Art Is Bonfire Chicago: June 23rd at Promontory Point

Poets, performance artists and our friends from all over the city are coming together once again at Promontory Point, where for one night ART IS BONFIRE and THE FIRE IS THE CYPHER.

There will be no list or featured artist for this event. It's simply a time for artist and art-lovers to come from all around the city to a public space to celebrate self-expression and the healing power of art.

Here are the general guidelines for the event:

1. On this evening we will be acting as one with nature so the "cypher" will go down as soon as the sun does.

2. We take turns receiving and giving energy to the fire. Bring an instrument, an original or memorized poem, something you've been waiting to burn!!!

3. When the fire dies out we will say peace until next time...

The event is completely FREE and open to the public. 

Donations accepted.

Hosted by Yours Truly Pyro Poet Tiff Beatty!

BGC May: I Know Why The Cage Bird Sings

Discussion and goodbye party for Katie will be: 

Wednesday June 13th @ 7pm.

Parrot Cage, 7059 S South Shore Drive.

http://apps.ccc.edu/parrotcage/home.html

Cocktail: Yellow Bird
•1 cup light rum
•½ cup Creme de Banana
•¼ cup Tia Maria
•3 cups orange juice
•¼ cup pineapple juice

Excuse me bitch, I mean Sis...have you seen my new video?!

Click HERE to watch!

BGC March/April Book: Warrior Poet

Discussion will be early May.
Cocktail: TBA

Pyro Poet Tiff Beatty Presents....

Art Is Bonfire

Inspiring creativity through fire, ritual, poetry & rhythm.

Est. 2011

THE FIRE IS THE CYPHER

2013 SEASON DATES

June 23

July 7 (Tacoma, WA)

September 8 

September 29

Art Is Bonfire (AIB), Chicago’s only bonfire cypher, is a fire inspired ritual featuring spoken word poets, hip hop artists, musicians, and other creative souls.

AIB hosts a social hour of roasting marshmallows and making s’mores prior to the cypher ritual, which kicks off at sundown and lasts until the park closes. Art Is Bonfire happens 4 times a year—twice in early summer and twice in the latter part of the summer or early fall and is hosted by its founder, Tiff Beatty.

#icant #2000 (spoken word)

Click #icant #2000 for the audio version.

Have you ever been as high

As the sun? Like chased the fire

But the fire didn’t run?  You know like freeze, you’re IT fire…

But the fire didn’t freeze? Wanna hit this blunt?

I froze and got burnt like California trees. And California love feels like wildfire to me. So at 16
I'm feeling California free. Cause I been sitting around the fire with my sibblings
singing “because I got high” Though we forgot the chorus. And forgot
what DARE stands for, so of course we forgot our chores. Little sister
speaks  ageless wisdom from behind a fat swisher sweet
From the front porch to hot boxing in the bathroom and rolling on the floor laughing
in back room. Mommy must be back from work, I heard somebody say
I don't hear that vacuum. Now she's coming up the stairs. She hears our laughter, smells
her fears--automatic response was tears. She pokes her head in, her eyes pierce.
"It's just weed mom." sounds like something I might have said. But if I could said anything
you can bet it would be, I mean you can bet I would beg, you can bet I would plead, 

Please don’t give me that look.  Don’t make your eyes so hard,

Your lips so tight. Don’t make your nose wrinkled. Don’t

Make your tongue into a knife.

Like you don't know that suicide is high  
Under these cloudy skies and 

I was stuck on this block, with nothin but smoke and
Rain in my eyes before I decided to

To fly. I mean abondon my wings for the chance to see a 
Christian concept of Heaven fade and enter another stage,

where Kool-Aid and Doritos taste heaven made or

heaven sent to me. Or heaven sent for me like God said
Can somebody please go get Tiffanie?
Hear I come!

Oh don't give me that look.

I know you're lonley and you're vulnerable and you're scared. But this is not you're story.
This is not the scratchy voice of an aging alcoholic, yeah I drink but i'm saying 
you started at 8— 8am, 8 years old. You were 8 years old when you had your first sip.
Addicted by 11 and I was 7 when our home was raided by narcs. They put an AK 47 in my
baby brothers face. His daddy caught a case and they took us all away.
But these eyes have never shut all day 
just to tweak in the dark. And these hands have never had the shakes or begged 
For meds from a hospital bed. This mouth has never lied 
about going to buy ice cream, and getting high instead.

So please before you shut that door... don’t make your eyes so hard, 
your lips so tight. Don’t make your nose wrinkled. 
Don’t make your tongue into a knife. Because  
I chased the fire and the fire didn't run. I froze and got burnt
like California trees. And you gonna always be my OG but this
California cush got me feeling California free. Eyes low, speech slow.
It's too close to home, too soon I know.
But you know it's different for me, not an addiction for me. Excuse the 
diction but when I'm hittin it's
like Mary Jane be addicted to me.
See we share soil and blood and history, but this..

This shit right here.
This shit right here.
We can't share this.

BGC Discussion tonight at Grace African Restaurant

The restaurant is BYOB (wine only) so we'll have a few bottles of wine instead of a signature cocktail . Come join us!