Graybeards

5/16/2001 – 5/16/2001

7:00pm

Tonight Guild Complex is proud to present two of Chicago?s favorite sons, Daniel Ferri and Kent Forman.

Kent Forman wraps jazz, gospel and theater together in a tight poetic arrangement that speaks to ancestry, spirituality, creativity and reality, using his voice as an instrument. The elasticity of his artistic vision keeps him on the cutting edge of what has made poetry a captivating wildcard.

In 1994, his poem ?Chicago? was selected as the winner of the Chicago Historical Society?s Carl Sandburg Award. Two of his poetic plays, Summer In The City and It?s about Time, were produced by his mentor Oscar Brown Jr. Kent has toured with drummer Max Roach with whom he recorded the song ?Suffragette?; and performed with musicians Jack DeJohnette and Maurice White.

Daniel Ferri is a sixth grade teacher who began writing in the mid nineties to help preserve his sanity. He was a member of Chicago area teams at the National Poetry Slam Tournament from 1994-1999, his teams twice placing second. He began writing and performing radio essays on Chicago Public Radio?s program ?848? in 1998 and is now also a regular commentator on National Public Radio?s ?All Things Considered.? His work has been published in Harper?s Magazine, The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry, Powerlines, Slam: The Competitive Art of Performance Poetry among other places.

Performers

Daniel Ferri, Kent Forman