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Book Club

Events Tue Jun 29 2010

Moth Story Slam @ Martyr's

Tuesday, June 29, welcomes the next edition of the Moth Story Slam, held the last Tuesday of every month. Tonight's theme is "Scars." Martyr's, 3855 North Lincoln Avenue. Stories start at 8pm (get there early to ensure seating). Cost: $7 at the door.

Rebecca Hyland

Events Tue Jun 29 2010

Zombies: Is There Anything They Can't Do?

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Tuesday, June 29, Quimby's features Alan Goldsher & Jeffrey Brown, the writer and artist who collaborated on Paul Is UnDead - The British Zombie Invasion. Publishers Weekly says "are readers ready for a world in which the Beatles just wanna eat your brains? Roughly paralleling the real-world career of the Beatles, this alternate history reimagines successes, failures, and rivalries with over-the-top bizarro charm." Quimby's Bookstore, 1854 W North Ave., (773) 342-0910, 7pm.

Rebecca Hyland

Events Tue Jun 29 2010

A Brothel in Chicago?

Don't worry, it's The Poetry Brothel! The poets/artists/designers organization is coming to the House of Blues Foundation Room (329 N. Dearborn) on July 10 from 8pm to midnight. This event series incorporates a bit of performance art as the showcased poets...well...seduce you. Tickets are $15 at the door, $10 if you bring along the flier. Stop by and enjoy poetry + absinthe + music + anything else you may expect at a brothel.

Emily Wong

Events Tue Jun 29 2010

Radical Currents Form a Literary Whirlwhind

Tomorrow -- learn about radical social movements in the U.S. through Uses of a Whirlwind: Movement, Movements, and Contemporary Radical Currents in the United States, a joint effort from Team Colors Collective recently released by AK Press. The 30+ contributors make up "a snapshot of current activity, organizing, ideas, and questions circulating among today's radicals", and their pieces cover such topics as community organizing, movement building, and all levels of revolution.

7pm, Biblioteca Popular del Barrio -- 1921 South Blue Island Ave.

Rose Lannin

Events Thu Jun 24 2010

Orange Alert Reading Series @ The Whistler

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This Sunday is the Orange Alert Reading Series. Orange Alert is a blog and book publisher whose mission is "to support the independent arts and to introduce, inform, interact, and instigate ideas." Sunday's reading features John Cotter,
Martin Seay, Kathleen Rooney and Stephen Markley. The Whistler, 2421 N. Milwaukee Ave., (773) 227-3530, Sunday, June 27 at 6pm.

Rebecca Hyland

Events Thu Jun 24 2010

Irish Eyes Are Rhymin'

The ladies who run Switchback Books will be bartending at Irish Eyes Pub (2519 N Lincoln Ave) tonight, with all tips to benefit Switchback. Stop by at 7:30pm to not only grab a drink, but get your custom erasure poem, put some change in the coin-operated poetry machine, and receive an "unprofessional" tarot reading. No cover charge!

Emily Wong / Comments (1)

Events Wed Jun 23 2010

What To Do on Thursday Night: Literary-Style

I am torn: three exciting literary events, all on Thursday, June 24, between 6pm and 8pm:

*Anthony Bourdain and his sweet, dimpled chin (and not-so-sweet vocabulary) will be at Harold Washington Library at 6pm, talking about his new book, Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook. For free.

*Jonathan Alter speaks at his alma mater, the Francis W. Parker School (330 W. Webster) as part of the Chicago Humanities Festival at 7pm. A senior editor at Newsweek, Alter will talk about his book The Promise: President Obama, Year One, which Chicago Magazine says, "is just as much a profile of Obama's behind-the-curtain personality as it is a recap of his triumphs, failures, and other pivotal moments thus far." Tickets are $5 for CHF members, $10 for the general public.

*Interior designer and founder of ApartmentTherapy.com Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan hosts a signing party for his new book, Apartment Therapy's Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces, which gives tips on how make small spaces feel bigger and more comfortable (this will definitely come in handy with my impending move into a new apartment). The party is at furniture and home-decor store Ligne Rose, 440 N. Wells, at 6pm.

Alas, because I can only go to one, I would love to hear from anyone who goes to any of these events. It'll be a game-time decision for me, I guess.

