The rest of the weekend:
— Rose Lannin
Kind of. Theater troupe Collaboraction will be dressed up as passed-on Chicago authors tonight at the 2011 Printers' Ball. They'll give ball-goers a little advice, a few words of wisdom, and the chance to win a Kindle. Seek a dead author out for an entry slip, write a literary quote on the slip, bring the slip to the Chicago Publishes table on the 8th floor, and cross your fingers! At the end of the night, perhaps you'll go home happy with a new Kindle.
— Emily Wong
Events Fri Jul 29 2011
Two Cookie Minimum's One Year Anniversary falls on Saturday July 30. This series showcases emerging writers and local zinesters. Plus it's at a bakery, Fritz Pastry (1408 W. Diversey).
Readers include: Carrie Colpitts (brilliant mistake zine), Cyn Vargas, Erin Nederbo (intern at Reading Under the Influence), Dan Copulsky (editor of Concisely zine), Kevin Kern,
Jill Summers, John Wawrzaszek (the Muse, the News, and the Noose zine)
The event is Free and begins at 4pm.
— John Wawrzaszek
News Thu Jul 28 2011
The University of Chicago's Mansueto Library is new.
Not only did it open just two months ago, but it has also brought new technology to the often very nostalgic world of books: a robotic storage and retrieval system, 50 feet underground.
Implemented to accomodate the increasing need for space (the University acquires some 150,000 new books a year), the Mansueto actually belies the "bookless" epithet by recognizing the importance of keeping the texts themselves readily available on location. While students and scholars cannot physically browse titles in the stacks, the time from book request to receipt is only a matter of minutes.
The purpose is to keep print collections accessible, rather than relegate them to the dustbin. And to keep books accessible in an increasingly digital world, sometimes a little help from a robot might be a good bet.
— Megan E. Doherty
Do you have a major soft spot for Sal Paradise's journey to the Chicago YMCA in Jack Kerouac's On the Road? According to this tongue-in-cheek list from The Hairpin, which catalogs other novels that could indicate selfishness and/or immaturity, you may be the type of dude who ends up in a situation where "suddenly you're in a TSA holding cell, all because he thought his stash would be lonely without him."
— Rose Lannin
Events Thu Jul 28 2011
If you haven't had enough at Printers' Ball, here's a few post events that should sate you.
Directly following the ball on Friday, July 29 join ALARM Press, publisher of Design Bureau magazine, for an after party at Villains Chicago (649 South Clark Street). Mingle with local publishers and Ball attendees. The event is free. Come out at 11 and stay until closing.
Then wake up the next afternoon and get your costumes ready for the Slumber Party Massacre Saturday, July 30, 9pm at Beauty Bar (1444 West Chicago Avenue). RSVP to Beauty Bar.
Entertainment will include DJ sets by Gabriel Feijóo (WLUW-FM), Miles Raymer & J.R. (of the Chicago Reader), and Dark Wave Disco, a photo booth by Glitter Guts, plus costumes contests for Best Costume and Best Couple's costume.
Admission is $5. Another Chicago Magazine hosts this event with proceeds funding The Way We Sleep: An Anthology of Prose & Comics, ACM's first stab at book publishing.
— John Wawrzaszek
News Thu Jul 28 2011
The Poetry Foundation started their Poetry app with the iPhone. Well, Android and iPad users rejoice: the Poetry app is available for you too! Now you'll get to enjoy audio poems in the virtual poetry library, poem source information, and poets' bios, plus much more. Download the Android app here and the iPad app here.
— Emily Wong
News Wed Jul 27 2011
As Borders moves on out of the city, and our lives, the University of Chicago has purchased the former Borders building at 1539 E. 53rd St. According to officials, the U of C is looking retail, home goods, entertainment, or restaurant tenants for the site. The building has been vacant since March and the purchase is "part of a comprehensive effort to create a vibrant, mixed-use corridor along 53rd Street."
