Gapers Block published from April 22, 2003 to Jan. 1, 2016. The site will remain up in archive form. Please visit Third Coast Review, a new site by several GB alumni. ✶ Thank you for your readership and contributions. ✶
As of yesterday, Gay Chicago magazine is online-only, its print edition no more. Founded in 1976, for many years it was one of Chicago's solo LGBT publications.
Tonight, The Urban Sandbox, a monthly performance series highlighting poetry, music, comedy and more features poet Mary Fons and jazz singer Brandie Madrid at Comfort Station, right off the Logan Square Blue Line stop.
Saturday! Joe Janes presents 50 Plays: 50 Short One-Act Plays at Quimby's.
Sunday, the 2nd Story presents: ""I Got Schooled: Stories from the Classroom of Life". Stories everywhere from the middle school gym to Park Avenue will be read by Lauren Kelly-Jones, Jennifer Bosworth, Brendan Kelly, and David Peak. If you enjoy it, the encore happens on Monday Oct 10th. Both events are at Webster Wine Bar , 7pm, $15 online or $20 at the door.
There's a whole lot of cartoony, grotesque, funny, and above all Halloween-centric fun in Strange Kids Comix Magazine #2. A substantial portion of the talent hails from Chicago and the Midwest.
Can't get enough of the strange and macabre illustrations of Chicago native Edward Gorey? Author and Gorey-collaborator Peter F. Neumeyer is publishing a book of his correspondence with the artist. Floating Worlds: The Letters of Edward Gorey and Peter F. Neumeyer is a collection of typewritten letters, illustrated envelopes, postcards, and illustrations exchanged between the two. The book also serves as a memoir, focusing on the friendship that developed between the two artists. Check out some of the illustrations here.
Indie punk legend Bob Mould (of Husker Du and Sugar fame) will be in town for a pair of shows promoting his memoir See a Little Light The Trail of Rage and Melody. The memoir (aptly titled for the hit off his first solo album Workbook) chronicles his 30-plus year career.
For this tour, Mould will be mixing in readings from his new book with solo acoustic performances from his catalog. Shows are Friday, Sept. 30 and Saturday, Oct. 1, both at 8pm, at the Montrose Room: 5300 N. River Rd. in Rosemont. The shows are 18 and over.
Have you ever wished Ray Bradbury could be the guest speaker in your writing class? (I personally couldn't imagine anything better.) Well, you may not be able to get him into your classroom, but you can watch this hour-long video of his 2001 keynote address for the Six Annual Writer's Symposium by the Sea. He is humorous, direct, honest, and, as always, a complete inspiration. [via]
The Logan Square Literary review celebrates the release of their Autumn 2011 issue (number 8) tonight. They will feature live readings by contributors published in the issue, including: M. Marie Barnhart, Brenton Harper Murray, Muyassar Kurdi, Lara Levitan, Thom.M.Murt, Vincent Truman, and Emily Wilensky. Past issues of the review will be available for purchase. Join them at 7pm, Cole's Bar 2338 N. Milwaukee Ave
Next Tuesday, Oct. 4 from 6pm to 9pm, you can join Chicago's second ever Literati event, aimed at "building a community of authors, playwrights, and literary professionals."
You'll find far more than authors and theater folks, however. Founder and host of the event, publicist Dana Kaye, aims to include anyone involved in the making (or selling) of words: from publishers to sales reps, from journalists to filmmakers, and even those from the rad world of comics.
Dana Kaye
Mingle, gab, network, collaborate, eat, drink, win. Who doesn't like that?
The basic idea is this: While writing is often a lonely, solitary endeavor, it doesn't have to be. Before hosting her first event last February, Kaye knew Chicago was chock-full of writers — but many of them didn't know each other. She wanted to create an opportunity for diverse people in the industry to come together in a relaxed, bar atmosphere where everyone could let down their guard.
Featured speaker Byron Hatfield went to the first event last February, and was a quick convert. Writing is already a "withdrawn profession," and those who devote their lives to it may tend toward the "weird" side of things. Why not get all those weird people together and see what happens?
Byron Hatfield
Essentially, this is about putting people into the same room who would otherwise have never met, in a "no wall scenario" to encourage communication and collaboration.
For those of you getting ready to polish your manuscripts in the hopes of finding an agent — put them away. The goal of this event is not to get you a book deal, or a job. But it is about building up social capital, to see what may come down the road.
While this is only the second time she's held this event, Kaye knows what she wants to do in the future. Ideally, Chicagoans will be able to schmooze and brainstorm (at least in this setting) three times each year, and she also hopes to build an increasing presence of New York-based literary professionals at the gatherings.