Ruthie Kott / Comments (1)

Feature Mon Jun 21 2010

Answers and Questions: Dan Epstein

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Even though Chicago-bred journalist Dan Epstein does have a pretty sweet 'fro, his new book Big Hair and Plastic Grass: A Funky Ride Through Baseball and America in the Swinging '70s is not a memoir. Instead, it's an homage to a decade in baseball known more for its crazy characters than the stats it produced. It's also a decade that Epstein experienced personally -- even if his readers don't believe it:

The weirdest thing anyone's asked me (and I've gotten several variations on this) is, "Were you even ALIVE in the '70s? You look like you're about 30." I'm 44, so obviously I took that as a compliment, but I also thought it was a little bizarre -- it implied that I wouldn't have been totally qualified to write a book on baseball in the 1970s if I hadn't actually "been there." I'm pretty sure Edward Gibbon didn't personally experience the decline and fall of the Roman Empire, but he still managed to cobble together a decent book on the subject!

Celebrate the book's publication with Epstein this Thursday, June 24, 8:30pm to 2am, at the Liar's Club, 1665 W. Fullerton Ave, where you are encouraged to bring "a crappy late-'70s rock LP with you to be destroyed" and dress in '70s duds. A "more sedate" gathering will be held on Friday, June 25, 7pm at the Book Cellar, 4736 N. Lincoln Ave.

Ruthie Kott / Comments (1)

Events Mon Jun 21 2010

Essay Fiesta @ Book Cellar

It's the third Monday of the month, which means Essay Fiesta time at the Book Cellar. Essay Fiesta brings together a cross-section of Chicago's art and writing communities for a night of first-person, non-fiction essays and charity. Tonight features 2nd Story literary director Megan Stielstra, Neo-Futurist alum and playwright Andy Bayiates, stand-up comic Kelsie Huff, Story Club host and producer Dana Norris, and author and humorist Tom Wolferman. A representative from Howard Brown Health Center, one of the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) organizations, will be present to speak about the organization's critical service offerings. Book Cellar, 4736 North Lincoln Avenue, (773) 293-2665. Monday, June 21, 7pm. Free; charitable donations accepted.

Rebecca Hyland

Miscellaneous Fri Jun 18 2010

Louisa May Alcott Redux

Remember that book about Louisa May Alcott? The author, Kelly O'Connor McNees, is the sole Chicago writer on Oprah's summer reading list.

Rose Lannin

Events Wed Jun 16 2010

Free Independent Publishing Workshops @ Quimby's

This Saturday is the Learnapalooza festival, held at various spots around Wicker Park from 10am to 5pm. The event is a community skill exchange chock full of free workshops: yoga, cooking, self-defense, swing dancing, poker, and more. Complete at-a-glance schedule of events here. Quimby's Bookstore is getting in on the action with three free 45 minute workshops on how to get involved in independent publishing. RSVP not necessary but appreciated. Quimby's Bookstore, 1854 West North Avenue, (773) 342-0910. Saturday, June 19, 2pm, 3pm, and 4pm.

Rebecca Hyland

Feature Wed Jun 16 2010

One-Shots: Mike Norton

Characterized by his clean lines and dynamic style, Mike Norton has an admirable sense of discipline, a surprising love of pugs, and is really, really tall. Currently the artist behind Billy Batson & the Magic Of Shazam!, he has has worked with Marvel and DC Comics for the past 17 years and recently put out a sketchbook of his work, Ruled!. In the last year, he has begun exploring the world of self-publishing.

Name: Mike Norton
Job: Comic Book Artist
Age: 37
Education: Can't remember...I think maybe an Addy somewhere? Bowling trophy once.
Location: Logan Square
Hometown: Jackson, TN
Website: http://www.ihatemike.com, http://www.fourstarcomics.com/
Favorite place in Chicago: My apartment. Or Challengers Comics.

How did you get into drawing comics? Professionally, and I guess pre-professionally?

Non-professionally, which obviously came first...it was how I learned to relate to the outside world. I learned to read from comic books.

     
Self-portrait

Continue reading this entry »

Rose Lannin / Comments (2)

Events Wed Jun 16 2010

Local Author Night @ the Book Cellar

Tonight is a packed Local Author Night at Lincoln Square's Book Cellar. Zoe Zolbrod reads from her novel Currency, where an American woman in Thailand gets drawn into a smuggling operation and romantic entanglements with a local man. Davis Schneiderman reads from his forthcoming novel Drain, a post-apocalyptic novel about a dried-out Lake Michigan and the struggle for political control of the strange new landscape. Author Steve Tomasula calls Drain "the Clockwork Orange of our age." UIC professor Cris Mazza reads from her forthcoming novel Various Men Who Knew Us as Girls, a novel about the border sex trade in Southern California. Last but not least, Gina Frangello reads from Slut Lullabies. Frangello ranked #19 on New City's Lit 50: Who Really Books in Chicago list for 2010. The Chicago Reader says "[Frangello] articulates truths about the selfishness of love in a way few people would admit but everyone has likely felt." The Book Cellar, 4736 N. Lincoln Ave., Wednesday, June 16 at 7pm.