— Veronica Bond
Events Wed Jul 27 2011
Thrilled, and maybe a little overwhelmed, by all the amazing literary wonderfulness at this year's Printers' Ball? What would it be like if you couldn't read well enough to enjoy any of it? Join Gapers Block and the Chicago Literacy Alliance Friday, July 29, from 6:30pm to 7:30 pm for a special Printers Ball Edition meetup (1104 S Wabash) to learn more about the literacy crisis in our city and the organizations that are banding together to fight it. Then head out with your new meetup friends to explore all that the Ball has to offer. Anyone and everyone with an interest in books, reading, literacy, and meeting like-minded people is welcome!
Gapers Block and Chicago Literacy Alliance will be located in a prime spot on the first floor in the Northwest corner next to the bar. Look for a banner!
— Emily Wong
Awards Tue Jul 26 2011
Daniel Clowes's Wilson was co-winner of the 2011 Eisner Award in the Best Graphic Album --New category. Interested in a sample of the work? A free PDF can be found here. [via]
— Veronica Bond
If you missed the Poems While You Wait booth at Wicker Park Fest last weekend, the good people behind it promise to have most, if not all, of the sun-soaked verse online by the end of July. Click here for the results.
— Rebecca Hyland
Events Tue Jul 26 2011
Men Undressed: Women Writers and the Male Sexual Experience is the theme for one of the Printers' Ball lead up events.
Susan Solomon and Gina Frangello read selections from newly published Men Undressed, a book featuring contemporary women writers taking on the point of view of male characters during their sexual experiences. Davis Schneiderman follows reading a story by Cris Mazza. All readers will be dressed up as the opposite sex.
Check it out Wednesday 27th at 6pm. The event will be located at the
Center for Book and Paper Arts at Columbia College 1104 South Wabash Avenue. Oh and it's free.
— John Wawrzaszek
Reviews Mon Jul 25 2011
Revisiting beloved childhood books is an act of bravery: will it pass the test of time, retaining echoes of the magic and meaning it held for you at 7, 10, or 12? Or is it more like a time capsule, bringing back not so much the sense of connection you felt turning its pages, but a picture of who you were during that time, the context of your life as a small child or "young adult" (that nebulous literary category) or teenager? Sometimes there's none of the staying power and a little of the history (the Goosebumps plots blur fairly easily in my own recollections), but in the case of Wendy McClure's The Wilder Life, the Little House on the Prairie series is both and then some: a classic story, a study in McClure's past and present, and more.
The more starts both in 1867 Wisconsin, as well as the 1970s Oak Park, Illinois of McClure's youth. "I swear to God it's true: we were a girl named Laura, who lived and grew up and grew old and passed on," she writes, "and then she became a part of us somehow. She existed fully formed in our heads, her memories swimming around in our brains with our own." Following these memories -- of Laura, which were actually transcribed by her daughter Rose (as I learned later, among many other things -- Rose was deeply involved in the libertarian movement, Laura briefly had a brother, Pa co-managed a hotel?) -- propels the editor by trade and long-time Laura fan across the Midwest. Her fiancée gamely along for the ride, she searches for the real-life truth and meaning amongst the butter churns, locusts, sod houses, and Nellie Olsen encounters that made up the simple, appealing, and relatable universe McClure deems "Laura World". "And Laura World, for all its enticing remnants washed in on the tides of time and antique shops," she says, "was another world, and to visit it but all was unthinkable."
Continue reading this entry »
— Rose Lannin
Events Mon Jul 25 2011
Printers Ball is annual celebration of print culture with this year's theme -- It's Alive. The Ball takes place on Friday July 29th, 6-11pm at 1104 S. Wabash. Stop by and pick up some free lit, sit in on paper making and letterpress demonstrations and enjoy live music all presented by Poetry Magazine and Columbia College Chicago.
We'll be there, too! Check us out and pick up a free pencil and sticker. We'll be next to the Chicago Literary Alliance.
