Marc PoKempner is a longtime Chicago-based photojournalist, music being a particular object of his fine focus. PoKempner's work has appeared in virtually all Chicago periodicals, notably informing the look of the alternative weekly Chicago Reader since its inception. He's also been published in Time, People and the New York Times, and has photographs in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Among Marc's special studies have been jazz, the blues, the culture of Maxwell Street (an open air flea market) and Cuba.

The Women's Avant Fest '97, Thursday Oct. 9 and Sunday, Oct. 12, 1997, convened more than 25 jazz, blues, Latin, new rock, country and classical composer-performers, improvisers and ensembles from Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, Madison, New York and San Francisco, led by (but not exclusively) forward driving women. Eighteen of the groups performing in an 11-hour concert marathon at the club Lounge Ax. The next weekend nine of the groups performed in the Twin Cities - and there's already talk of trying to fund raise for a follow-up fest in '98.