Chitlin Circuit Pop-Up
featuring
Indiana Poet Laureate Curtis Crisler, Chris Dean, and Makai Brown

Date: Saturday, August 15
Time: 2:00-5:00pm EST
Location: Athenaeum Foundation – Registration Required
Cost: Free and by donation

Curtis Crisler, Indiana Poet Laureate, created the Chitlin Circuit. The term “chitlin circuit” refers to a historical, segregation-era network of safe performance venues for Black musicians, comedians, and entertainers during the Jim Crow era. It is a current, dynamic, modern literary event.

The program is organic and no one really knows what is going to happen.

• The first set is 20 minutes, where three poets feed off what the first poet reads.
• The second set, each poet reads ten minutes of their own poetry.
• The third set the poets read each line of a poem until the last line, which all read together.

There will be two intermissions between sets and food and music are included.

About the presenters:
Makai Brown is an Indiana born and based artist who recently graduated from Indianapolis University, where he specialized in Digital Storytelling with a minor in Studio Art & Technology. Makai is a multifaceted performer being an award winning writer, artist, animator, and classically trained musician. As a member of the nonprofit youth writing organization Word As Bond, he has been competing in poetry competitions like Brave New Voices, The Slammin Rhymes Challenge, and Southern Fried Poetry Slam since the age of 13. Through his words Makai seeks to give a voice to underrepresented communities.

Curtis L. Crisler has written 13 books, with more always in process. He has received multiple awards and grants and is the Indiana Poet Laureate; his term has been extended to four years. His work exhibits what he calls an urban Midwestern sensibility (uMs)  — “the community and creativity of the varied relationships of descendants from the first through second waves of the southern migration, exploring their connections to place/environment, history, family, and self.” He also created the poetry form the sonastic and the Indiana Chitlin Circuit. Crisler is Professor of English at Purdue University Fort Wayne. http://poetcrisler.com/#home

Chris Dean, Indiana Beat Poet Laureate (2025-2027), is a storyteller, graphic designer, and Magpie Poet who writes from the heart of Indiana where they live with their husband and too many cats to mention. They are the co-founder and managing editor of Keeping the Flame Alive Press and author of three full length books of poetry, tales from a broken girl, we’re all stories in the end, and pyre.