Gbypa Poetry Teaching Workshop | 6-12th

llinois Humanities, in partnership with the Poetry Foundation, Brooks Permissions, and the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, is currently accepting submissions from youth in grades k-12 for the Sixth Annual Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards (GBYPA). The deadline for submissions is Friday, May 6, 2022.  For more information about GBYPA, click here.

This virtual workshop on Saturday, March 19th is for Illinois teachers, parents, and guardians working with grades 6-12th. This workshop, in partnership with the Chicago Poetry Center, will be led by one of their poets in residence, Timothy D. Rey.

Timothy David Rey is a writer/ performer who works in poetry, plays, and monologue (both fictional and autobiographical). He teaches creative writing and performance throughout the city of Chicago and suburbs. He is a 2015 Semi-Finalist for the Guild Literary Complex’s Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Poetry Award, and one of the winners of Project Exploration (The Poetry Center of Chicago 2004). He is the co-founder of the LBGT Solo Performance Showcase, Solo Homo (2002-2011). Timothy’s plays and performances pieces have been seen and heard at venues throughout Chicago as well as out of state and in Panama. Timothy’s writing has appeared in magazines and journals including ’60 Inches From Center,’ and ‘After Hours: The Chicago Journal of Writing & Art.’ ‘His book of poetry and performance, Little Victories, was published in 2012 by NewTown Writers Press. Timothy has performed at Steppenwolf Theater (Lookout Series),  New York City’s International Fringe Festival as well as The Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts.

On Saturday, March 19th, the Chicago Poetry Center will lead a workshop on strategies for teaching poetry geared towards teachers, parents, and guardians. The workshops will be held from 12:00-1:00 p.m. CST for teachers of grades K-5 and from 1:00-2:00 p.m. CST for teachers of grades 6-12. Click here to sign up for the 6-12th session.

Continuing the tradition started by the Pulitzer Prize-winning Illinois Poet Laureate herself in 1969, the Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards celebrates the creative expression of youth throughout Illinois. The selection committee chooses two winning poems per grade level as well as up to three honorable mentions. Winning poets receive a small cash prize along with a book of Gwendolyn Brooks poetry from Library of America, a poetry chapbook containing all the winning poems and honorable mentions, and are honored in an awards ceremony scheduled for Saturday, August 20, 2022, to take place at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, if public health condition permit, otherwise it will take place virtually.