— John Wawrzaszek
If you love fanfiction, spending money and Young Chicago Authors, a crafty YCA alum has set up a site for auctioning off original commissioned writings and is donating the proceeds to Young Chicago Authors. Typical wares include Dr. Who, Hawaii Five-O, Glee and Veronica Mars fanfiction (mmm...Veronica and Logan...). Offer said to run until August 16. Click here for more info.
— Rebecca Hyland
Books Sun Jul 24 2011
Who doesn't like foraging through great books for even greater deals? If you count yourself among those so inclined, stop by Women & Children First next weekend for their annual used book sale. You'll find steals on "fiction, nonfiction, children's books, LGBTQ titles, CDs, DVDs, and collectables" -- all for a good cause. Proceeds from the weekend benefit the bookstore's non-profit arm, the Women's Voices Fund, which supports all the wonderful programming they make free to the public. July 30 - 31st, 10am-7pm.
— Megan E. Doherty /
Weekend update: the following are all happening tonight, tomorrow, or Sunday. But first -- come to our event next Wednesday, a discussion with Wendy McClure, author of the Laura Ingalls Wilder odyssey The Wilder Life.
In non-weekend news:
— Rose Lannin
Events Thu Jul 21 2011
Writer Cassie J. Snider reads from her new book Fine Fine Music, a collection of stories about the other side of rock and roll and coming of age in NYC, playfully promoting it as "Sex, Pugs, Rock and Roll." Joining her will be readers Danny "Ratso" Rathbun (author of the zine Don't Tread on Me) and local Dave Roche (author of the zine My Disappearance). Saturday July 23rd, 7pm at Quimby's 1854 W. North Ave.
— John Wawrzaszek
Events Wed Jul 20 2011
The Third Coast International Audio Festival hosts "Make 'Em Laugh" tomorrow night at the Old Town School of Folk Music. Sit back for an evening of humorous stories carefully culled from the radio waves and Internet ether, read to you by Gwen Macsai of Re:sound and Stuart Flack of the Chicago Humanities Festival. Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln Ave., July 21, 7pm. $10 for the general public, $8 for Old Town School members, seniors and children.
— Rebecca Hyland
Events Wed Jul 20 2011
This Sunday the 24th from 1pm-3pm at the Smart Museum (5550 S. Greenwood Avenue), poet Matthias Regan will begin a series of two workshops combining the sensibilities of reading and looking. Intended to "explore the relationship between figures and genres of personhood," each (free!) workshop consists of a brief lecture, tour of exhibit "Go Figure," and a conversation about related stories and poems.
The first of the two workshops, "Bodies Among Other Things," pairs Kerry James Marshall's painting Slow Dance with a short story by detective novelist Walter Mosley.
The second workshop will be held on August 14th.
— Megan E. Doherty
Events Wed Jul 20 2011
Palabra Pura is a bilingual poetry reading series that takes place monthly and features Chicano and Latino artists. At each reading, a local poet is paired with a visiting writer, and an open mic is thrown in to foster interaction. Tonight's reading starts at 7:30pm at La Bruquena restaurant (2726 W. Division) and is curated by Rafael Franco Steeves with Rey Andujar and Carlos Vázquez Cruz. Admission is free!
— Emily Wong
Newcity talks to University of Chicago and DePaul faculty Bayo Ojikutu on writing routines, what he would be doing if he weren't a writer, and what book he wish he'd written. On the best place to get inspired in the city, Ojikutu says, "The Green Line ride in its entirety, from 63rd/Cottage (nearest our home), through Washington Park, Bronzeville, the 'Near' South Side, turning at the Loop bound through the West Side, before ending in Oak Park...Stay on these trains in this city, end-to-end, north-to-west, south-to-east, ride with eyes open, there and back again, and you will see things for what they are. Blinking and shining and flinching and blue and bruised and blitzed and sagging and brilliant and swinging low and ever bombastic." Ojikutu is author of 47th St. Black and Freeburning.
