located at 2850-1/2 W Fullerton Av.
(between California & Milwaukee)
southeast of Logan Square, Chicago

Center Portion is "an artists' project space", a multi-arts venue that places an emphasis on spoken word and performance poetry, and hosts cabaret theater. You may read full details on this venue at centerportion.com. Bus lines serving the venue include routes on California, Fullerton, and Milwaukee Avenues. The CTA Blue Line rapid transit, between O'Hare and the Loop, stops 1-1/2 blocks away at California Station. Click for mapped directions from Mapquest.com.

The venue is unique in Chicago (and possibly the USA) for its focussed support of literary/performative arts with new media. In the last year, Center Portion has hosted the Electronic Literature Organization's GiG benefit party, an annual celebration of new literature in electronic media. It was also the space for e-poets' own media poetry workshop with Young Chicago Authors in a live 2-way video link to Vancouver, co-presented by the Edgewise ElectroLit Centre (a Network Charter member). In spring, Urban Voices enjoyed a very successful month-long run at Center Portion; Urban Voices is an annual revue of noteworthy performance poets from Chicago.

In gallery mode, Center Portion has also presented visual arts such as sculpture, fine glass and ceramics, photography, painting, and even graffiti art. The adjoining gardens and stone circle invite guests to talk about what they've seen and heard, to linger a while and explore new ideas together. On nights when the weather permits, guests gather around an outdoor fire for reflection and lively talk.

For all the above reasons, the e-poets network is proud to call Center Portion the flagship venue for Geoconference 2. We are most grateful for Center Portion's sponsorship and support of our Geoconference. When you come to Center Portion, come prepared for conversation. We, the Network, believe we make a fine team with our conference venue. We'll bring you the freshest ideas on new media and language arts, and the ambience of Center Portion will invite you to take those ideas and run with them on your own. We feel this self-educating dialogue is the Information Revolution's answer to the lyceum movement of the Industrial Revolution: share ideas, converse, and practice liberal mutual mentorship. In the electronic arts landscape where we all may interact, surely the audience is the seat of wisdom.

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