Ja Nelle Davenport-Pleasure has been named the 2023 Poet Laureate in Urbana. Read up on Davenport-Pleasure’s accomplishments in the press release below. CITY OF URBANA ANNOUNCES THE 2023 URBANA POET LAUREATE – JA NELLE DAVENPORT-PLEASURE …
Posts by Jessica Hammie:
DeShawn Williams is running for mayor in Urbana
DeShawn Williams has just announced his candidacy for mayor of Urbana. Williams currently serves as the Chief Deputy Treasurer of Champaign County, and has previously served on the Champaign County Board. He will hold an …
Save the date for 40 North’s Untitled fundraiser on February 24, 2023
The ninth annual Untitled fundraiser for 40 North will be February 24, 2023 at the Orpheum Theater in Champaign. From the save-the-date promo image, it looks like the theme might be Beatles-adjacent; the Instagram announcement …
Cloud 9, a new cannabis dispensary, will open in Champaign
Cloud 9 is a cannabis dispensary that will open on Town Center Blvd, near the big box stores in Champaign. The store will be 4,500 square feet and have about 50 employees. No opening date …
EIU’s Lions in Winter Literary Festival returns to in person programming in January
Eastern Illinois University’s Lions in Winter Literary Festival will be in-person on January 28, 2023. This year’s featured authors are Washington Post columnist and memoirist Brian Broome, poet, essayist, and 2021 Adrienne Rich Poetry Prize …
The Urbana Bike Project’s kids bike giveaway is December 17th
The Urbana Bike Project is giving away bikes for kids on Saturday, December 17th. You’ll need to bring your kid along so they can pick out their bike; bikes are free. It’s first come, first …
Join Illini Chabad and Champaign Center Partnership for a pre-Chanukah menorah lighting
This year Chanukah begins on December 18th, but Illini Chabad and Champaign Center Partnership are doing a menorah lighting ceremony in Downtown Champaign at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 8th. Visit the menorah in the …
National Congress of American Indians endorses the kingfisher as the new U of I mascot
The National Congress of American Indians is an organization founded in 1944 whose mission is to “protect and enhance treaty and sovereign rights; secure our traditional laws, cultures, and ways of life for our descendants; …
NOLA’s Rock Bar is closing December 11th
December 11th will be the last day for NOLA’s Rock Bar. Until then, you can take advantage of 50% off food and drink December 7th through 11th. That won’t be it for the space, though. …
Catch Deke Weaver and Brett Ashley Kaplan in conversation this Saturday
Deke Weaver, artist and professor at the University of Illinois, and Brett Ashley Kaplan, author and professor at the U of I, will be in conversation at The Literary at 5 p.m. on Saturday, December …