Cheap, Sassy, Rideable - Huge Bike Sale

The U of C is having a huge bicycle sale this spring - well worth checking out as the bikes are "cheap, sassy, and rideable". Perhaps more important is the price - most bikes are under $100. If you're looking for a summer clunker, this is the space to get it. The sale will be held in the Hutch Courtyard, right next to Mandel Hall. If you need to mapquest it, the address is 1135 East 57th Street, near the corner of Woodlawn and 57th I believe.

Song poem extravaganza!

The PBS documentary Off the Charts details a history of song-poems, which are the lyrics of average people set to music, with wildly varying results. The documentary, part of PBS' Independent Lens series, screens tonight at the Siskel Film Center at 7:30 PM. The director, David Fox, will be there, as well as musicians Kelly Hogan, Scott Ligon and Anna Fermin, who will perform a short song-poem set before the film. The screening will be followed by a huge song-poem concert at the Hideout, which will be featuring a who's-who of Chicago musical talent: Scott Ligon, Joel Paterson, Kevin O'Donnell, Edith Frost, Janet Bean, Jon Langford, Sally Timms, Cynthia Plaster Caster, Edward Burch, Anna Fermin, and many more. The song-poem event of the decade! (If you miss the film tonight, it'll be screening again; check the Film Center's Website for details.) Siskel Film Center: 164 N. State. (312) 846-2600.

Paper Politics: poster exhibit

As part of the currently running Version>04 festival, the art exhibit "Paper Politics: A Show of Socially Engaged Printmaking" opens tonight at the offices of In These Times. More than 50 artists contributed posters to the show, and much of the art will be on sale for $25 or less. The opening reception runs from 7:00 to 11:00 tonight, and is free and open to the public. In These Times: 2040 N. Milwaukee, 2nd floor. (773) 342-8251.

Shaggs Symposium @ Old Town School

If you're a fan of Outsider Music, and by some chance you're not attending the Song-Poem Extravaganza planned for tonight at the Siskel Film Center, you might wish to head over to The Old Town School of Folk Music. They're planning a Shaggs Symposium, which is billed as a discussion of The Shaggs, the infamous three-sister rock band which is the subject of the current Lookingglass Theatre production, Philosophy of the World. Scheduled to appear to discuss the band: the Lookinglass Theatre's Joy Gregory and David Catlin, the Chicago Tribune's Rick Reger, and freelance music journalist Bill Meyer. The discussion happens tonight at 6:00, in the Old Town School's concert hall. Old Town School of Folk Music: 4544 N. Lincoln. (773) 728-6000.

Pinback/Enon @ LSA

The Empty Bottle presents Pinback and Enon at the Logan Square Auditorium, Make Believe is opening. Tickets are $13 and $15 at the door, you can purchase tickets in advance online. You must go.

Art for Charity Days

The Cornelia Arts Building usually houses dozens of artists, toiling away at their crafts, but during this two-day event, artists and artisans will donate a percentage of their sales to charities of their choice. This free reception runs Saturday and Sunday, April 17 and 18, from 12 noon to 4 pm. Charities to be supported include the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Lambda Legal, MoveOn.org, NAMES Project Chicago and many more. The Cornelia Arts Building at 1800 West Cornelia, is a multi-arts complex housing studios of over 40 artists and artisans making a variety of crafts and fine art. For more information about the event contact Jason Messinger at JasonMessingerArt@hotmail.com or call (773)255-0993.

Poetry Fest/Contest Winners Announced

As a part of the Chicago Public Library's Poetry Fest 2004 the Poetry Center is sponsoring a reading featuring the finalists of the Poetry Center of Chicago's 2004 Juried Reading competition. The reading and an awards ceremony will be held at the Harold Washington Public Library, located at 400 S. State Street, on Saturday, April 17, at 2 p.m.

This year, over 300 Illinois poets submitted their work to the Juried Reading. Come and listen to the finalists Kristy Bowen, Jason Bredle, Charlie Clark, Joanne Diaz, Lorraine Harrell, Daniel B. Johnson, Kristy Odelius, and Kiki Petrosino all selected by poet and judge Campbell McGrath. You can even watch as $2,000 in prizes will be awarded. (See, poetry does pay.)

Teen Chicago exhibit opens

The Chicago Historical Society presents Teen Chicago, a three-year project to study how teenagers affect Chicago's history. Today a Teen Chicago exhibit opens at the CHS building at Clark and North. There will be gallery tours, performances, films, lectures, and a special performance by the CHS Teen Council. What more does the Chicago teenager need? The exhibit will be open to the public from 10:00 to 4:00 today. See the CHS Website for directions.

American Artists in Paris @ Terra Museum

The Terra Museum of American Art is closing at the end of October, and the second-to-last exhibit opens today. "A Transatlantic Avant-Garde: American Artists in Paris, 1918-1939" is a focus on three aspects of the Parisian avant-garde: Cubism, Geometric Abstraction, and Surrealism. The exhibit runs through June 27, and is free and open to the public. Terra Museum of American art: 664 N. Michigan. (312) 664-3939.