Quraysh Ali Lansana is the editing poet for In Verse, a new program by WBEZ. This summer, they're sending out a reporter, a photographer and a poet together to reflect on the emotional weight of Chicago's gun violence. Friday, July 21 This week's poet: Paul Martinez-Pompa Read the poem and report here. Saturday, July 29 This week's poet: Tara Betts Read the poem and report here. Saturday, August 12 This week's poet: Quraysh Ali Lansana Read the poem and report here. Friday,

Windy City Times covers Quraysh's reading with Sandra Jackson-Opoku, Tara Betts and Keith Wilson at Women & Children First — 5233 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640. Read the full story here.

photo credit: Tom Cruze/Sun-Times Qurash Ali Lansana helps celebrate Kelan Phil Cohran's 90th birthday party. The celebration took place at 63rd Street Beach with the voices of David Boykin, Ugochi Nwaogwugwu and more. Read the full story here.

The Chicago Review of Books takes on The Whiskey of Our Discontent: Gwendolyn Brooks as Conscience and Change Agent–the anthology dedicated to "Chicago's greatest gift to American arts and culture." Reviewer, Aram Mrjoian, goes on to describe the anthology as an analysis of Miss Brooks' extensive influence among other poets and authors, while also paying attention to her position in academic discourse as a prolific writer and activist. Read the full review here. #Review #OMB1

Mass Poetry publishes "Concealed and Carried: Gwendolyn Brooks' Loaded Boxes" — an essay written by Quraysh Ali Lansana, originally published in the anthology, The Whiskey of Our Discontent: Gwendolyn Brooks as Conscience and Change Agent, ed. with Georgia A. Popoff (Haymarket Books, June 2017). #Essay #News #OMB100

This series of posts published by Harriet — The Poetry Foundation's literary blog — has been curated by Quraysh Ali Lansana in honor of Gwendolyn Brooks during the month of her 100th birthday. The Brooks bloggers for June are: Randall Horton, Simone Muench, Evie Shockley, Sandra Jackson-Opoku, Patricia Smith, Afaa Michael Weaver, Matthew Yeager and Lansana himself. #Essay #News #OMB100