About GB Book Club

GB Book Club Book Club is the literary section of Gapers Block, dedicated to Chicago-area authors, poets and literary events.

Editor

Claire GlassLiterary Editor - Book Club
Claire Glass grew up in Philadelphia but was secretly born in Camden, New Jersey. She moved to Chicago after graduating from New York University. She writes essays and short stories, mostly about her family and gross things she witnesses while on public transportation. She is co-web editor for Chicago Publishes and freelances around town for New City and more.

Staff

Andrew Huff, Editor & Publisher
Andrew works deep into the night at his West Ridge two-flat, writing and editing and playing with the cats. He spends more time online than is healthy; follow along at me3dia.com. Email him at ah@gapersblock.com.

Rebecca Hyland
Chicagoland native Rebecca Hyland spoils her neurotic cat, occasionally writes overwrought poems, enjoys Zumba and long walks on the beach, and volunteers at the National Runaway Switchboard. She works at home and spends far too much time on the computer.

Rose Lannin, Calendar Editor - Slowdown
Rose came to Chicago by way of San Francisco and St. Paul, pursued higher education, and has been here ever since. Dull is how she rolls in her work life, but when not cheerfully steeped in routine she inhabits a colorful world of comic books, crafting, and saying she'll finally update an often-neglected blog. Email her at rl@gapersblock.com.

Lara Levitan
Lara Levitan was born and raised on the Northwest outskirts of Chicago in a little-known enclave called Schorsch Village. A freelance writer currently at work on her first novel, Lara loves cooking, riding bikes, and all the cool literary stuff going on in Chicago.

Melinda McIntire
Melinda is a local Chicago writer and blogger. You can find her on Tumblr at melindamac.com, writing about the single life in Chicago at solointhesecondcity.com, and living out her last few days as a twenty-something. She is co-producer of the Solo in the Second City reading series, which you guessed it, is a collection of writers commiserating and celebrating the hilarity that is dating and single life in Chicago. She is scared of birds, can’t snap her fingers, and is searching for the man and/or manhattan of her dreams.

Kevin Morris
Kevin Morris is an Illinois native who tried a year in Massachusetts and came right on back. Now in Chicago, he is free to continue his lifelong love affair with the city's high school basketball and White Sox. Kevin is co-founder and contributor to the literature blog DBC|Reads.

John Wawrzaszek
John Wawrzaszek, a born and raised Chicagoan, is enrolled in Columbia College's Fiction Writing program. Along with publishing the Muse, the News, and the Noose, he is an organizer for the Chicago Zine Fest and curates the reading series Two Cookie Minimum.

Emily Thornton
Emily Thornton is a writer, organizer and strong advocate of dynamic collaboration to change the world through innovative policy, effective programming and targeted efforts to maximize the potential of individuals and groups. She studied journalism for one year at the University of Oregon but quickly realized a more creative path was calling her and transferred to the Fiction Writing Department at Columbia College Chicago. After spending a year traveling abroad, followed by working in two group homes for abused and neglected children, Emily earned a Master of Social Work Degree to couple her creative skills with social justice and community engagement efforts.

Emily Wong
Emily escaped from "the armpit of the world" (Central Illinois, according to her grandpa) to the Chicago area years ago and hasn't looked back. Day to day, you can find her editing and blogging about the antics of her dog, while keeping her finger on the pulse of the Chicago poetry world.

Julie Zarlenga
Julie Zarlenga is a native of Chicago where she spends her free time writing screenplays, short fiction and poetry. She is also a film buff/nerd, however you look at it, and is proud of her useless film knowledge.

Contributors