Rebecca Hyland

News Tue Jun 15 2010

Chicago Poets Respond to the Gulf Oil Spill

ChicagoPoetry.com is accepting poems about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill on their "State of Emergency: Chicago Poets Respond to Gulf Crisis" page. Check out the poems published so far here. Feel like you need to vent on the crisis, too? Send in some poems for consideration by emailing Publisher@ChicagoPoetry.com. Not from Chicago? No worries -- they're now accepting poems from all over the world.

Emily Wong / Comments (1)

Events Tue Jun 15 2010

National Story Slam Competition @ CPL

Windy City Story Slam's first ever National Story Slam Competition was held at the Harold Washington Library as part of the Printer's Row Lit Fest on Sunday. Ten storytellers from around the country had five minutes each to wow an audience of avid listeners and a panel of judges that included the Chicago Tribune's Rick Kogan; playwright Alexis Pride; writer James Finn Garner; StoryCorps booster Whitney Henry-Lester; diversity speaker Susan O'Halloran; curator of Serendipity Theater's 2nd Story J. Adams Oaks; and an audience member known simply as "Mike from the crowd."

Storytellers from seven states and the District of Columbia told tales as various as the home towns they represented. Phil Kasitz from West Chester PA's West Chester Story Slam started the evening off with a story of love and loss, followed by Philadelphia's Michael McCarry of First Person Arts, who spoke of a condition no insurance company would ever cover. Massmouth's Jim Stahl followed with an eye-opening story of things seen and unseen, Porchlight's Anthony Bedard went all the way back to junior high school, local favorite Alex Bonner recalled an old friend, and Portland Story Theater's Lynne Duddy told the audience what she once bought for just $20. Nancy Donoval from Story Slam Twin Cities picked up the pace with the shifting tectonic plates in her head, SpeakeasyDC's Regie Cabico taught the audience a whole new way to pronounce "Oprah", Anderson Story Slam's Michelle Buscher explained exactly how not to stop a rushing goat, and The Stoop Storytelling Series' Ab Logan rounded out the event by explaining the relative importance of mashed potatoes and gravy.

At the end of the slam two winners were declared: Nancy Donoval, who lived up to her reputation as "the Michael Jordan of storytelling," won first place from the judges, and Alex Bonner won the audience favorite award, which was measured in applause. If you missed Sunday's event, it will soon be available for your listening pleasure on Chicago Amplified.

J.H. Palmer / Comments (1)

Events Mon Jun 14 2010

Lit After Dark: Recap

Deb Lewis.JPG

Deb Lewis tells a story at Lit After Dark, photo by J.H. Palmer

Windy City Story Slam, 2nd Story, and Reading Under the Influence converged at the Printers Row Lit fest Saturday night for three hours of nonstop storytelling at Lit After Dark. The three organizations have different styles, but the love of a good story binds them together. In case you missed it, below are snippets from the twelve stories told that night, which make a kind of short, nonsensical story:

Like they couldn't just stick a little lime in the coffin. He forgot the Korean word for hope and began screaming in English. He figures out that the situation in Eastern Europe is much worse than the situation in Berwyn. Ingrown hairs can look like herpes, and that's just bad for business. She is fuckin' laughing, and I'm about to crap my pants. Satan's minion, in my back yard, pooping. With the exception of two butches, me being one, every butch dyke we knew was taking male hormones and making surgical dates to get their tits cut off. I can't smoke pot before class, Megan talks too damn fast. Motherfucker breaks into my house and thinks he can judge me? Do you want to go to the cemetery when your nails are finished? The voice believes inspirational quotes and cries at the end of Rudy. I saw Tony Bennett in a pharmacy buying Laxatone and nasal spray.

J.H. Palmer

Book Club Thu Jun 10 2010

Jimmy Corrigan Discussion Questions

The Gapers Block Book Club is kicking off the summer months this Monday, June 14, at The Book Cellar with our discussion of Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth by Chris Ware. Below are some the questions we'll use to get the conversation started. Join us starting at 7:30pm. New member are always welcome!

