Chicago’s New Left Bank: From the Dil Pickle to the College of Complexes
This presentation explores the vibrant history of community-based literary organizations in Chicago, marshalling the resources of the Newberry Library to retell the story of two countercultural institutions that once operated just a block away: the Dil Pickle Club (1917-1935) and the College of Complexes (1951-1961). The Dil Pickle was a notorious bohemian hotspot of the roaring ’20s; the College of Complexes, “an adult education center where the matriculation fee is the price of a bottle of beer," kept the Pickle’s spirit alive into the staid 1950s. At both the Pickle and the College, poetry played a key role, and it was through these raucous organizations that Chicago gave its indelible spin to major literary movements of the period, from Dada and Surrealism to the Beats. These institutions nurtured radical innovations in both art and life; the story of their rise and fall is one important—and often amusing—chapter in the history of literary Chicago.
Speaker
Matthew Kilbane is the Glynn Family Honors Assistant Professor of English at the University of Notre Dame. He is the author of the The Lyre Book: Modern Poetic Media (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2024) and the editor of Expressive Networks: Poetry and Platform Cultures (Amherst College Press, 2025).
About Colloquium
Colloquium is a weekly series of talks featuring staff, fellows, and scholars who are working with the library’s vast collections. These events bring together experts from various fields to share their research on a wide range of topics, followed by an opportunity for the audience to ask questions and engage in conversation.
Colloquium is open to the public and offers a chance to explore fascinating ideas and new discoveries. No advance registration is required.