Friday 6/6 – Thursday 6/12
7 SATURDAY From her first book, A Street in Bronzeville, to her latest collection of poems, Children Coming Home, Illinois poet laureate Gwendolyn Brooks has broken barriers and inspired others to follow her lead; in 1950 she became the first African-American to win the Pulitzer Prize. These days she judges poetry contests, conducts workshops, and is writer in residence at Chicago State University’s Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Culture. A wide spectrum of poets and literary luminaries from Elizabeth Alexander to Studs Terkel will help Brooks celebrate her 80th birthday today with Eighty Gifts, a free four-hour program of poetry readings and performances. It’s from 11 to 3 in the auditorium of the Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S. State. Call 312-744-6630 for more.
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10 TUESDAY Landlubbers don’t have to traipse to the North Shore to learn to sail. They can learn right here in the city on one of the Dyer dinghies used in the Chicago Yacht Club’s Adult Sailing Program. The four-week course teaches the basics of boat handling and safety, theory, knot tying, terminology, and self-rescue techniques. Graduates are qualified to crew on a 40-foot yacht or go solo on a two-man boat. The club offers four courses during the summer; one of them begins today and meets on consecutive Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 8:30 at the Chicago Yacht Club at Belmont and the lake. It’s not cheap, however; tuition is $320. Call 773-477-6951 to register.
