Poetry Events in Chicago

Check out happening poetry events all around Chicago, IL

Chicago Symphony Orchestra - DiDonato Performs Neruda Songs

 Fri, 08 May at 12:30 am Chicago Symphony Center

DiDonato Performs Neruda Songs with CSO

 Fri, 08 May at 07:30 pm Orchestra Hall - IL

The Poetry Brothel: Devotion at Aloft Circus Arts

 Sat, 14 Feb Aloft Circus Arts

MONDAY FEBRUARY 9: LATE NITE MIC WITH VIK PANDYA

 Mon, 09 Feb at 07:00 pm The Comedy Bar - Chicago Main Stage Free

The Story Luck Show 2nd Sunday of the Month

 Sun, 08 Feb at 06:30 pm Theater Wit

Chicago, IL - Karaoke Night! @ Punch Bowl Social

 Fri, 02 Jan Punch Bowl Social Chicago Free

Elevated Open Mic Night @ Blazed Bakery

 Fri, 13 Feb at 07:00 pm Blazed Bakery Free

INTERNATIONAL GREEK LANGUAGE DAY

 Sat, 14 Feb at 03:00 pm National Hellenic Museum Free

Roots Rhythm & Resilience Black History Vendor Fair

 Fri, 20 Feb at 03:30 pm 5335 S Kenwood Ave Free

Art Speaks: Abstract Expressions

 Sat, 07 Feb at 03:00 pm 1200 W 35th St USD 22

MOJO&MUSE: A Performance Speakeasy

 Sat, 07 Feb at 06:00 pm Watershed Art & Ecology Free

Soul Sessions Chi (Live Music, R&B & Spoken Word)

 Sun, 01 Mar at 07:00 pm Bassline Music Lounge USD 26

Show & Tell for Grown-Ups @ Punch House / Thalia Hall

 Wed, 25 Feb at 06:30 pm Punch House USD 0 to 23

Poetry Reading: Stages by Tramaine Suubi

 Thu, 05 Feb at 07:00 pm Women & Children First Free

Members of St. Charles Singers | Painter Tina Druce-Hoffman

 Sun, 15 Mar at 02:30 pm Artifact Events USD 34

Water to Water: Gaza Renga – Marilyn Hacker & Deema Shehabi (IN PERSON)

 Mon, 20 Apr at 06:00 pm Water to Water: Gaza Renga – Marilyn Hacker & Deema Shehabi (IN PERSON)

Whitney Hanson - Words Never Die Tour 2026

 Sat, 07 Feb at 07:00 pm Bottom Lounge Free

Poetry Reading: Hardly Creatures by Rob Macaisa Colgate

 Fri, 27 Feb at 07:00 pm Women & Children First Free

DEEPER NIGHTS TOUR - CHICAGO

 Sat, 14 Mar at 06:00 pm Kingdom Culture International Ministries Free

The Mill | variety show & open mic

 Thu, 19 Feb at 06:30 pm Burlington Bar Free

ASK + GIVE: February 2026

 Wed, 11 Feb at 06:30 pm Solemn Oath Brewing USD 0 to 18

Shorties - A Reading Series - April 2026

 Wed, 01 Apr at 07:00 pm The Bad Apple Free

Valentine's Spoken Word & Poetically Comedy Clean show

 Fri, 13 Feb at 07:30 pm 3953 S King Dr USD 15 to 61

Golden Hour Featuring Superfrye

 Fri, 01 May at 05:00 pm Epiphany Center for the Arts Free

Fem/Them Comedy Open Mic at The Understudy

 Fri, 20 Feb at 08:00 pm The Understudy Coffee and Books Free

SHIFT Housing Summit: Morning Session

 Fri, 13 Feb at 09:00 am National Public Housing Museum Free

Chicago Artopia Presents: Grisha Goryachev

 Sun, 22 Feb at 03:00 pm West Lawn Branch, Chicago Public Library Free

Valentines Poetry Open Mic - That's Poetic ($10 at the Door)

