Events › Poetry Puzzles With Nikki Patin

Learning a poetic form is like figuring out a puzzle. Join Chicago writer and performer, Nikki Patin, as she breaks down how to approach her favorite poetic form: the sestina. An Italian verse form, sestinas are made up of six stanzas with a three-line envoi or ending at the end of the poem. With a shifting word order at the end of the lines, this complex form has been masterfully used by poets of color. Participants will read the work of A. Van Jordan, Evie Shockley, and others and create their own sestinas as they try to solve the ultimate poetry puzzle! 

Nikki Patin has been featured in The Guardian, Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Reader, on WBEZ, WTTW, FoxSoul, and on international television and radio. In 2014, Patin addressed the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland on behalf of Black women and girl survivors of sexual violence. Nikki Patin holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction from the University of Southern Maine and is the Program Director for the Resident Association of Greater Englewood. Patin’s memoir, Working on Me, is forthcoming on Vine Leaves Press on April 9, 2024.

Accessibility
Need sign language interpretation or other accessibility assistance for this event? Please call (312) 747-8184 or email access@chipublib.org to request accommodations. Requests must be made at least 14 business days before the event.