$15 in advance, $20 at the door.
Appetizers and cash bar (with drink specials!)
You'll want to get a move on, because the first 30 people who register will get a coveted swag bag.
In fact, why don't you take care of that now?
Register here.
As part of their Poetry Off the Shelf series, Chilean poet Raúl Zurita will read tomorrow, September 27, at the Poetry Foundation (61 W. Superior), beginning at 7pm. Admission is free!
Write Club's Chapter 18 is upon us. For those who do not know, Write Club has three bouts where authors are assigned a theme which their material has to reflect. They get seven minutes to square off. Then the audience votes on a winner. The best part is that proceeds collected go to charities of winners' choosing.
This time themes and writers chosen to represent them will be:
REVENGE (Dina Walters) vs. MERCY (Scott Whitehair),
ORDER (Ian Belknap) vs. CHAOS (Don Hall), and
ROOTS (Susan Karp) vs. BRANCHES (Patrick Carberry).
Match ups begin at 7pm. Tuesday September 27th at the Hideout 1354 W. Wabansia.
Missed Anne Elizabeth Moore talk about Cambodian Grrla couple of weeks ago? You're in luck -- this Thursday (the 29th), the current columnist for Truthout and former editor of Punk Planet and the Comics Journal talks about her Fulbright-sponsored journey teaching self-publishing to young Cambodian women. Joining Moore will be local cartoonist and writer Sara Drake, who has her own plans involving comics and Cambodia. 7pm, 1854 W. North Avenue.
September 24 to October 1 is Banned Books Week all over the U.S. To celebrate here in Chicago, check out Books on the Chopping Block, an hour-long program of readings from the most challenged books of 2010. Presented by City Lit and the American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom, seven readings will take place at libraries in and around Chicago, ending in a final reading in suburban Glencoe. For times and locations, click here. If you don't feel like following the banned books around, you can take part in a Virtual Read-Out instead: submit a two-minute or less reading from a banned book or a three-minute eye-witness account of a banned book challenge in your area. Videos will be posted on a special YouTube channel. Get instructions on how to participate here. Happy Banned Books Week!
Quimby's, Chicago's source for quirky, edgy, and independently published books, comics, and zines, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year with a limited edition of 500 five-color silkscreen prints of renowned Chicago artist Chris Ware's blueprint for its storefront sign.
The store's founder, Steven Svymbersky, had been publishing zines for six years when he opened the first Quimby's in Wicker Park in 1991. "I really want to carry every cool - bizarre - strange - dope - queer - surreal - weird publication ever written and published and in time Quimby's will. Because I know you're out there and you just want something else, something other, something you never even knew could exist," Svymbersky says on Quimby's website. Quimby's is now owned by Eric Kirsammer, who is also proprietor of its sister store, Lakeview landmark Chicago Comics.
Quimby's offers Chicago artists and writers a place to hawk their wares with a non-curated assortment of independently published books and zines sold on consignment. The store also curates an extensive collection of non-consignment publications. According to their website, "We tend to order stuff that deals with topics that in some way relate to outer limits, carnies, freaks, conspiracy theory, lowbrow art, miscreants, mayhem, that kind of stuff." And we love them for it.
The Bird Machine screenprint shop in Skokie, Illinois produced the 20th anniversary print, which measures 19" across and 13" high, and features hand-ripped edges. The prints run $50 apiece, and a limited number of signed prints are available for $100.
A reporter for twenty years before authoring her first novel, The Deep End of the Ocean, Mitchard applies her journalist's obsession with fact-gathering to the process of writing fiction.
"You get a Tupperware box, the big kind, the kind you put sweaters in, and you do all the interviews in the world."
While it may represent a tremendous investment of time and energy, it's also an insurance policy.
"I [take] copious notes, just to make sure I [don't] get anything wrong — [even] for two paragraphs. I do way, way more research than is warranted, and I always will. People can say that this is a really stinky book, but they can't say that stuff is wrong. Ever."
Sunday! City Lit Theater Company presents readings from the 10 most banned books of 2010 in Books On The Chopping Block at the Harold Washington Library.
And in honor of the first day of fall: Fall poems.
Black Flag member, band-creator (the Rollins Band), record maker and author Henry Rollins can add photographer to that list: his recently released book of photos, Occupants, bears witness to some of the world's starkest places, where upheaval and fear are the norm. These images are given context via his writing, and observe the inevitable bad and uncommon but very present good that occurs from Ireland to Iraq.