 Sun, 08 Feb at 05:00 pm Bramble Arts Loft Free

SHIFT Housing Summit: Afternoon Session

 Fri, 13 Feb at 02:30 pm 840 Michigan Ave Free

Chicago Poetry Center Presents: Blue Hour featuring Jalen Eutsey + Michelle Penuloza

 Wed, 18 Feb at 06:30 pm Haymarket House

Feedback Open Mic

 Fri, 20 Feb at 07:00 pm 1579 N Milwaukee Ave #344 Free

Audre Lorde: The Berlin Years 1984-1992 | Free Film Screening

 Tue, 24 Feb at 06:00 pm Goethe-Institut Chicago Free

Zarna Garg at Riviera Theatre - IL

 Sat, 25 Apr at 07:30 pm Riviera Theatre - IL

April Blue Hour featuring Diego Báez and Samyak Shertok

 Wed, 15 Apr at 07:30 pm Haymarket House Free

Show & Tell for Grown-Ups @ Necessary & Sufficient Coffee in Printer's Row

 Fri, 27 Feb at 06:30 pm necessary & sufficient coffee - Printers Row USD 0 to 23

Big Cheese Poetry Slam

 Tue, 31 Mar at 07:00 pm Zhou B Art Center

Cordell Winter

 Thu, 19 Feb at 07:00 pm UncommonGround - Lakeview USD 13 to 18

Water to Water: Gaza Renga - Marilyn Hacker & Deema Shehabi (IN PERSON)