— Veronica Bond
News Tue Jul 19 2011
Is it a new lifestyle magazine for today's modern sociopath? No, it's an Inside Higher Ed article about the trend in scientific publishing to step beyond the traditional peer reviewed journal model to reach a wider audience through social media. "Think Wikipedia, but with original research and a specialized corps of volunteer editors. ...it seems shameful to cede editorial authority to only two reviewers when modern technology enables the consultation of thousands more. 'I think the ideal,' [Mohamed Noor, an evolutionary biologist at Duke] said, 'would be a combination of both.'" Read more/join the debate here.
— Rebecca Hyland
Reviews Tue Jul 19 2011
The Double Feature line from resident comic super group Four Star Studios expands with a bang due to the release of Action Double Feature #1. Combining the talents of top-tier mainstream industry professionals on creator owned projects always brings out some of the best works in comics. Does Action Double Feature #1 measure up in a glorious heaping of explosions or does it succumb to being a weak in the knees fizzle?
A satisfying yes to the former.
The first part of this issue is comprised of a Jack Kraken, a squid-like covert spy, tale by writer Tim Seeley and artist Ross Campbell. I found the exploits of Jack Kraken to be engaging and brisk enough to whisk me away. There's a real Hellboy vibe to this segment but Kraken distinguishes himself from Big Red enough so the similarity is not glaringly obvious.
Operating in a world of humanoid offshoots, the full exploits of this seasoned covert agent have only been hinted at, providing only a glimpse at the expansive world building happening behind the scenes. This is further enhanced by Campbell's action orientated artwork that draws in the reader to the grittiness and dirt of a secret, basement level of reality.
The second offering from Action Double Feature #1 is centered on The Answer!, an exclamation point wearing man of action. Written by Dennis Hopeless and rendered by Mike Norton, the segment nicely juxtaposes a laid back, cruise ship vacationer, who ostensibly will feature prominently in future issues, with the undersea, Thunderball-esque derring-do of The Answer!
Although I wanted to understand more about the protagonist, I have a feeling it is Devin MacKenzie, the vacationer, who the reader is supposed to latch on to. Norton's artwork is crisp and clean as always and special recognition needs to be paid to colorist Mike Englert for bringing real depth and vibrancy to Norton's already slick pencils.
Double Feature is turning out some real hits that offer up story morsels big enough to satisfy but dainty enough to leave me wanting much more. I'm looking to revisit these characters in future editions and to examining the other offerings from these hometown comic heroes.
— James Orbesen /
"O Wicker Park Fest/ What souvenir should I take home?/ A hangover? A corduroy hipster vest?/ Or an original poem?"
At this Saturday's Wicker Park Fest, two of the Poetry Brothel poets, Dave Landsberger and Kathleen Rooney, will provide poetry on demand from 2pm-9pm at the Chamber of Commerce Booth. Tell them your topic of choice, and they will type out a fresh, related poem on their vintage typewriter. Donations of $5 are suggested, though pay-what-you-can is also accepted. All proceeds will benefit the after-school program 826CHI (The Boring Store) and Rose Metal Press. Read on below for sample poems from Landsberger and Rooney.
WICKER PARK by Dave Landsberger
Men cheat at chess and chug Big Gulps
as children run shirtless to stranger's puppies.
Fat guys on fat softball teams watch skinny dudes
tai-chi into Derrick Rose--the shoes are insults,
the sockless are gods here. O, to be barefoot,
eating a sandwich, under a tree, hopefully no one's Labrador
will release their morning upon me. And look, the sun,
it bombasts above the fountain as if to draw a straight line:
a pyramid, an ancient geyser of goats, gargoyles, a pizza from above .
Even hipsters cannot reappropriate such wonder.
Nor the drunken centrifuge of the Blue Line,
the sad-looking babes in leggings, the elderly who sit and watch,
holding hands. The only force that can steal it away is the winter,
and even then, the poinsettias win. Their roots, barefoot.