Powell's talks to Roger Ebert about his new memoir Life Itself. The book follows Ebert's childhood, career, and battle with cancer to present a full portrait of what life is like for him now. Read the interview to find out why Ebert structured the book the way he did, how social media allows him to keep in touch, and his secrets to reviewing and interviewing.
Washington Irving's short story comes to the Noble Horse Theater, 10/1 through 10/29. Get your tickets to this early American tale here or call the theater..
The Tamale Hut reading series will host a special night for one of its frequent readers, Claire Suzanne Elizabeth Cooney, who will be debuting her new play. The festivities Saturday Sept 24th, 7pm at the Tamale Hut Café, located at 8300 W. Cermak Road in North Riverside, IL. Lots of tamales plus great stories.
Tomorrow night, author Amina Gautier reads from her short story collection At Risk at Women and Children First. Centered around a group of Brooklyn teens, author David Haynes says "in these always engaging stories, Amina Gautier reminds us that behind the disturbing headlines are vibrant young people whose lives matter immeasurably. Gautier employs unflinching honesty to capture those lives, and she does so with clarity, dignity and genuine insight. At Risk will break your heart even as it leaves you full of hope. It is a truly lovely book." Women and Children First, 5233 N. Clark, September 22, 7:30pm.
This October, the Seminary Co-op will celebrate its 50th birthday, and within a year it will say goodbye to its cherished home in the basement of the Chicago Theology Seminary -- a winding and seemingly endless labyrinth of books. This is the final installment of a three-part series on the bookstore; read parts one and two, detailing the Co-op's history and how the publishing industry has changed.
Part Three: The Stories
"I'm quite high on our customers."
And Co-op manager, Jack Cella, has known some impressive ones.
"[Saul Bellow] used to come into the store a lot, and he liked to explore — you know what this place is like, it's a maze. He liked to go back and look to see what was being unpacked. He wandered to the back, and there was [an undergraduate employee] unpacking some books, and [she] felt a tap on her shoulder. I don't know how Saul got back there, because we have a little bungee cord blocking the way, but it doesn't do much. Apparently, he wound his way back there...and asked her what she was doing. She looks up, realizes who he is, and started crying -- it was such a shock!"
Friday, September 23, poet Douglas Kearney will be on hand to inaugurate the first Harriet Reading Series. Future series events will have readings and presentations by the "Craft Work" and "Open Door" writers on The Poetry Foundation's Harriet Blog. The reading starts at 7pm at The Poetry Foundation (61 W. Superior St). Admission is free, but please RSVP here.
Mira Bartok, SAIC alum and author of several children's books, promotes the paperback release of her memoir, The Memory Palace. Bartok will read excepts from her work this Thursday September 22, 7pm at the Book Cellar 4736 N Lincoln Ave, # 1.
In addition to rapper and actor, Lonnie Rashid Lynn, aka "Common" can now add the title "author" to his resume; with his new book, One Day It'll All Make Sense, the Chicago native and hip hop superstar has entered the literary world with a memoir that includes details such as life growing up on the city's South Side and his decision to leave college to pursue a career in music and entertainment.
Common poses with fan. Photo by: Charlita Fain.
Common was around the city yesterday to promote the book, with an afternoon appearance at Macy's on State Street, and then later at Barnes & Noble, DePaul Center, 1 E. Jackson, where hundreds of fans waited in line for hours to get their book signed and take pictures with him. The rapper was greeted with huge applause by the mixed, mostly college crowd and immediately took time out to thank everyone. "It's wonderful to get this type of support for something that's a new adventure for me; it's something that I never thought I'd do ever in my life, but it's a great experience to be able to do it," he said. "I'm glad for you all supporting this book, my music and my career throughout the years."
For fan Marsha Devolt, the book also resonates with older fans and means more than just a life story. "It's about a young, black male with a positive message--he's encouraging so many people," said Devolt.
Common not only showed appreciation to the fans, but also to the city itself. "It's no way that I'd be doing what I was doing if I wasn't from Chicago because it helped shape me and give me a foundation. It's good to be home."
One Day It'll All Make Sense is currently available in bookstores and online.
Wednesday September 21 Anna Solomon will read from her first novel, The Little Bride. Special guest Audrey Niffenegger will introduce the event. This begins at 7:30pm at Women and Children First 5233 North Clark Street.
This October, the Seminary Co-op will celebrate its 50th birthday, and within a year it will say goodbye to its cherished home in the basement of the Chicago Theology Seminary -- a winding and seemingly endless labyrinth of books. This is the second of a three-part series on the bookstore; read parts one and three.