1. How does Chris Ware's illustration style support the story?

2. How do you feel about the balance of dialogue/text and descriptive images? Is one more important than the other in telling the story?

3. How would you describe the family dynamics of the Corrigan men throughout the generations?

4. Is Jimmy Corrigan a hero of his own story? How does the book redefine the nature of heroism?

5. What role does the superhero play in the story? How does Ware play with the traditional comic book superhero clichés in Jimmy Corrigan?

6. Is it possible to tell the difference between dream and reality in Jimmy Corrigan?

7. How is the passage of time depicted in the novel?

8. What role does Chicago as a place fit into the story?

9. Throughout Jimmy Corrigan, Ware repeats images, panels and characters' actions in the story. How is repetition a theme of the novel?

10. What other themes does Ware keep coming back to?

Alice Maggio / Comments (1)

Events Wed Jun 09 2010

Daniel Clowes @ Quimby's, Printer's Row Lit Fest

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You have two chances to check out Ghost World author/artist Daniel Clowes this weekend. He'll be at Quimby's Saturday for a book signing and appearing at the Printers Row Lit Fest on Sunday. His latest book is Wilson, the story of a middle-aged misanthrope searching to reconnect with the ex-wife who's become a prostitute since leaving him, and their daughter, put up for adoption years earlier. The New York Times says "[Clowes has] explored the tedium and mystery of contemporary American life with more wit and insight than most novelists or filmmakers." Author signing at Quimby's, 1854 W. North Ave., Saturday, June 12 at 7pm; in conversation with film critic Ray Pride at the Printers Row Lit Fest, Center Stage, Sunday, June 13 at 11am.

Rebecca Hyland / Comments (1)

Events Wed Jun 09 2010

Printers Row Lit Fest This Weekend

This weekend is the 26th annual Chicago Tribune Printers Row Lit Fest, the largest free outdoor literary event in the Midwest. The event features more than 100 free literary programs and nearly 140 new, used and antiquarian booksellers. Author programs take place at 10 locations throughout the festival, including a Good Eating stage featuring appearances by Chef Rick Tramonto, executive chef at Tru. Approximately 200 authors are scheduled to appear, including Daniel Clowes, Barbara Ehrenreich, Anne Lamott, and Christopher Hitchens. An exhaustive list of readers and performers can be found here. Printers Row Lit Fest is located on historic Printers Row, on and around the area of Dearborn Street, from Congress to Polk streets in Chicago. Saturday, June 12 and Sunday, June 13. Free. Some events require pre-registration.

Rebecca Hyland

Feature Mon Jun 07 2010

Answers and Questions: Claire Zulkey

Humorist Claire Zulkey -- author of 2009 YA book An Off Year -- hasn't gotten too many bizarre in-person questions from readers, but, for some reason, she gets "occasional emails from people asking [her] to help do their homework for them."

In 2002 after children's author Bill Peet died I wrote a little online personal essay memorializing him. Just a few weeks ago I received the following email: "My daughter is doing a report on Bill Peet and we came across your article with your email address. I was wondering if you could answer a few questions she had. First, where did he die and how? Second, his brother's name was O.H. Do you know what that stands for? Third, what was his mother's name? I hope you can help. She is really interested and her teacher suggested that they have this in her report."

Most often I don't know the answer to these questions, but even if I did, I am too mean to help (although I plead ignorance). When I was young, I had to do my work the hard way, by going to this crazy place called the library or looking it up in the encyclopedia, which is sort of like an ancestor to Wikipedia.

(Zulkey may not be an encyclopedia, but I'm definitely using her rankings of World Cup uniform cuteness to help me decide which teams to put money on.)

Ruthie Kott

Submissions Mon Jun 07 2010

Ready for Chicago Summer?

Itasca, Illinois, poet Michael Lee Johnson can help you out with his poem, "South Chicago Night and Day." Johnson's latest chapbook, From Which Place the Morning Rises, is available here. Johnson is also the editor and publisher of four poetry Web sites that are open to submissions. Check them out through his personal Web site, and send some of your own poetry his way!


"South Chicago Night and Day"

By Michael Lee Johnson/Short Version


Night is drifters,

sugar rats, street walkers, pick-pockets, pimps,

insects, Lake Michigan perch,

neon signs blinking half the bulbs

burned out.


In the warmth of morning sun, lips grinning,

sidewalks folding open,

the big city drifts, and sailboats

lean against the Lake Michigan sand.


