RESOURCES

On March 18, 2026 , Stomping Grounds Literary Arts Initiative hosted Open Stage at the beautiful Garfield Park Conservatory, featuring the talented R&B artist Paige Ellis. It was a truly special evening, with members of the Garfield Park Conservatory community coming together for an intimate night of storytelling, music, and connection. This was our first time hosting Open Stage in such a stunning garden space, and it made the night unforgettable. The energy in the room was

2025 marked one of the most successful and transformative years in the history of Stomping Grounds Literary Arts Initiative (SGLAI).  This year represented a shift from vision to scale, expanding our reach, deepening our partnerships, and amplifying youth voices across Chicago through literary arts, comics, music, and audiovisual storytelling. Building Our Public Presence One of the year’s earliest milestones was the official launch of our website, sglai.org . Having a centra

February 20, 2026 | Community Recap On February 20, 2026, Stomping Grounds Literary Arts Initiative (SGLAI) hosted Story & Stage  at SZNL Gallery, an evening centered on storytelling, artistic development, and community-building through live performance. The night began with a workshop exploring the line between personal narrative and performance, followed by a dynamic Open Mic that created space for emerging and established artists to share original work in a supportive env

Celebrating Youth Creativity, Growth, and Community The Holiday Showcase was a powerful celebration of youth talent, creative achievement, and community care. Held in a warm, festive atmosphere, the event brought together young artists, teaching artists, staff, and community partners in the gym of the IYC Chicago facility to honor a season of growth and transformation through music and poetry. SGLAI provided audio production and music for the event. The evening opened with gr

On December 4, 2025, Stomping Grounds Literary Arts Initiative joined the Poetry Foundation, the City of Chicago, and an extraordinary group of poets to celebrate the full video release of Chicago Soul Poem: A City That Writes Together   at the Poetry Foundation. The evening marked the culmination of a months-long collaboration led by Avery R. Young , Chicago Poet Laureate , bringing together 31 poets whose work reflects the soul, resilience, and complexity of Chicago. The ro

Pocket Con 2025 Recap video Despite a full-on Chicago blizzard, Pocket Con 2025  was one of our most powerful and well-attended gatherings to date. Artists, youth, families, cosplayers, educators, gamers, and creatives showed up with warmth, joy, and purpose—proving once again that community will always find a way. Hosted at the Chicago History Museum , Pocket Con 2025 celebrated Black, Brown, LGBTQIA+, women, youth, and independent creators through comics, performance, works