ATROCIOUS POETS

We put poetry where it doesn’t belong.

A polaroid photo of two women wearing yellow safety vests. One wears a hard hat and the other holds a megaphone. The words Lima Beans are written in marker on the bottom of the photo.

A vintage vending machine sits in a hallway. The sign on front reads Liminal Space Photo Booth. A small video screen at the top shows an 80s-style graphic.

Touch the poetry

WE ENCOURAGE IT.

Our space in the Woodstock Square Mall is all about poetry you can play with. Technically we inhabit an oversized closet under the stairs, but poetry leaks out of the walls and sprawls out on the counter, waiting for you. Listen to a poem on our poetry phone. Make a poem on the magnet board. Pick up some reading recommendations in the waiting room that vaguely reminds you of a 1980s doctor’s office. Pull up to our wood-paneled vending machine that’s constantly changing: you might get a poem that looks like a fortune from a rodent, a poetic message from your future self, or a tiny art print that is guaranteed* to cure your specific malady. This ever-evolving, slightly inexplicable space offers up a rotisserie of experiments and games and nonsense that have no purpose other than to remind you that poetry exists for you. So please touch the poetry. We’ll be disappointed if you don’t.

*Listen, guarantee might be too strong of a word.

COME ALONG

TURN UP AND DO POETRY WITH US.

WAX POETIC OPEN MIC
Third Thursday of each month • 6:30 to 8 p.m.
The Records Department • 216 Main St. Woodstock, IL
Every third Thursday we co-host a poetry open mic at the coolest record shop in town, The Records Department. Join us over at their new spot on Main St. for some fine poetry shenanigans. Sign up at the door to read your stuff or just hang out and soak in the poetry. The shop is wheelchair accessible.

A man in a cap stands at the front of a room full of people who are both seated and standing. The man is behind a music stand and a floor mic. There are large windows behind him and records displayed on the wall.

SATURDAYS AT THE MALL
Most Saturdays • 1 to 3 p.m.
Atrocious Poets Office • Woodstock Square Mall • 110 S. Johnson St. Woodstock IL
Saturdays from 1 to 3 we’ll be hanging out at our office in the Woodstock Square Mall. Drop by to do a writing exercise, check out our vending machine, or just say hi. (Schedules change quicker than this website. So check our Instagram for updated info.) Mall is wheelchair accessible through the east entrance.

FIELD TRIP!
May 3, 2025
Art Institute of Chicago
Is your permission slip signed? Because we're going on a field trip! No sack lunch required. Join us on a little excursion to Chicago for some ekphrastic-poetry writing at the Art Institute. We'll take the train down from Crystal Lake and head over to the museum (or you can meet us there). We'll have some writing prompts to get us thinking about how poems can respond to other works of art. Email us for the logistics if you're interested.

ROUND ROBIN POETRY LETTER

Starting April 2025
The internet is toxic. Let’s lick envelopes instead. You don't need to be on digital platforms owned by psychotic billionaires to share ideas with other people. You can join our round robin poetry letter instead. OK, you'll probably reach like seven people instead of seven million, but none of them will be AI-generated, promise.

Here's how it works: We'll send out a writing prompt to one person. That person will write something in response to the prompt and send both the prompt and the response on to the next person on the list and so on and so forth until it's gotten around to everyone.

Interested? Email us with your name and mailing address to sign up.

A dark green typewriter with white keys is in the foreground. A small poetry chapbook sits on the table beside it. In the background, there is an art gallery. Several people are standing and looking at the art. Lights twinkle overhead.

If you require additional accommodation in order to attend any of our events, please let us know 2 weeks ahead of time. We will do our best to make sure you can comfortably participate.

SERIOUSLY, THOUGH

WE ARE A 501(C)3 NONPROFIT WITH A CHECKING ACCOUNT AND A MISSION STATEMENT AND EVERYTHING.

Here’s our mission statement:
The Atrocious Poets connect people through poetry. We look for unexpected and engaging ways to bring poetry into the everyday life of our community. We spark conversations and provoke reflection, helping people find meaning in their own and others' experiences.

And you can donate here:

DONATE