 Mon, 20 Apr at 06:00 pm American Writers Museum USD 6 to 8

Oscar Brown Jr.'s Poetry as Theatre: An American Prophets Program

 Thu, 26 Feb at 06:00 pm American Writers Museum USD 0 to 8

March Blue Hour Featuring April Gibson and Mira Cameron

 Wed, 18 Mar at 07:30 pm Haymarket House Free

Femme Gaze

 Sat, 25 Apr at 07:00 pm Logan Center for the Arts USD 29 to 55

Assembly Required

 Sat, 21 Mar at 07:30 pm Surge Billiards USD 19

DIC Presents: Sudan, Remember Us Film Screening & Discussion

 Fri, 13 Feb at 05:30 pm Downtown Islamic Center USD 7 to 269

Dentata by Julia VanderVeen

 Thu, 05 Feb at 07:00 pm The Newport Theater USD 18

The Garden Open Mic featuring Damon Groen

 Mon, 16 Feb at 06:30 pm Borelli's USD 7

Dark Matter Residency Capstone: Avin HannahSmith

 Wed, 11 Feb at 08:00 pm Elastic Arts

Beatles Concert in the Dark w Award Winning Violinist WAITLIST EVENT

 Fri, 06 Mar at 08:00 pm Secret Location in Chicago Free

February Blue Hour Featuring Jalen Eutsey and Michelle Peñaloza

 Wed, 18 Feb at 07:30 pm Haymarket House Free

REST AS RECLAMATION: Sudanese Valentine’s Day Poetry Workshop

 Sat, 14 Feb at 01:00 pm 2464 N Clybourn Ave Free

CHICAGO SPOKEN WORD SHOWCASE: HOSTED BY JAMES HAMILTON

 Sun, 19 Apr at 06:00 pm Offshore Rooftop

Open Mic @ The Eco Flamingo Market Cafe

 Sun, 15 Feb at 07:00 pm 4754 N Rockwell St Free

the un-blessed | a poetry reading // solo show | by elena victoria feliz

 Thu, 26 Feb at 08:00 pm The Understudy Coffee and Books USD 15

Hands Up! Don't Go There

 Fri, 06 Mar at 07:00 pm Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro

Shorties - A Reading Series - March 2026

 Wed, 04 Mar at 07:00 pm The Bad Apple Free

Get Lit: Speakeasy Rhymes

 Tue, 14 Apr at 05:30 pm American Writers Museum USD 8 to 29

Chicago Poetry Center's Blue Hour Generative Workshop

 Wed, 18 Feb at 06:00 pm Haymarket House Free

Big Cheese Poetry Workshop

 Tue, 31 Mar at 05:30 pm Zhou B Art Center USD 15

Chicago Poetry Center's Blue Hour Generative Workshop

 Wed, 18 Mar at 06:00 pm Haymarket House Free

Chicago Poetry Center's Blue Hour Generative Workshop

 Wed, 15 Apr at 06:00 pm Haymarket House Free

Lit Night

 Mon, 09 Feb at 06:00 pm 3801 W Fullerton Ave Free

SOL Book Club

 Thu, 26 Feb at 06:30 pm Slant of Light Books Free

TOP POP! Open Mic!

 Sat, 30 May at 07:30 pm The.BlkRoom USD 7 to 50

May Blue Hour Featuring Patrycja Humienik and Soham Patel

 Wed, 20 May at 07:30 pm Haymarket House Free

Chicago Poetry Center's Blue Hour Generative Workshop

 Wed, 20 May at 06:00 pm Haymarket House Free

Spirit Balm Open Mic (1 Year Anniversary)

 Sat, 14 Feb at 03:00 pm Designs By Anna J USD 10 to 16

The Thursday Show: Chicago's Funniest Comedians with New Jokes!

 Sat, 30 Nov at 09:30 pm The Lincoln Lodge USD 13

Movement Philosophy ::::: Spring Session

 Mon, 27 Apr at 07:00 pm bim bom studios USD 0 to 87

S1 Lawndale - hope lives here! w/ Nile Lansana

 Wed, 11 Feb at 03:00 pm Lawndale Mental Health Center Free

Monthly Group Ukulele Lessons in Pilsen. FREE Ukulele Giveaway!

 Sun, 12 Oct at 12:00 pm 1637 W 18th St Free

Open Mic with Lo The Goddess

 Thu, 18 Dec at 07:00 pm Nitro Nostalgia Free

Powerful Voices Open Mic Show - Live Music, Comedy, Poetry+ More!

 Thu, 02 Oct at 07:00 pm Chicago Free

Writers Open Mic hosted by Nakiyah

 Fri, 07 Mar at 07:30 pm Eli Tea Bar Free

Windy City Shorts: An Open Mic Night for Chicago Short Movies!

 Wed, 31 Jan at 07:00 pm The Lincoln Lodge USD 15

Poetic Reconstruction

 Sun, 14 Sep at 06:00 pm Urban Luxe Cafe Free

The Very Necessary Open Mic

 Sun, 21 Dec at 06:00 pm necessary & sufficient coffee - Printers Row, South Dearborn Street, Chicago, IL, USA Free

Ladies Night / Poetry & Open Mic

 Thu, 23 Feb at 07:00 pm BAR22 USD 0 to 400

Spoken Word Poetry

 Fri, 04 Apr at 06:30 pm Urban Luxe Cafe Free

Expression Session: Open Mic Urban Luxe Cafe

 Thu, 15 Feb at 07:00 pm Urban Luxe Cafe, East 79th Street, Chicago, IL, USA Free

Powerful Voices Open Mic Show - Live Music, Comedy, Poetry+ More!

 Thu, 30 Oct at 07:00 pm Chicago Free

Yoga P'al Pueblo: Slow Flow Vinyasa En Español

 Sat, 09 Aug at 02:00 pm 645 W 18th St USD 26

S2 Lawndale - hope lives here! w/ Nile Lansana

 Wed, 22 Apr at 03:00 pm Lawndale Mental Health Center Free

Open Mic Night Trader Todd's Hosted by Devin Glass

 Wed, 07 Jan at 05:30 pm Trader Todd's Free

Free Poetry Writing Workshop and Poetry Reading hosted by Audacious Don

 Mon, 27 Feb at 04:00 pm Legler Regional Library, Chicago Public Library USD 0 to 29

The hidden cry

 Sun, 04 May at 07:00 pm 5844 S Rockwell St