December 7: Slam poet Gabriela Garcia Medina at the 6:06 Coffeehouse

"Few spoken word artist can speak of Revolution and do it with style. Gabriela is one of them. Born to Cuban parents, she has seen the world through eyes most haven’t. As an international spoken word artist and award-winning poet, her poetry has taken her to places such as South Africa, Cuba, Brazil, Switzerland and all over the United States. Her poetry ranges from topics as serious as the social injustices we all face to talking about her lingerie. Most recent are her national commercials for Dove and Toyota, which features her poetry and performance."

When: Tuesday December 7, 6:06 p.m.
Where: IUPUI Campus Center Atrium 420 University Blvd. Indianapolis, IN 46202

Free, plus coffee and hot chocolate

Debrook @ Butler

Butler University's Visiting Writers Series the largest and most comprehensive in Indy, with an average of 16 public readings and Q & A sessions every year. Featured are some of the most influential people in contemporary literature: Toni Morrison, Billy Collins, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Gwendolyn Books, Nick Hornby, David Sedaris, Allen Ginsberg and Amy Tan.

Spring 2011 lives up to the standards set by the Delbrook series. Still to be determined is the March date and location for Alicia Erian (could the University be putting its March plans on hold until it has a sense of how far the Bulldogs might go in the NCAA basketball tournament?). Erian is an Egyptian-American novelist whose critically acclaimed book Towelhead — a coming of age story about a thirteen-year-old girl named Jasira who is sent from her Euro-American mother's home in Syracuse to live with her Lebanese father in Houston — was made into a successful film.

Other writers coming to town this spring as part of the Delbrook series:

February 8: MacArthur genius winning essayist George Saunders

February 23: Mark Halliday reads his “ultra-talk poems”

March 7: Award-winning poet Bob Hicok

March 22: Taylor Mali emerges from the world of poetry slams

March 28: Poet Marilyn Chin brings both her identities to Butler

April 12: Screenwriting novelist Richard Russo