Giving thanks in the windy city
In November, after dipping our toes into the international poetry water of New York, Jill Abram and I headed off to Chicago for another poetry feature slot, and also for the splendid weirdness of the Thanksgiving parade (watching it, not in it twirling a baton or dressed as a turkey).
Every Wednesday, at The Gallery Cafe in North Oakley, Chicago poet David Gecic hosts ‘a rather free-wheeling show’ where he likes to ‘do things a little different’.
One of these differences involves Dave sitting stage-side throughout, interjecting with questions and engaging with each reader. After being used to a sort of ‘fourth wall’ of quietness created at many poetry events, it was an unusual experience, and gave the evening a feeling of anything-could-happen chat show liveness.
Dave had heard good things about us, but hadn’t seen either myself or Jill read, so he took a bit of a risk inviting us to feature at his night. But then again, we also took a risk in turning up at a night we’d never been to, in a city we didn’t know. Life is full of leaps of faith, and this one paid off for all involved – it was a cracker of an eccentric, raucous, thought-provoking and rewarding night.
Kate Cullan did a comedy turn and Chicago poet Eric Richmond did a semi-feature. In the second half, there was a memorial tribute reading in dead poets corner, which I found poignant and very moving, as the poet in question – Helen Degen Cohen – had only recently died.
My poems were well-received, and the stage backdrop rather helpfully was a painting of a river – I was reading a selection of water-based poems, including a couple from my joint project with Hilaire – London Undercurrents which are set north and south of the river Thames. Dave picked up on the north/south divide and asked about it, which led on to a discussion about accents in the UK and also whether I ‘d noticed a distinct Chicagoan accent (I hadn’t).
Jill Abram was up next and, despite the loudness of pre-thanksgiving holiday makers drinking at the bar, took command of the stage with a set of new poems that show a maturing of style and a clearness of direction. A great end to an extraordinary night.
Another highlight of the Chicago trip, was a whirlwind visit to the Poetry Foundation. We got there a few minutes before it was due to close and only got the briefest glimpse inside , but it was enough to see how impressive this facility is. Definitely one to revisit another time and one to put on your must-do list if you’re visiting Chicago.
All-in-all our USA mini-tour was a great success, and now I’ve got a hankering for more international poetry forays. 2016 – bring it on.
joolz sparkes 
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