Poetry off the Shelf: Temye Tesfu and Kemi Alabi

Join us for a reading and conversation with German slam poet Temye Tesfu and Chicago poet Kemi Alabi.

This is a hybrid event, which will be offered in-person and via livestream.

ተመስገን ተስፉ (Temye Tesfu) writes poems and other texts for the page and the stage, and can be found performing at literature festivals and in bars, basements and theaters. Their work has been published in various anthologies and newspapers. They are the founder of the artist collective »parallelgesellschaft«, which is designed as a self-reliant community of writers and other artists of color and has been organizing community events since 2017. Temye also has been working as a moderator, curator, and instructor for creative writing for the past decade. In 2021, they were granted the year-long Work Stipend for Literature by the Berlin Senate.

Kemi Alabi is the author of Against Heaven, winner of the Academy of American Poets First Book Award, and coeditor of The Echoing Ida Collection. Their work has been published in Poetry, The Atlantic, The BreakBeat Poets Vol. 2, Best New Poets 2019, and elsewhere. A recipient of the 2020 Beacon Street Prize, Alabi has received support from MacDowell, Tin House, and Pink Door. Born on a Sunday in July, they live in Chicago, Illinois.

In-Person Attendance
Masks are strongly encouraged and available at check-in for those who would like to wear one. Please note that some event performers may choose to perform without a mask. The Foundation reserves the right to update this policy if community levels of COVID-19 increase significantly. Read our full COVID-19 Health & Safety Guidelines. Guests are encouraged to register in advance.

Livestream Attendance
The livestream link will be shared with registered guests on the day of the event. In order to receive the livestream details, please register in advance here.

The Poetry Foundation’s events are completely free of charge and open to the public. This event will include CART captioning and ASL interpretation. For more information about accessibility at the Poetry Foundation, please visit our Accessibility Guide.