Emily Wong

Events Thu Jun 03 2010

Windy City Story Slam @ Empty Bottle

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This Saturday is the next installment of the Windy City Story Slam, now held the first Saturday of every month at Empty Bottle. Bill Hillman, Columbia College student and 2002 Golden Gloves boxing champ, started the Slam in 2007 after being inspired by a trip to the legendary Uptown Poetry Slam at the Green Mill. Windy City Story Slam employs similar tactics - adrenaline-fueled competition, audience heckling and cheering encouraged. Past performances have included Marc Smith of the Uptown Poetry Slam and Ernest Hemingway's grandson John, author of Strange Tribe: A Family Memoir, whom Hillmann met - where else? - while running with the bulls in Pamplona. The Onion calls Windy City Story Slam "Chicago's best kept secret" and salon.com calls it "The hippest literary event this un-hip correspondent has ever attended." This Saturday's event is a fundraiser for the National Story Slam Championships on June 13, part of the Printer's Row Lit Fest. Readers TBA. June 5, Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western Ave. at 7:30pm. Admission is $5 donation, 21+.

Rebecca Hyland

Events Wed Jun 02 2010

David Sedaris Can't Get Enough of Chicago

If you missed David Sedaris' April reading at the Auditorium Theatre, you'll have an opportunity to see him June 8-13 at Steppenwolf's Upstairs Theatre, where he'll be sharing excerpts from his book (to be released in October) Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary. But considering all but two of the performances are sold out (you can still get $35 tickets for the 3:30pm, June 12, and the 7:30pm, June 13, shows), you need to act fast.

Ruthie Kott

Events Wed Jun 02 2010

Reginald Gibbons @ Stop Smiling

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This Thursday, Northwestern University professor Reginald Gibbons reads from
Slow Trains Overhead: Chicago Poems and Stories. Author Rosellen Brown says "The poems and stories in Slow Trains Overhead are a constantly surprising tour through the loveliness and desperation of Chicago. By their attentive listening, they pay homage to the city's uncountable souls wherever they are to be found -- on the map, on the street, at home, in the solitary mind's eye. This is a necessary, enlivening book by a keen observer with an open spirit who makes impassioned music out of the most ordinary encounters, without cynicism or sentimentality." Release party hosted by Make Magazine, Stop Smiling Books and the University of Chicago Press. There will be beer, appetizers and music. Gapers Block's own Ramsin Canon will be there with a multimedia presentation on "The Chicago Ward Primer: Celebrities, Scandals and Snacks," followed by the reading. Stop Smiling Storefront, 1371 N. Milwaukee Avenue, (773) 342-1124. Thursday, June 3 at 7:30pm. Free.

Rebecca Hyland

Feature Wed Jun 02 2010

One-Shots: Eric Thornton

Longtime manager of Chicago Comics Eric Thornton has seen his share of sequential art trends, changing demographics, and many, many comics. Talking through issues of publishing and demographics revealed something of the institution's lasting appeal: carry a wide selection, carry a lot of it, and have something for everyone.

Name: Eric Thornton
Job: Chief Executive Operating Officer of Chicago Comics, coming up on 14 years.
Age: 37
Education: Southwest Missouri State, which no longer exists.
Location: Humboldt Park
Hometown: Jefferson City, MO
Website: http://chicagocomics.com/
Favorite place in Chicago: The lakefront.

Did you grow up wanting to run a comic book store?

Yes.

What was your first comic book store?

Horrible store. It was called Prince Mark's Comics, in Jefferson City, Missouri. Most of the year it was flooded, so parts of it were usually underwater. The guy who ran it, total Android's Dungeon dude. But if I organized comics for him, he'd let me take whatever I want. I'm 12 or 13, and I'd be like "I'm taking all this porn home." and he'd be like "Gooooo ahead."


Eric in his earliest comic reading days

Continue reading this entry »

Rose Lannin / Comments (1)

Events Wed Jun 02 2010

Printers Row Lit Fest 2010

On June 12 and 13, the one of the Midwest's largest literary festivals will once again descend on Printers Row in the South Loop. You'll find tons of books for sale (old, new, rare -- you name it, they've got it), author readings, panel discussions, and much much more. They even have special events just for kids. Admission is free, but some events may require pre-registration. Check out the daily schedule of events and all that Printers Row Lit Fest has to offer here.

Emily Wong

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Book Club is the literary section of Gapers Block, covering Chicago's authors, poets and literary events. More...

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