Part Two: The Changing Industry
Assistant manager Heather Ahrenholz knows how she would like to bid farewell to the basement the Co-op has called home: a lecture series on the state of the book, and on how the publishing industry has changed over the last half-century.
"Bookselling is changing," knows general manager Jack Cella. "It's not the same as it was 10 years ago - it's not the same as it was two years ago. [The move] will give the Cooperative an occasion to think about what customers will want a bookstore to be next year, [and] 10 years from now - on the assumption that books will survive."
First up is the Brinksmen Press reading, Revolutions: The Gamble, part II.
There will be some emerging writers and experimental music performances with featured readers to follow. Dan Duffy (editor of The Handshake magazine) and Patricia Ann McNair (author of The Temple of Air) will close the night. This event begins at 7pm at Brando's Speakeasy, 343 S. Dearborn St.
Second is Two and a Half Cookie Minimum. Two Cookie Minimum is a reading series promoting self publishers and writers. For this event, they team up with Half Nelson press, a self-published literary journal. Readers will include contributors to Half Nelson issue two alongside Mairead Case (co-conspirator of Dil Pickle Club) and Mason Johnson (host of P. Fanatics reading series). The event begins at 9pm at at the Hungry Brain, 2319 W. Belmont Ave.
Make it a literary night of sorts, stopping early at Revolutions and end with Two Cookies. Not a bad way to spend a weeknight.
Looking for a literary prelude to Halloween? The author of graphic novel Quarantined delves into the suspenseful and grotesque again with "The Final Shot", a tale of a horror movie director looking to create something better than B-grade cinema.
This October, the Seminary Co-op will celebrate its 50th birthday, and within a year it will say goodbye to its cherished home in the basement of the Chicago Theology Seminary -- a winding and seemingly endless labyrinth of books. This is the first of a three-part series on the bookstore; read parts two and three, detailing how the publishing industry has changed and the shop's many stories.
Part One: The History
Chicagoans aren't known for mincing words. While many proclaim their city home to the best university in the world, they may not realize that Chicago also lays claim to the world's greatest academic bookstore -- an opinion widely held, even by those who think that title belongs on the east coast.
This October, the Seminary Co-op will celebrate its 50th birthday, and within a year it will say goodbye to its cherished home in the basement of the Chicago Theology Seminary -- a winding, and seemingly endless, labyrinth of books.
On September 20th at Harold Washington Library join Booklist'sDonna Seamen moderate a conversation with award winning authors Dominic Smith (Bright and Distant Shores) and Billy Lombardo (The Man with Two Arms and How to Hold a Woman). The event is at 6pm in the
Harold Washington Library Center, Cindy Pritzker Auditorium 400 S. State Street.
Local author James Kennedy (The Order of Odd-Fish) is co-curating a new festival with the Chicago and New York Public Libraries. The 90-Second Newbery Film Festival challenges participants of any age to make a 90-second video representation of any Newbery Award winning book. The film must include the entire plot, not just a trailer or preview of the story, but beyond that the limits of your creativity should rule your entry. To get a taste, you can view the 90-second version of A Wrinkle in Time on Kennedy's website where you can also learn how to submit your entry. The submission deadline is October 17 and on November 16 Kennedy will be at the Harold Washington Library from 6pm-8pm to celebrate the film festival in all its glory. So peruse all the past winners, break out the new-fangled recording device of your choosing and get crackin'!
Over the years, the Alternative Press (Ken and Ann Mikolowski) made and sent out to their followers "poetry postcards," written by such poetry notables as Anne Waldman, Robert Creely, and Ted Berrigan. These postcards will be exhibited as The Alternative Press Multiple Originals Project at the Poetry Foundation (61 W. Superior) from September 21 to November 4. And to celebrate, the Foundation will host an opening reception on September 22 at 6pm, where poets Bill Berkson, Andrei Codrescu, and Emily Warn talk with Ken Mikolowski about The Alternative Press's unique project. For more information on The Alternative Press Multiple Originals Project, the poets who participated, and examples of poetry postcards, check out this article by Emily Warn.
Local photographer Megan Byrd is the creator of Comic Book Candy, where she reviews X-men (and occasionally other) titles, issue by issue, interspersed with updates about stores and events.
My interview with Elizabeth Berg was simply not meant to be.
What was to be a nice chat in Oak Park turned into my sitting in Oak Park, glumly drinking a no longer enjoyable pumpkin latte and brooding over my rotten luck.
No Berg. And me without her phone number.
