Contents
Preface / Javon Johnson
Intro / Javon Johnson
Welcome to Chiraq
on hearing King Louie / Andrew Barber
when King Louie first heard the word chiraq / Kevin Coval
To Live and Die in “Chiraq” / Mariame Kaba
Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day / Malcolm London
Memories / Aneko Jackson
Windowpain: Bryce Thomas / Nile Lansana
My grandmother tells me and my cousins why she hates the word Chiraq . . . / Demetrius Amparan
Do we even need to be understood to get free? / Page May
9 of Disks / Fatimah Asghar
Frank Bradely / Interview by Aneko Jackson
How America Loves Chicago’s Ghosts More Than the People Still Living in the City: An Erasure Poem / Jacqui Germain
A Tale of Two & Many Cities
I Am Windy City / Patricia Frazier
FAKE / toaster
Concrete Flowers / Aneko Jackson
Chicago is the world’s Harold’s chicken box / Kara Jackson
When asked about Chicago: A confession / Alfonzo Kahlil
History, as Written by the Victors / Krista Franklin
Ye though I walk through Chi / Naudia j. Williams
Ghazal for White Hen Pantry / Jamila Woods
Holy Hermosa / Sara Salgado
Corn man on every corner / Sammy Ortega
Into a White Neighborhood / Melinda Hernandez
Poem for Cal City: Confession / José Olivarez
In the Bridgeport row house, / Natalie Rose Richardson
I’m from Chicago, but Not Really / Michael Cuaresma
Daughter / Claire DeRosa
Damon / Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep Louder Than a Bomb Team
Flatline / Raymesha Henry
Black Boy Dreams / Aneko Jackson
Ode to North Lawndale / Anton Charles Sanders
Contesting the Narrative
Drill / Breanna Bonslater
Why Is the Chicago Police Department Targeting Chief Keef? / Jake “Krez” Krzeczowski
we real / Kevin Coval
why do black boys smoke so much weed? / Demetrius Amparan
Kill the Noise(y) / tara c. mahadevan
Windowpain: Raymond a.k.a. Lil’ Ray / Nile Lansana
The GO / Marwin “Stark of HUEY” Williams
notes for Mars Blackmon on the making of Spike Lee’s film Chi-Raq / Kevin Coval
Why I’m bootlegging Chi-Raq / A Nate Marshall Joint
The Culture Is the Art
Rethinking Revolution: Creating Space for the Black Body through the Spoken Word / Alfonzo Kahlil
Hip-Hop Poet / Marvin Tate
Woop Wop De Bam / Nate Marshall
Search / KZ
The Stoop / Jalen Kobayashi
Slay / KZ
Speak / E’mon Lauren
I TAG CTA / Sammy Ortega
Flower Breaking through the Concrete: An Interview with Liz Lazdins / Leah Love
in the business: a manifesto / Kane One
On Afro-Futurism: A Roundtable with D. Denenge Akpem, Damon Locks, and Ytasha L. Womack / Leah Love
Captives public showing / Matthew Wilbourn
The Future of Chicago
Ghost Town / Idris Goodwin
Mama Emily tells the story / Sarah McKee
Out the Trap: Building with the Elephant Rebellion / Grace Jones
Paradise on fire / Jahnari Pruitt
How to Win Reparations: Chicago’s Model Legislation and Where Actitvists Have Their Sights Set Next / Yana Kunichoff and Sarah Macaraeg
BY & BY / Jamila Woods
Somewhere, Upcoming / Kara Jackson
Toward the Unreasonable / Page May and Nate Marshall
Water Pressure / Sammy Ortega
#BlackLivesMatter and . . . the Six Unconditionals / Dr. Haki Madhubuti
Ode to Dawn / Gellila Asmamaw
Outro / Kevin Coval