SIX-WAY INTERSECTION: A CINQUAIN by Kathleen Rooney
Across
The street, a girl
Just threw her cellphone at
A bus. Man--where can we get a
Taco?
— Emily Wong
Books Mon Jul 18 2011
For some reason book clubs tend to be composed mostly of women, regardless of the month's selection. Why that's the case is something to be pondered, but Booklist's Book Group site offers a resource for picking books that might draw more men to a book group discussion: the Pritzker Military Library Literature Award. The award recognizes living authors that have "profoundly enriched the public understanding of American military history." This year's winner is historian Carlo D'Este who will be honored for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing. Whether you think books of this nature really will attract more men to your book group or whether you're just looking to be introduced to a new genre of books, the Pritzker Military Library's website offers several years of past winners to peruse. And if you're feeling ambitious, check out the library itself at 104 S. Michigan Ave.
— Veronica Bond
Today's Real Deal (courtesy of the Chicago Reader) gives you 50% off tickets to the Chicago Slam Works Extravaganza at the Metro, happening 7/30.
— Rose Lannin
Events Mon Jul 18 2011
Young Chicago Authors (along with The Art Institute of Chicago, The Jane Addams Hull-House Museum, Louder Than a Bomb: The Chicago Youth Poetry Festival, New School Poetics, and The School of the Art Institute of Chicago) is proud to present Check the Method: A Summer Spoken Word Camp. In a session for young writers (ages 16-24; July 25-29) and a session for educators (classroom teachers, teaching artists, future teachers; August 1-5), these five-day camps will focus on writing techniques and practices, as well as writing education. Co-lead by Kevin Coval and Roger Bonair-Agard, both sessions take place each day from 10am-3pm and will provide lunch. Interested? Click here for more information and registration.
— Emily Wong
Chicago writers talk about their experiences giving back to the community in the Neighborhood Writing Alliance's aptly titled I Am a Writer video. Watch the footage of Alex Kotlowitz, Laura Washington, and David Barr (among others), here.
— Megan E. Doherty
Weekend update: the following are all happening tonight, tomorrow, or Sunday.
In non-weekend news:
- The Poetry Foundation, along with HBO, has had their production of A Child's Garden of Poetry nominated for an Emmy.
- Threadless has partnered with the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) to host a welcome party at San Diego Comic Con, and will release this year's crop of "Comics-On Tees". SDCC-goers or if you're just curious, email Bethanys[at]threadless[dot]com for more details.
- The Chicago Public Library Design contest is back.
— Rose Lannin
Events Fri Jul 15 2011
The Chicago Way, a literary series that mixes readings and trivia, will host author Michael Harvey who penned the book The Chicago Way. He will be promoting his newest book, We All Fall Down, with copies available to sign. The event takes place on Sunday July 17th, 7pm at the Hidden Shamrock (2723 North Halsted Street).
— John Wawrzaszek
News Thu Jul 14 2011
If independent bookstores have been battered by economic forces, the same goes all the more for those with a specialized focus -- so says Linda Bubon of Chicago's Women and Children First, reportedly only one of nine feminist bookstores left in the country. Robin Amer of WBEZ interviews Bubon for an inside perspective, and you can read the whole conversation here.
— Megan E. Doherty
Support your local neighborhood non-for-profit quarterly literary journal. How? Check out the Logan Square Literary Review Issue VII: Summer 2011, out now. They publish fiction, poetry, essays, well almost anything. Find out more at their site, visit shops in Logan Square like Bucket O' Blood Books and Records, GMART Comics, and saki -- or look for them at The Logan Square Farmers Market.
— John Wawrzaszek
Books Wed Jul 13 2011
Pitchfork lists their 60 Favorite Music Books.
