Safia Elhillo and sam sax

Safia Elhillo and sam sax read their poetry at the 19th annual Chicago Public Library Poetry Fest in celebration of National Poetry Month. Elhillo, who has recieved fellowships from Cave Canem, The Conversation, and Crescendo Literary and the Poetry Foundation's Poetry Incubator, is the author of The January Children (2017). Sudanese by way of Washington, DC, Elhillo is co-winner of the 2015 Brunel University of African Poetry Prize, and winner of the 2016 Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets. A two-time Bay Area Grand Slam Champion, sax is the author of Madness (2017), winner of the National Poetry Series. His second book, Bury it (Wesleyan University Press, 2018), won the 2017 James Laughlin Award from the Academy of American Poets.