No Blue Memories: The Life of Gwendolyn Brooks

"A production so weird and innovative, it's hard to describe... like being on the set of a Hollywood movie and watching it on-screen at the same time." - Chicago Magazine

No Blue Memories: The Life of Gwendolyn Brooks, co-written by Eve L. Ewing and Nate Marshall, brings to life the story of one of Chicago’s most beloved figures. She was an icon, a poet laureate, and a Pulitzer Prize winner—but she was also a treasured educator and mentor to the countless writers and children who knew her as their very own “Miss Brooks.” Weaving together poetry, storytelling, and striking visuals, No Blue Memories is an exploration of Brooks’s beloved city and a story of how she navigated identity, craft, and politics over the course of one of the most remarkable careers in American literary history. The performance combines intricate paper puppetry, live actors working in shadow, and an original score for an unforgettable multi-media experience.

No Blue Memories is a production of Manual Cinema, with original music from Jamila Woods and Ayanna Woods. Commissioned by the Poetry Foundation for the Brooks Centenary, No Blue Memories received two weeks of free performances in November 2017 for both the general public and Chicago Public School students.

Reviews:
Chicago Reader
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