After some unfortunate pestering of various publicists, I learned that my interviewee mistook my name on her calendar for an author (not really, I'm afraid) who she wanted to hear give a reading (alas, but one can dream). Being quite busy that day, she thought, "skip it."
Needless to say, when an intrepid publicist finally reached her, she apologized profusely for the error, and was happy to answer some of my questions via email.
I give you: A Brief (Email) Interview, wherein we discuss her as a writer, and her new book, Once Upon a Time, There Was You.
I understand you were a nurse for a while - when, how and why did you make the transition to writing? What is the writing process like for you - if you could describe how it feels, what it does to/for you, etc.
I was a nurse for ten years. I had always written, and I'd always gotten a lot of encouragement from friends and teachers who said, "You should be a writer!" So I decided to give it a try--mostly because I wanted to have a job where I could stay home with my daughters. I began sending out personal essays to magazines, though I also kept working as a nurse. But at some point, I saw I could make my living as a writer and decided to stop working as a nurse. As for the writing process, it's a joyful mystery. As E. B. White once famously said, I don't like to look under the hood.
Which character (and/or book) do you see the most of yourself in? The least?
Most: Katie Nash. Least: All the others.
How have you changed as a writer, or how has your style changed, since you started? If it has!
I don't think I have changed much, really. I'm still writing about the same issues: love, loss, the meaning of home and family, the importance of friendship, the fragility of life.
[SPOILER] Did you know going in that John and Irene wouldn't get back together? Or, at what point did you "learn" that they wouldn't, while you were writing?
I didn't know, going in. I wrote it to see what would happen if two people who were once with each other every day but now were estranged, were forced back together. Would they remember what they used to love about each other? Would they feel justified in having made the choice to separate?
Food was a huge presence in this book, and has been in others (e.g. The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted) - tell me about food. What is it about food that makes it so evocative/provocative?
Oh, well, it can serve as metaphor for everything. And it's a regular presence in everyone's life: we all have to eat. What/how/when we eat tells others a lot about us.
In the early scene between Irene and [her friend] Val, when she's about to ditch the wedding, her father peeks in to say it's time and she seems to instantly change her mind, or find some sort of resolve to go through with it. What happened there? What happened between "I'm not doing this" and her response to Val's question, "no"?
She's just so ambivalent. She knows John is a good man, and her father's voice tips her over into the side of oh, I'll just do it. And she was affected by Val's words, too: if you do this, it's permanent. Everything between John and you will be over.
You have three paratextual quotes that start the book off - the first two are really self-explanatory. Tell me about the third one, in relation to the story.
For me, that quote simply acknowledges the fact that for some people, love is absolutely terrifying. And often not possible. They can't handle it. There is something buried deep inside them that they won't let anyone touch, and that makes it impossible for them to enjoy the kind of free fall into trust that love requires.
To learn more about the recent literary event featuring Berg and fellow author Jacquelyn Mitchard, click here.
On Thursday evening, bibliophiles had an opportunity to attend an informal meet & greet with two authors, both with Chicago roots: Elizabeth Berg (Once Upon a Time, There Was You), now an Oak Park denizen, and Jacquelyn Mitchard (Second Nature, a Love Story), a Chicago-to-Wisconsin transplant, dished with Tribune literary editor Elizabeth Taylor to a room full of women (and perhaps two men, give or take).
The tone of this installment of the Tribune's Author Talks, part of an effort to "extend journalism to a live format," was set from the start. In her introduction, Taylor relayed an anecdote about her husband, who apparently responded to learning who the chosen authors for this particular event were by saying, "why don't you just sit around drinking wine and talking in your pajamas?"
Although she was quick to add her husband's respect for these authors, there's much to be said for the comfort and intimacy (not to mention, honesty) of pjs and a bottle of wine. Throughout the evening, the audience (myself included) was so comfortable that I'm not sure we weren't dressed more informally than we actually were. If the Trib's goal was to hold these events as intimate "salons", where the conversation on stage feels personal, then they succeeded.
Berg and Mitchard began, obligingly, by sharing their "Oprah Stories" - both have had books chosen for the infamous book club, with Mitchard's The Deep End of the Ocean being the first ever. Mitchard, who got a testy, fourth phone message from Oprah asking her to please have the courtesy to return her call, initially thought the whole thing was a joke.
To justify juxtaposing these two stories together, they obviously need more in common than Lady O - which they most certainly do. Both books explore what happens after tragedy, and how people cope - be it the personal tragedy of a divorce and worrying about your child, or the medical risk of transplant rejection. Both, said Berg, "acknowledge sorrow, but offer comfort."
