An Evening with Xandria Phillips & Raych Jackson

Join us in welcoming Xandria Phillips and Raych Jackson, who will be reading from and discussing their debut poetry collections, Hull and Even The Saints Audition. A Q&A and signing will follow the discussion.

Presented in partnership with the Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture (CSRPC)

At 57th Street Books

RSVP HERE (Please note that your RSVP is request but not required.)

About Hull: In this debut collection by African American poet Xandria Phillips, Hull explores emotional impacts of colonialism and racism on the Black queer body and the present-day emotional impacts of enslavement in urban, rural, and international settings. Hull is lyrical, layered, history-ridden, experimental, textured, adorned, ecstatic, and emotionally investigative.

About Xandria Phillips: Xandria Phillips a poet and visual artist from rural Ohio. They are the author of Reasons for Smoking, the poetry editor of Winter Tangerine, and are The First Wave Poetry Fellow at the Wisconsin Institute of Creative Writing. Their poetry has been featured in Black Warrior Review, Crazyhorse, Poets.Org, Virginia Quarterly Review, and elsewhere.

About Even the Saints Audition: Even the Saints Audition is Jackson's debut collections of poems. In this book, Jackson focuses on the connection between the Bible character Job and herself. She explores her own childhood and the relationship between blackness, shame, and what it is to live a life tied to the church. Rich with historical context  and a deeply engaging personal narrative, Jackson tackles different poetry forms including visual poetry. 

About Raych Jackson: Rachel “Raych” Jackson is a writer, educator and performer. While teaching third and fourth grade in Chicago Public Schools, Jackson competed on numerous national poetry teams and individual competitions. Her poems have gained over 2 million views on YouTube. She is the 2017 NUPIC Champion and a 2017 Pink Door fellow. She co-created and co-hosts Big Kid Slam, a monthly poetry show in Chicago. Jackson’s work has featured in many publications— including Poetry Magazine, The Rumpus, The Shallow Ends, and Washington Square Review.