission: Free, all ages
Dress: Formal attire not required; costumes encouraged
More Info: www.printersball.org

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About Poetry Magazine
Founded in Chicago by Harriet Monroe in 1912, Poetry is the oldest monthly devoted to verse in the English-speaking world. Monroe’s “Open Door” policy, set forth in Volume 1 of the magazine, remains the most succinct statement of Poetry’s mission: to print the best poetry written today, in whatever style, genre, or approach. The magazine established its reputation early by publishing the first important poems of T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, Marianne Moore, Wallace Stevens, H.D., William Carlos Williams, Carl Sandburg, and other now-classic authors. In succeeding decades it has presented—often for the first time—works by virtually every major contemporary poet. In 2011, the magazine was honored with two National Magazine Awards. It celebrates its centennial in 2012.

About the Poetry Foundation
The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine, is an independent literary organization committed to a vigorous presence for poetry in our culture. It exists to discover and celebrate the best poetry and to place it before the largest possible audience. The Poetry Foundation seeks to be a leader in shaping a receptive climate for poetry by developing new audiences, creating new avenues for delivery, and encouraging new kinds of poetry through innovative partnerships, prizes, and programs. Opened to the public in June 2011, the Poetry Foundation building in Chicago provides new space for the Foundation’s extensive roster of public programs and events. It also houses a public garden, a library, and an exhibition gallery, as well as the offices of the Poetry Foundation and Poetry magazine. For more information, please visit poetryfoundation.org.

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About the Center for Book & Paper Arts at Columbia College Chicago
The Center for Book & Paper Arts (CBPA) at Columbia College Chicago is dedicated to furthering knowledge and appreciation of book art, including letterpress and offset printing, bookbinding, papermaking, and artists’ books. We work to preserve historical techniques while promoting research and innovations in the media of book and paper arts.

About Columbia College Chicago’s Silver Tongue Reading Series
Silver Tongue is Columbia's only cross-department, student-curated, word-based reading and performance series. Our zine is called Mad Licks, and you can find us on Facebook too. For further information, visit www.silvertonguecolumbia.com.

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About the Read/Write Library
The Read/Write Library is a new model for open, location-specific archiving of independent and small-press media. The library is always seeking books, magazines, zines, journals, broadsides, newspapers, and art books of all types, genres, and print runs from the Chicago area.

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About MAKE Literary Productions
MAKE Literary Productions, NFP is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization whose purpose is to publish contemporary literary writing through the biannual print publication, MAKE: A Chicago Literary Magazine to stage readings and integrative arts events, and to educate through public forums on literature and writing and publishing workshops.

POETRY FOUNDATION | 61 West Superior Street | Chicago, IL 60654 | 312.787.7070
Media Contact: Kristin Gecan; 312.799.8065; [email protected]