That gift of comfort, perhaps, has gotten them some stern reviews, most of which focus on writing and themes that are allegedly overly sincere and sentimental. Unsurprisingly, this sort of criticism tends to follow women authors who write about the lives of women. It is a testament to the organizers of this event that they don't succumb to the erroneous conviction that "women's literature" (aka, "chick lit") is thereby relatively uninteresting and unimportant (check out this interview with author Augusten Burroughs, who sees truthfulness and honesty where others see maudlin).
While many writers may be "deeply insecure" about bad reviews, Berg and Mitchard seem to take it in stride. "Good criticism finds places [I've] been dishonest," Mitchard admitted. Operative word being "good" - some detractors may well be railing against anything resembling a happy ending.
"Not every book ends like a Cormac McCarthy book," Mitchard continued, "with a guy eating an egg and thinking about the end of the world."
Maybe McCarthy should write in his pajamas more often.
CWIP will hold its fall kickoff event on Thursday, September 22nd, at the Gleacher Center (450 N. Cityfront Plaza Drive), from 6:30pm - 8:30pm.
The keynote speaker will be Jennifer Parello, director of marketing and communication for World Book. Come for her tips for successfully navigating the publishing industry today, and stay for networking and hors d'oeuvres from Wolfgang Puck. Win-win.
You can register here, or call 773-508-0351 (extension 2).
Here's the pricing breakdown:
If you register on or before September 20
• CWIP members: $30; nonmembers: $40
If you register after September 20
• CWIP members: $35; nonmembers: $45
Students with ID
• $30 for registration before September 20;
Tonight! Adult Spelling Bee at the Book Cellar with judges including author James Kennedy, the Tribune's Elizabeth Taylor and poet Robbie Q. Telfer. Registration required.
If you missed the L-Vis Lives: Racemusic Poems book release party at the Metro this past Wednesday, you've still got a few more chances to catch it. L-Vis Lives is the work of Kevin Coval, the Def Poet from Northbrook and artistic director of Louder Than A Bomb: The Chicago Teen Poetry Festival. L-Vis Lives explores race, art and appropriation in American culture. Che "Rhymefest" Smith says "Kevin Coval brings artistic taboo to the light in his new book L-Vis Lives. His courage and fragility shows why he's one of Chicago's most talented writers." Further L-Vis Lives book release parties are scheduled for September 19 at the Skokie Barnes and Noble (55 Old Orchard Center, Skokie, at 7:30pm), October 5 at 57th Street Books
(1301 E. 57th 'Street at 2pm) and October 12 at Quimby's (1854 W. North Ave., 7pm).
Fundraising reminds me of going door to door to sell World's Finest candy bars when I was a kid. When I got older, fund raising turned into semi-formal galas. These days I've noticed fund raising has returned to passing around the collection plate, so to speak; it's Kickstarter, it's a tips jar, it's a cover charge.
The next Windy City Story Slam, happening on September 18, mixes tradition with a bit of creativity. The scheduled bout will benefit the John Schultz and Betty Shiflett Story Workshop Scholarships of Columbia College's Fiction Writing department. Event producer and Story Slam's founder Bill Hillmann saw a need to step in and support one of the oldest scholarships for writers at his Alma mater. I met up with the scholarship's John Schultz and Betty Shiflett to talk about their program, the Slam, and scholarship since the death of in-state funded grants.
We grabbed something to drink before we began. With his doppio (a double espresso) in hand, Schultz took his briefcase and led Shiflett, with her Tazo tea (pomegranate-flavored), and me from one of the many South Loop Starbucks, up to his office in the Fiction Writing Department on Wabash Ave. The north-facing view into the loop distracted me for a second, but I didn't forget why I was there: to talk to two of the city's elder statesmen, two founding members of Columbia's widely renowned Fiction Writing department -- two people who have been teaching longer than most of their students have been alive. Shultz wrote the book on the program (no really, Writing From Start to Finish is the department's text, written by Shultz in 1982), and in their long tenure as faculty, one of their lasting achievements has been their namesake scholarship.
Join Here's the Story's Journey to the End of the Night this Saturday, September 17. Part tag, part scavenger hunt, and part race, you'll roam the streets of Chicago, following a set storyline that involves robots, maps to freedom, and safe zones. Show up at Harrison Park to sign up at 6pm, and at 7pm, let the game begin. There's no charge, and all you need to bring is yourself and your sense of direction. Running shoes might help, too. You know you're interested now...so check out all the important info here.
