@ Red Kiva (1108 W. Randolph)- Open mic 7:30PM / Features 8PM
Wednesday, May 19
Larry O. Dean was born and raised in Flint, Michigan. As a young man, he worked with Academy Award-winning filmmaker, Michael Moore, was widely published in the alternative press, and worked as a cartoonist. He attended the University of Michigan at Flint and Ann Arbor, during which time he won three Hopwood Awards in Creative Writing. He holds an MFA from Murray State University, teaches composition, and works as a Poet-In-Residence in the Chicago Public Schools through the Poetry Center's Hands on Stanzas program.
In addition to writing, he is a singer and songwriter with numerous critically acclaimed CDs, including Fun with a Purpose (2009). Since 2001 he has hosted a monthly songwriter showcase, Folk You! His collections include, I Am Spam (2004) among others. His work has also been widely anthologized. His magazine publications include, The Berkeley Poetry Review, Gryphon, Passages North, Third Lung Review, Black Creek Review among others. He calls Chicago home after living in San Francisco for over a decade. Contact him at www.larryodean.com/.
Lauren Pretnar is a writer of short fiction and plays. She was a finalist in the 2007 Sundance Theater Lab for Chicago and her stories have been published most recently by THE2NDHAND. She lives in Chicago with her family.
