Name: The Poetry Brothel Chicago: Movie Night at the Music Box
Start: 2025-09-07T21:30:00-05:00
End: 2025-09-07T23:30:00-05:00
Location: Music Box Theatre

The Poetry Brothel Chicago: Movie Night at the Music Box

The Poetry Society of New York is a 501(c)3 non-profit rooted in the belief that art and poetry belong to us all. At PSNY, we present poetry unconventionally—with no in-house style, transcending the everyday, and prioritizing accessibility, experimentation, and undeniable fun. Each of our events offer an invitation into a vibrant poetry world specifically designed to stimulate discovery, wonder, and life-long friendships between artists.Learn more athttps://www.poetrysocietyny.org

The Poetry Society of New York

An immersive literary cabaret with private poetry readings, tarot readings, vaudeville, and more...

Music Box Theatre

The Poetry Brothel

The Poetry Brothel was founded in NYC in 2007. It is an immersive literary cabaret that fuses poetry, advocacy, burlesque, vaudeville, live music, visual art, magic, mysticism, and one-on-one poetry experiences.

Lights, Camera, POETRY!Join The Poetry Brothel Chicago and our special Guest Chen Chen for a pop-up of poetry, tarot, and old Hollywood decadence as we sexy slumber party our way into extending summertime. Wear your comfiest or sexiest jammies, bring your blankey and an open mind...and let us poem you for an evening full of delight and irreverence. Chen Chen is the author of two books of poetry, Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency (2022) and When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities (2017), both published by BOA Editions. His latest chapbook is Explodingly Yours (Ghost City Press, 2023). His writing is widely anthologized, including in 100 Poems That Matter, 100 Queer Poems, Poetry Is Not a Luxury, and three editions of The Best American Poetry. His honors include the Thom Gunn Award, three Pushcart Prizes, the National Book Award longlist, and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and United States Artists. He lives in Rochester, NY and teaches for the MFA program at New England College.Event Detail<ul><li>Age Requirement: 21+</li><li>Doors Open: 9:20 PM</li><li>Show Time: 9:30 - 11:30 PM</li><li>VIP tickets include priority seating in front of the stage, and a token to get your journey started.</li></ul>At The Poetry Brothel, a “madam” presents a rotating cast of poets, artists, and artisans who operate within self-constructed characters, “erupting into verse in public and luring guests into back rooms for private readings,” as described in The New Yorker. Central to The Poetry Brothel experience is the creation of character, which for each artist serves as a disguise and a freeing device, enabling The Poetry Brothel to be a place of uninhibited creative expression where artists and audience members alike can communicate more authentically.Artists performing with the Brothel reflect the diverse identities of our great city of Chicago. Cis and trans women, cis and trans men, genderqueer, genderfluid, and nonbinary folks, people of color, queer, straight, emerging, established, local, and international poets make up our cabinet of poetry whores and brothel beauties. Their alter-egos may be faeries, sirens, witches, aliens, divas, royalty, demons, ancient forests, and everything in between. Some of the artists within The Poetry Brothel universe perform sex work in their off-hours (but not at this event!). The Poetry Brothel uses its platform to support sex workers and to educate audiences about the sex industry.In addition to its poets, The Poetry Brothel presents artists and activists working in a variety of mediums both on stage and through its ever-changing array of intimate, interactive, and creative services.~On Consent: Behave with beauty, connect with intention. We are, by and large, a no-contact event -- here to blow your mind and nothing else! Always ask before touching anyone in our House, and report any discomfort to security, staff, or the Madam Herself without delay.Our show may include flashing lights, reasonably amplified music, and a startling glimpse of your true self.On Accessibility: The theater is on the first floor. IF SPECIAL ACCOMODATION IS NEEDED PLEASE EMAIL THE MADAM: candace@poetrysocietyny.orgPlease see our FAQs for answers to common questions.Follow us on Instagram @poetrybrothelchicago for updates and sneak peeks!

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The Poetry Brothel Chicago: Movie Night at the Music Box

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The Poetry Brothel Chicago: Movie Night at the Music Box

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