Avery R. Young

Up next in our series of weekend plans from notable, in-the-know locals—a.k.a. people we like: Avery R. Young, a local performer and poet who is currently an artist-in-residence at the University of Chicago’s new arts space, the Washington Park Incubator. Young will perform this Friday as part of opening day festivities at the new Washington Park facility.

“Friday is the opening of the Arts Incubator, a space where artists in residence at the University of Chicago have studios, workshops, and gallery space. I’ll probably be there all day. After that, I’ll kick it at somewhere like Beauty Bar in West Town.

“Saturday, during the day, I have a class over at the Center on Halsted. Afterwards, I’ll attend the Youth Speak Out open mic that goes from 4 to 5. Later I’ll head to the Louder Than A Bomb finals over at the Cadillac Palace Theatre. It’s the biggest youth poetry slam of its kind—100 teams, over 900 students battling it out. This is the wang bang doodle to see who goes on to represent Chicago at Brave New Voices, the national slam. I’m looking forward to seeing if Oak Park wins finally, or if Simeon [Career Academy] wins. I’ll probably eat dinner with some folks after that, somewhere like Café Iberico on LaSalle, a tapas place. They have this chicken with caramelized onions tapa that I love. The paella is really good too.

“Sunday I have brunch at the Bungalow in the South Loop. Let’s just be real, [I go for] the breakfast burrito. Then I’ll head to the record store Dusty Groove, and after that I have a rehearsal for this race record that I’m doing for my project with the University of Chicago. And that’s my weekend.” —As told to Emmet Sullivan