— Rose Lannin
Events Wed Jul 13 2011
Way back in May, we told you about poetry slams turning 25 this year, and the big bash YCA is having to celebrate on Saturday, July 30, from 8-11pm. Haven't gotten your tickets yet? Well, we have an exciting update: Discounted student tickets are now available for $10! Go to the events page, click on the ticketing link, and enter the promotional code "student." When you pick up your tickets at will call on July 30, flash your student ID or mention "YCA." Happy slammin' poetry!
— Emily Wong
Events Tue Jul 12 2011
Wednesday night, Columbia College assistant professor Samuel Park reads from his novel This Burns My Heart at Women and Children First. The story of a woman struggling for identity in post-war South Korea, This Burns was named one of amazon.com's Best Books of the Month for July, 2011. Audrey Niffenegger calls it "...quietly stunning - a soft, fierce story that lingers in the mind." Women and Children First, 5233 N. Clark St., Wednesday, June 13, 7:30pm.
— Rebecca Hyland
Events Mon Jul 11 2011
Tomorrow night! Slip into the air conditioning for the This Much Is True reading series at The Hopleaf: "Revealing the humorous, embarrassing and poignant moments that make up a life remembered." Tuesday's reading features:
Hopleaf, 5148 N. Clark, Tuesday, July 12, 7:30pm.
— Rebecca Hyland
As you may have noticed on our right sidebar, we've got a new Book Club event coming up and it's full of history, revelations (both funny and serious), and many miles of prairie.
Wendy McClure will join the GB Book Club staff at Sheffield's on July 27 to discuss The Wilder Life, her story of a road trip through the land of Little House on the Prairie, and the actual events, culture (remember the TV show?) and ideas that entails -- both for the book's characters and real-life inspirations, the author, and the people that feature in her journey into the life and times of Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Sheffield's is located at 3258 N. Sheffield Avenue. The event starts at 7:30pm. There will be some sort of Little House-themed surprise for attendees. Email rl@gapersblock with any questions.
— Rose Lannin
We're on Twitter, and more content-rich than ever -- in addition to the Twitter-only odds and ends we post from time to time, the @GBBookClub parses posts from our section on Gapers Block. Perfect for those of you who prefer your literary updates in under 140 characters. Follow us!
— Rose Lannin
Events Fri Jul 08 2011
On Sunday July 10th, P. Fanatics host Mason Johnson brings another round of literary hijinks. The event is at Cole's bar (2338 N. Milwaukee), 8pm, no cover. Readers include: Jill Summers, Dan Shapiro, Lindsay Hunter, Robbie Q. Telfer and more.
— John Wawrzaszek
Contest Thu Jul 07 2011
Dan Clowes created a set of buttons for
Meltdown Comics in Los Angeles, and
Busy Beaver wants to help you get a pack.
— Rose Lannin
Fifty years after Ernest Hemingway's suicide, author and friend AE Hotchner (Papa Hemingway and Hemingway and His World) is suggesting that a contributing factor to the author's death was his knowledge of being watched by J. Edgar Hoover. Previously dismissed as paranoia, Hotchner writes in the New York Times that he "regretfully misjudged" Hemingway's fear of the FBI. Hotchner recounts his final days with his friend in this chilling essay:
This man, who had stood his ground against charging water buffaloes, who had flown missions over Germany, who had refused to accept the prevailing style of writing but, enduring rejection and poverty, had insisted on writing in his own unique way, this man, my deepest friend, was afraid -- afraid that the F.B.I. was after him, that his body was disintegrating, that his friends had turned on him, that living was no longer an option...In the years since, I have tried to reconcile Ernest's fear of the F.B.I., which I regretfully misjudged, with the reality of the F.B.I. file. I now believe he truly sensed the surveillance, and that it substantially contributed to his anguish and his suicide.
I was in Rome the day he died.
— Veronica Bond
Here at the Book Club we're big proponents of the independent bookstore and Dwell magazine's map of indies across the country comes at a perfect time for like-minded folks who want to know where they can browse good stores in their vacation destinations. The list is being compiled through the help of reader comments, so if you're a regular customer of a great independent, make sure to enter your rave review for the sake of this summer's spate of Chicago visitors. Already on the map are Open Books, Myopic, Women & Children First, the Book Cellar, and the Seminary Co-op.