Tonight Anne Elizabeth Moore (teacher, zinester, activist) reads from her new book: Cambodian Grrrl: Self-Publishing in Phnom Penh. The book chronicle's Moore's travels in Cambodia teaching writing and self publishing in an all-girls' university. There will an opening dance performance by the Cambodian Association of Illinois, then Moore will be interviewed by Mara Shalhoup, editor of Chicago Reader. It all happens September 13th, 6pm, at the Claudia Cassidy Theater in the Chicago Cultural Center 78 E Washington. RSVP to info@chicagopublishes.com
The Poetry Foundation invites you to check out a staged reading about poet William Butler Yeats, with Chicago actors performing his biography and reading his poems.
The important details, courtesy of the Poetry Foundation:
What:Meet Mr. Yeats Who: Directed by Bernard Sahlins with Bruce Jarchow in the title role and cast members Timothy Kazurinsky, John Mohrlein, and Suzanne Petri. When: Two performances
Sunday, September 18, 7:00pm
Monday, September 19, 7:00pm Where: Poetry Foundation
61 West Superior Street
Best of all, admission is free! You can reserve your seats now by going here.
Columbia College professor Patty McNair talks about her literary debutThe Temple of Air, a series of stories set in the not technically real yet potentially familiar Midwestern community of New Hope.
Tonight! Delphine Pontvieux, Mark R. Brand and Lawrence Santoro read from American Wasteland: Bleak Tales of the Future on the Tenth Anniversary of 9/11 at Quimby's.
The Chicago Way reading series focuses on Chicago authors (who can ask for more). Local authors Michael Burke (What You Don't Know About Men), Geoff Hyatt (Birch Hills at World's End), Patricia Ann McNair (The Temple of Air) and Megan Stielstra (Everyone Remain Calm) read from their new novel (Hyatt) and story collections (Burke, McNair and Stielstra) and discuss their stories, their writing processes and offer publishing advice and answer any questions the audience might have. Have your journal and pen handy when attending this Sunday, Sept. 11 at the The Hidden Shamrock, 2723 N. Halsted, at 7pm. Free admission.
TWW presents TMI: Totally, Maybe, I Don't Know at Beauty Bar (1444 W. Chicago Ave.) Sunday September 11th, 7pm. The reading series starts with a quick open mic, then moves onto stories from Gina Frangello, Lindsay Hunter, Muyassar Kurdi, Ben Tanzer, Richard Thomas, and Brandon Tietz.
Not looking forward to the cooler weather? Well, there's a silver lining: The Poetry Foundation has announced their Fall 2011 Literary Series. From readings to exhibits to Poetry on Stage, you're sure to find something to keep you warm this fall. Check out the full list of events here.
Join the punk rock reading series Neutron Bomb collaborate with The Handshake (an online literary publication) for a Columbia College-centric "Back II Cool" extravaganza.
Readings by Columbia College fiction writing grad students Jessie Morrison, Noelle Hufnagel, Kevin Kane and Dan Duffy plus a college faculty member too cool to name. Throw in a Handshake contributor, Dmitry Samarov. And what would a punk rock reading be without a band, who plays after all the readings are done. Quite the back to school bash (Rodney Dangerfield would be proud). Stop by Cal's Liquors, 400 S. Wells St., Saturday, Sept. 10 at 7pm if you're cool enough (and you're 21).
In honor of the 10th anniversary of One Book, One Chicago, this year's pick has inspired an ironic/awesome little contest.
Saul Bellow's The Adventures of Augie March isn't exactly brief, but what if it were? Try your hand at composing your own "version of the great American Novel", compressed into 750 words or less. Easy!
Oh, and make sure the stories are both set in, and inspired by, the Chi.
From the press release:
"The entries will be judged by Stuart Dybek, an expert in both flash fiction and Chicago, whose collection The Coast of Chicago was the One Book, One Chicago selection in spring 2004. Three finalists will read their work at an event at Stop Smiling, 1371 N. Milwaukee Ave., on Thursday, October 13; and the winner will have their work published in a future issue of the newly revitalized magazine The Chicagoan."
There is no fee to enter, and all submissions must be received by Friday, September 23.
For more information and all contest details (including how to enter), click here.
Interested in expanding your knowledge and reading a few highly acclaimed nonfiction books? You could do worse than visit Time Magazine's list of All-Time 100 Best Nonfiction Books. You'll find some notable Chicagoans on there, from Richard Wright's Black Boy to Barack Obama's Dreams from My Father to Studs Terkel's Working.
Tomorrow, Neal Samors and Bernard Judge present Chicago's Lake Shore Drive: Urban America's Most Beautiful Roadway. An old school coffee table sized tome, Julia Keller of the Chicago Tribune calls it "a lavishly illustrated history of the bodacious byway that snakes around the lake [for the reader who] lives and breathes Chicago history." Oak Park Library, 834 Lake St., Oak Park, Wednesday, September 7 at 7pm.
In a ranking of the top 15 Creative Writing Doctoral Programs of 2012, the University of Illinois at Chicago comes in at #6! Click here to see more details.
The monthly series that marries reading and drinking is back this month with their theme being the Apocalypse. Why that theme, well Reading Under the Influence is holding this as a release party for featured reader Geoff Hyatt's book Birch Hills at World's End. Other readers will include James Finn Garner, Ilana Shabanov and Nick Delehanty. RUI lands on the first Wednesday of each month -- this month being tomorrow, Sept. 7. It's at Sheffield's, 3258 N. Sheffield Ave, at 7pm with a $3 cover.
Not literally, of course. But The Poetry Foundation is having another open house -- this time to showcase its library's programs and expanded hours. The library at the newly built Poetry Foundation building has around 30,000 books and is open to the public. Why not stop by and celebrate it? The open house, dubbed Collections and Cocktails, is Wednesday, September 7, from 5:30pm to 8:30pm and will feature library collection readings from local poets, poetry fortune-telling, and more. Admission is free but first-come, first-served, so make sure you're in line early at the Poetry Foundation (61 West Superior St)! RSVP here.
The monthly series "So You Think You Have Nerves of Steel?" is back Tuesday, Sept. 6, with a variety of performers, including Brandon Will and Nick Bitonti with some sketch comedy of sorts, the poetic styling of Dave Snyder, literary stand-up by Daniel Shapiro, plus a screening of a short film and talk by Xan Aranda of the Chicago Short Film Brigade. Host Harold Ray may challenge you to a drinking match so come prepared. The series is on the first Tuesday of every month at the Hungry Brain, 2319 W. Belmont, at 9pm.
Poets&Writers asked publishers, editors, authors, etc. all over the United States to give them a literary tour of their city. Chicago's guide is none other than cofounder of Featherproof Books, Zach Dodson. Take a look at where he tells you to go, and what he tells you to see!
On Sept. 22, local author and Flannery O'Connor Short Fiction Award winner Amina Gautier will be at Women & Children First, discussing and signing At-Risk, her novel about African-American youth in Brooklyn and the not-so-stereotypical situations and choices they face. 5233 N. Clark St., 7:30pm.
Dan Sinker's publication of his faux-Rahm Emanuel mayoral quest is slated for release on September 13. If you can't wait that long to read a dated Twitter feed in book form, Simon and Schuster has an excerpt up now:
Some mornings coffee is like standing underneath a tw*t-rainbow while f***ing a thousand puppies in the mouth. 08:22:32 AM
The first, and most graphic, of @MayorEmanuel's many coffee Tweets. Over the course of the feed, @MayorEmanuel would tweet about coffee another 69 times. Some of this was character logic: he's passionate about everything, so why not coffee too? Some of it was to help spread the account around Twitter: people would pass the coffee Tweets around rapid-fire. And part of it was that I really, really like coffee.
The Encyclopedia Show kicks off its fourth series with the theme "saints." All featured performances of music, poetry, visual art, and spoken word will have some insanely saintly tie in. Featured contributors include Seth Dodson (The Show 'N Tell Show) as St. Elmo's Fire, Robin Gelfenbien (comedian, storyteller) as St. Vitus Dance, LeKeja Dawson (Louder Than a Bomb All Star) as Santa Muerte, Billy Lombardo (Author of The Man With Two Arms) as Maximilian Kolbe, and Marty McConnell (HBO Def Poet) as St. Anne. As always, the regular show cast members will be on hand to host. They all take the stage Thursday, Sept. 1 at 7:30pm at the Vittum Theatre, 1012 N. Noble St. Tickets are sold at the door; $8 for adults and $5 for students.
Wanna know what Chicago papers have been in print for over 50 years? Check out Stanford University's new interactive map that shows what papers have been published where throughout history.
Can't get enough of the strange and macabre illustrations of Chicago native Edward Gorey? Author and Gorey-collaborator Peter F. Neumeyer is publishing a book of his correspondence with the artist. 
Interested in expanding your knowledge and reading a few highly acclaimed nonfiction books? You could do worse than visit Time Magazine's list of 
