Lucy Anderton
Born: in Wales
Pen Name: None Connection to Illinois: Anderton lives in Chicago. Biography: Lucy Anderton is a Welsh performance poet who has travelled extensively through Europe, Africa and the Americas. But her writing and performing career emerged only after settling in the USA. Her interests in poetry first surfaced in Chicago in the early 1990s. At that time, the first generation of slammers were finding a broader stage for their work. They were diversifying into theater, radio, and even music. This cleared space for newcomers, and Anderton and her generation stepped in (notably Greg Gillam, Cinny Anderson, Monica Kendrick, et al). They tried the stage on for size, and it fit very well. In 1994, she performed for the Poet's Tent in the Lollapalooza rock tour. She also organized the Allen/Anderton Arts Alliance, and began curating various special readings in and around Wicker Park. She and her generation began to throw a bit of weight around on that side of town. Anderton also worked for a period in Los Angeles in the later 1990s. That West Coast stint ended, however, when she realized her artistic family were back in Chicago. LA was survivable for her. It was even pleasant to a point, but it simply wasn't home. For a woman who has traveled as much of the world as she, that was saying something. She came back to Chicago, and by the time the Guild Complex launched their 'Power Lines' anthology in autumn of 1999, she was already back in the midst of Chicago's writing and presenting, volunteering for the Guild and instigating new readings around town. In 2001, she represented Chicago at the Seattle National Slams on the Note's slam team. She lives and works in Chicago, performs and/or MCs in the monthly Women Out Loud show, and occasionally MCs readings for the Guild Complex. While her public life is quite visible, her private life is quiet and respectfully out of view.
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| From page to stage and back again : ISBN: 1893972119 OCLC: 428457361 |