— Veronica Bond /
Events Thu Jul 07 2011
But we promise, these classes will be fun: DePaul is having its Summer Writing Conference again, from July 15-17. This year's conference will feature Alex Kotlowitz, journalist and best-selling author, as opening speaker and Miles Harvey, award-winning fiction writer (and DePaul assistant professor), as closing speaker, as well as other notable poets and writers who will help you learn more about craft, publishing, and surviving as a writer. Interested? Get registration information and a schedule of classes here.
— Emily Wong /
Events Wed Jul 06 2011
A group of Librarians by day and Zinesters by night are taking their talents on the road, touring around in the Fly Away Zine Mobile, a bookmobile dedicated to DIY and self-publishing.
Tour participants are Jenna Freedman (Lower East Side Librarian and Barnard Zine Collection); Jami Sailor (Your Secretary zine and Chicago Public Library Near North Branch Librarian); John Stevens (Dilettantes and Heartless Manipulators); Celia Perez (I Dreamed I Was Assertive and Atlas of Childhood); and Debbie Rasmussen (former publisher of Bitch: Feminist Response to Popular Culture) who's latest venture is the Fly Away Zine Mobile.
The tour stops by Chicago July 6th, 7pm at Quimbys 1854 W. North ave.
— John Wawrzaszek
Name: Powell's Bookstore
Locations: 2850 N. Lincoln Ave (North)
1501 E. 57th St (Hyde Park)
Founder: Michael Powell
Books: Rare and used/discounted (every genre)
Website: www.powellschicago.com
History: Opened in 1970
Powell's Bookstores has two retail locations (as well as a wholesale division that sells university press leftovers to other bookstores) in the Chicago area. Kimberly Sutton, employee at the Hyde Park location, gave some great responses about the inception of Powell's! (Photos are of Powell's North.)
When did Powell's Bookstore open, and how did it start, i.e., what was the motivation/inspiration for its founding?
Powell's was founded in 1970 by Michael Powell, who had been running a student co-op bookstore on the University of Chicago campus. Michael was a grad student really into books--so much that he convinced Saul Bellow, Edward Shils, and Morris Janowitz (among others) to front him the money for a much needed bookstore in Hyde Park. This is slightly unrelated to Powell's, but I love this story so I beg you to indulge me -- the building in Hyde Park (where Powell's still lives) housed a real estate agency until earlier in the year, when it was fire-bombed (!), probably by student radicals (the case is still unsolved), though they were notorious slum lords, and a tenants union had formed against them as well. A few days later someone spray painted, "You don't need a weatherman to know that the fire is blowing in the right direction." Sounds like the perfect spot for a bookstore to me.
We did really well and kept expanding -- we used to share this space with O' Gara & Wilson's (now across the street), bought a warehouse in the mid-70s (it's since moved a few times, now out by Midway), and bought the north store in 1987.
Continue reading this entry »
— Emily Wong /
Events Tue Jul 05 2011
Sprung from the minds of Think Galactic, a science fiction-based book club out of Wicker Park, leftist sci-fi convention Galacticon happens July 8-10 at Roosevelt University. Find out more about the con in Time Out Chicago's recent article, or go straight to the website.
— Rose Lannin
Quimby's will be open today, from 12pm-5pm.
— Rose Lannin
Events Mon Jul 04 2011
The monthly reading series Reading Under the Influence (RUI)offers up the theme "Poison" on Wednesday July 6th. Featured readings by Adam McOmber (fitting as he authored the book, This New and Poisonous Air), 2nd Story contributor Eileen Dougharty, Mason Johnson and Adam Wood. Join them at Sheffield's (3258 N Sheffield Ave) 7pm, 21+, $3.
— John Wawrzaszek
