Young Chicago Authors – Rooted & Radical Poetry Festival

Young Chicago Authors – Rooted & Radical Poetry Festival

Saturday, February 17, 2024

Prepare for an extraordinary youth voice celebration at the third annual Rooted and Radical Youth Poetry Festival, presented by Young Chicago Authors! Some 500 talented youth poets from 60+ Chicagoland schools will take part in an immersive, four-week extravaganza filled with poetry bouts, engaging workshops, and special events. The Beverly Arts Center is pleased to host the first three preliminary bouts of the festival on Saturday, February 17, from 10 am to 6 pm.

Formerly known as Louder Than A Bomb, the poetry festival has undergone a creative transformation. It rethinks scoring and judging, shifting the focus to empower participants and rediscover the essence of creating a community for young people to share their stories on a non-competitive stage/ Young poets will use their voices to celebrate one another through a student voting system. This year’s theme, “Joy!,” draws inspiration from Ross Gay’s powerful quote: “Joy is the mostly invisible, the underground union between us, you and me, which is, among other things, the great fact of our life and the lives of everyone.”

Join us in fostering a space where joy becomes a shared experience, stories intertwine, and the heartbeat of a united community echoes through the power of spoken word. This festival is not just an event; it’s a movement towards amplifying the voices of our youth and celebrating the profound connection found in joy.

Saturday, February 17, 2024 at the Beverly Arts Center. Tickets for each bout are available through the Young Chicago Author links below.

Preliminary Bout #1 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

Preliminary Bout #2 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

Preliminary Bout #3 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE