Gapers Block has ceased publication.

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. 

TODAY

Tuesday, March 19

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Book Club

Bookmarks Fri Dec 18 2015

Bookmarks!

FRIDAY! Bad Grammar Theater open mic is at Powell's Bookstore in Greektown.

FRIDAY! Dark Noise, a nationwide, multiracial, multi-genre collective of poets and writers will be in Chicago for a reading at The Poetry Foundation downtown.

SATURDAY! Nerd out as author Carly Kocurek holds a release night for her book Coin-Operated Americans: Rebooting Boyhood at the Video Game Arcade at Geek Bar in Wicker Park.

SUNDAY! The Queer Readers Book Group at Women and Children First bookstore in Andersonville discusses Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower.

SUNDAY! Curbside Splendor's reading series The Marrow is back at the Whistler in Logan Square with readings by Britt Julious, Megan Kirby, Ted Wesenberg, and Dave Reidy.

SUNDAY! Back 2 Print Publishing releases their latest chapbook Spent Seasons by high school student Liza Edwards-Levin at Uncharted Books with a reading by the author and invited guests.

John Wawrzaszek

Bookmarks Sat Dec 12 2015

Bookmarks!

FRIDAY! Two Cookie Minimum reading series closes their year with a holiday reading at Chicago Publishers Resource Center.

FRIDAY! Live Lit series 2nd Story will be at Pub 626 presenting their reading titled, "Please, Oh Please: Stories of Asking for the Inconceivable".

FRIDAY! Poetry Foundation holds an opening reception for Volatile!, a collaboration between design historian Debra Riley Parr and scent artist David Moltz.

SATURDAY! Drop in to Unabridged Bookstore as they celebrate their 35 year anniversary with special sales and a look back on their history.

SUNDAY! Chicago Tribune columnist and co-owner of Frontera Foods Jean Marie Brownson discusses her cookbook Dinner at Home along with cooking demos at culinary bookstore Read It and Eat It.

John Wawrzaszek

Bookmarks Fri Dec 04 2015

Bookmarks!

ALL WEEKEND! Festival of Poets Theater holds readings and discussion throughout the weekend at Sector 2337.

FRIDAY! Women and Children First presents a night of readings with authors Elynne Chaplik-Aleskow, Stephanie Douglass and Mary F. Bonnett.

SATURDAY! Author Kathleen Aalto reads from her book The Natural World of Winnie-the-Pooh at the Newberry Library.

SATURDAY! City Lit hosts Steve Karas to celebrate his book release Kinda Sorta American Dream joined by readers Ben Tanzer, Leesa Cross-Smith, and James Yates.

SATURDAY! Live lit reading Mortified at the Promontory in Hyde Park.

SATURDAY! You're Being Ridiculous is back at Mayne Stage.

SUNDAY! Female friendly reading That's All She Wrote will be at Great Lakes Tattoo.

John Wawrzaszek

Bookmarks Fri Nov 27 2015

Bookmarks!

SATURDAY! It's Small Business Saturday, so go out and support your local neighborhood bookstores and booksellers!

SATURDAY! Chicago Read/Write Library's month long pop-up library Rewriteable Wicker Park holds their Final Friday Celebration at the installation Boombox in Wicker Park's Mautene Court.

SATURDAY! Reading series You're Being Ridiculous tackles the theme Beauty for this week's installment of the series at the Mayne Stage.

SUNDAY! Sideswiping Normal, a night of storytelling with June Huitt and Nicole Hollander, comes to Martyrs.

John Wawrzaszek

Bookmarks Fri Nov 20 2015

Bookmarks!

FRIDAY! MAKE literary magazine sponsors a bilingual reading and conversation Lit and Luz: Ficcion/Fiction with local readers and guests from Mexico City at Constellation Theater.

FRIDAY! It's the third Friday of the month which is when Bad Grammar Theater takes residence at Powell's Bookstore downtown.

SATURDAY! The Chicago Book Expo is back with a slew of workshops, readings, and discussions as well as a tabling expo of small presses, literary organizations, authors and more at Columbia College Chicago 1104 S. Wabash Ave.

SATURDAY! As part of the Chicago Read/Write Library's month long pop-up library (read more from last week's Gapers Block article), they are hosting the workshop How and Why to Preserve Your Family & Community Media.

SATURDAY! Quimby's Bookstore welcomes musician Andy Slater (better known as Velcro Lewis) for the release of his book How Many Fingers Am I Holding Up, his chronicle of being a blind pedestrian.

SATURDAY! Reading series You're Being Ridiculous is celebrating their fifth anniversary at the Mayne Stage (read a Gapers Block interview about the series too).

John Wawrzaszek

Bookmarks Fri Nov 13 2015

Bookmarks!

FRIDAY! City Lit Books hosts a night of poetry readings featuring Francesca Abbate, Alix Anne Shaw, and Toby Altman.

FRIDAY! As part of the Chicago Architecture Biennial, the Chicago Alternative Comics Expo hosts a discussion between comic artists and architects followed by a live comic drawing workshop held at the Chicago Cultural Center.

FRIDAY! Hyde Park's 57th St. Books holds the event French Literature in the United States: trends, translation, reception moderated by Aleksandar Hemon.

SATURDAY! Columbia College Chicago Library hosts their first Little Indie Press Fest, an afternoon of organizations, presses and authors tabling at 624 S. Michigan Ave.

SUNDAY! Uncharted Books hosts a reading for the Frequent Zoom one-stop book tour.

SUNDAY! The Marrow reading series is back at the Whistler in Logan Square.

John Wawrzaszek

Bookmarks Fri Nov 06 2015

Bookmarks!

FRIDAY! City Lit Books welcomes a night of readings from the 2015 Iowa Short Fiction Award Winners Edward Halmin and Charles Haverty.

SATURDAY! Sci Fi author Patrick Tomlinson debuts his first novel The Ark at the Book Cellar.

SATURDAY! Food and Lit based publication Graze magazine holds a release party for their final issue at Fizz Bar.

SUNDAY! Curbside Splendor's bi-annual Pop Up Book Fair is back at the Empty Bottle.

SUNDAY! Live lit series That's All She Wrote is back for its monthly reading at Great Lakes Tattoo.

John Wawrzaszek

Bookmarks Fri Oct 30 2015

Bookmarks!

FRIDAY! Night of the Blood Zine, a short film release and Halloween themed zine reading, will be at Uncharted Books.

FRIDAY! Podcast Bad Karate, hosted by author Mason Johnson and comedian Dan Shapiro, holds its final recording at Chicago Publishers Resource Center.

FRIDAY! Portland, Oregon author Amy McCullough reads from her memoir The Box Wine Sailors at the Book Cellar.

SATURDAY! Members of the Lifeline Theatre perform their 29th Annual Edgar Allan Poe Readings at The Clarke House Museum in Bronzeville.

SATURDAY! As part of the Chicago Humanities Festival, Poetry Foundation welcomes Rae Armantrout as guest of their Poetry Off the Shelf program.

SUNDAY! City Lit Books welcomes author Michael McGregor to read and discuss his work Pure Act: The Uncommon Life as Robert Lax.

SUNDAY! All Hallow's Day Variety Show benefit for Chicago Publishers Resource Center with authors Audrey Niffenegger and Billy Lombardo, comic artist Marnie Galloway, poet Jacob Saenz, shadow puppet readings and more at the California Clipper.

John Wawrzaszek

Bookmarks Fri Oct 23 2015

Bookmarks!

FRIDAY! Gaper's Block hosts 20x2 at Schubas, where 20 select artists, musicians, filmmakers and writers answer the question, "When Did You Know?"

FRIDAY! Chicago Zine Fest holds their annual fundraiser reading Hallowzine at Chicago Publishers Resource Center.

SATURDAY! Author Ta-Nehisi Coates is conversation with reporter Natalie Y. Moore discusses race in American at Northwestern University Cahn Auditorium as part of Chicago Humanities Festival.

SATURDAY! Literary magazine Goreyesque holds a Halloween reading at the Book Cellar.

SUNDAY! Writer and blogger Jenny Lawson reads from her new book Furiously Happy at Women and Children First.

SUNDAY! Featherproof Books holds a Fall Release Party for their newest titles with readings and book sales at the Rainbo Club.

John Wawrzaszek

Bookmarks Fri Oct 16 2015

Bookmarks!

FRIDAY! Reading series Funny Ha Ha kicks off at the Hideout.

FRIDAY! The third Friday each month welcomes Bad Grammar Theater with readings held at Powell's Bookstore in Greektown.

FRIDAY! The Best American Comics series editor Bill Kartalopoulos sits down for a discussion with 2015 Chicago contributors Gina Wynbrandt and Anya Davidson at Quimby's Bookstore.

SATURDAY! Author Loreen Niewenhuis discusses her books about her trek around the Great Lakes at the Newberry Library.

SUNDAY! Sunday morning at 11am, drop by Story Sessions for readings and music at City Winery.

SUNDAY! Join the Queer Readers Book group this afternoon at Women and Children First.

SUNDAY! The Marrow is back with readings at the Whistler in Logan Square.

John Wawrzaszek

Bookmarks Fri Oct 09 2015

Bookmarks!

SATURDAY! Open Books holds an Open House with activities and the launch of their new Publishing Academy.

SATURDAY! Poet Robert Eric Shoemaker celebrates the release of his newest book 30 Days Dry at Chicago Publishers Resource Center.

SATURDAY! Featherproof books co-founder Zach Dodson celebrates the release of his newest book Bat's of the Republic at the Hideout.

SATURDAY! Author Glenn Head reads from his newest graphic novel Chicago at Quimbys Bookstore.

SUNDAY! Reading series That's All She Wrote celebrates their three year anniversary at Great Lakes Tattoo.

SUNDAY! Legendary rocker Patti Smith reads from her new book M Train at Dominican University's Lund Auditorium.

John Wawrzaszek

Bookmarks Fri Oct 02 2015

Bookmarks!

SATURDAY! Seminary Coop/57th Street Books hosts two afternoon author discussions beginning at 1pm with Carolyn Marie Wilkins author of Melody for Murder and continuing at 3pm with John Corbett author of Microgroove.

SATURDAY! The Paper Machete holds their weekly afternoon reading at the Green Mill.

SATURDAY! Literary publication .LDOC holds a release party for their first issue at Chicago Publishers Resource Center.

SATURDAY! City Lit Theater's celebration of Banned Books Week entitled Books on the Chopping Block ends its engagement this weekend.

SATURDAY! Uncharted Books hosts the poetry event The Occupation that Keeps Us from Thinking Small.

SUNDAY! Here, Chicago, half pot luck, half reading series, is at the Wit Theater.

John Wawrzaszek

Bookmarks Fri Sep 25 2015

Bookmarks!

FRIDAY! Chicago Center for Literature and Photography hosts a release for their newest anthology, The View From Here: Stories about Chicago Neighborhoods at City Lit Books.

FRIDAY! Settle in for An Evening of Poetry with Sara Henning, Staci R. Schoenfield, and Kristy Bowen at Woman and Children First.

SATURDAY! Arts and literary organizations in Wicker Park and West Town celebrate Lit Day (read the Gaper's Block post about it here).

SATURDAY! Its Batman Day so visit you local comics shop as well as Barnes and Noble in Skokie for an appearance by DC Comics artist Tim Seeley.

SUNDAY! City Lit Theater commemorates Banned Books Week with events beginning today as part of their program Books on the Chopping Block.

John Wawrzaszek

Bookmarks Fri Sep 18 2015

Bookmarks!

FRIDAY! Crossroads, a north meets south poetry showcase, offers a packed lineup of readers at The People's Church Of Chicago.

FRIDAY! New music (maga)zine No Friends holds a release party with bands, DJs and copies of their first issue for sale, at Logan Hardware.

FRIDAY! It's the third Friday of the month, meaning Bad Grammar Theater holds their monthly reading at Powell's Bookstore in Greektown.

SATURDAY! This month's Story Sessions reading will take place around a campfire including smores at the Little House of Glencoe.

SUNDAY! Drop by Comfort Station for a Pop Up Zine Shop as they showcase zines and comics made from Logan Square residents.

SUNDAY! The Uptown Poetry Slam is at the Green Mill (Gapers Block review).

SUNDAY! Close out the weekend with some great fiction shared at The Marrow reading series at the Whistler.

John Wawrzaszek

Bookmarks Fri Sep 11 2015

Bookmarks!

FRIDAY! Author Heather McCutcheon discusses her new work Connecting the Dots at City Lit Books.

FRIDAY! Loose Chicks, the reading series that celebrates female performers, is back at Uncharted Books.

SATURDAY! Join Andrés Neuman, author of The Things We Don't Do, in conversation with his book publisher Chad W. Post from Open Letter Books at Seminary Co-op Bookstore in Hyde Park.

SUNDAY! The Self Publishers of Chicago host their monthly reading series at Uncharted Books with this month's reading themed Bars and Drinking.

SUNDAY! The Uptown Poetry Slam settles in for its weekly Sunday slot at the Green Mill (Gapers Block review).

John Wawrzaszek

Bookmarks Fri Sep 04 2015

Bookmarks!

FRIDAY! The Book Cellar holds its annual adult spelling bee with judges, poet Robbie Q. Telfer and YA author James Kennedy.

FRIDAY! Chicago Zine Fest holds a benefit show with bands, zines and brews at Auxiliary Art Center.

SATURDAY! Open mic Poetry in Motion welcomes a youth edition this weekend at Ellie's Café in Morgan Park.

SUNDAY! Empty Bottle Book Club meets to discuss Harper Lee's newest work Go Set a Watchman at the Empty Bottle.

SUNDAY! The presentation and discussion, Tactic and Strategies in the Public Space by Mexico City's Nerivela Project is hosted by the films program at Comfort Station in Logan Square.

Good luck CPS students, faculty and staff on starting off your school year next week!

John Wawrzaszek

Bookmarks Fri Aug 28 2015

Bookmarks!

FRIDAY! Featherproof author and journalist Jessica Hopper is joined by Suzanne Scanlon for a reading and conversation at Women and Children First.

FRIDAY! "August is Awesome Sauce" say female comedy troop the Kates as they host a reading at the Book Cellar.

SATURDAY! Reading series You're Being Ridiculous ends its August readings themed Rites of Passage at Mary's Attic.

SATURDAY! 57th Street Books presents Fresh Ayers, a conversation hosted by author Bill Ayers with guest Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz author of An Indigenous People's History of the United States.

John Wawrzaszek

Bookmarks Fri Aug 21 2015

Bookmarks!

FRIDAY! Long running literary and music showcase Shame That Tune holds its final show at the Hideout.

FRIDAY! Bad Grammar Theater, held on the third Friday each month, is today at Powell's Bookstore in Greektown.

SATURDAY! Self publisher and ex-Chicagoan Al Burian celebrates the 20th anniversary of his zine Burn Collector with a reading at Quimbys Bookstore.

SATURDAY! Lit series You're Being Ridiculous is back at Mary's Attic with the month's theme being Rites of Passage.

SUNDAY! Indie publisher Back2Print releases their latest chapbook Sins in Good Taste by Dana Jerman with a reading and cake at Uncharted Books.

John Wawrzaszek

Bookmarks Fri Aug 14 2015

Bookmarks!

ALL WEEKEND! First Floor Theater pays homage to literary great Franz Kafka with eight days of plays in their third annual Kafkapalooza beginning this weekend and going through August 22 at Collaboraction Theater.

FRIDAY! The Kates host their monthly reading full of ladies and laughs at the Book Cellar.

SATURDAY! Reading series You're Being Ridiculous holds its first weekly August reading at Mary's Attic with the theme Rites of Passage.

SUNDAY! Author Leah Hayes reads from her graphic novel Not Funny Ha Ha at Woman and Children First.

SUNDAY! Curbside Splendor Publishing's sponsored reading series The Marrow is back at the Whistler in Logan Square.

John Wawrzaszek

Bookmarks Fri Aug 07 2015

Bookmarks!

FRIDAY! Canadian cartoonist Steve MacIsaac discusses and signs copies of his newest work Shirtlifter at Unabridged Books.

FRIDAY! Author Erik Maell signs copies of his newest book Mona Lisa Reimagined at Uncharted Books in Logan Square.

FRIDAY! David Masciotra present his latest work Mellancamp: American Troubador at the Book Cellar.

SATURDAY! The Museum of Contemporary Art in collaboration with the Chicago Poetry Allicance presents MCA Live Poetry Picnic Preview at the MCA (free with admission).

SUNDAY! Lit series That's All She Wrote hosts readers at Great Lakes Tattoo in West Town.

SUNDAY! Excited Utterance will hold their quarterly reading series at Uncharted Books.

John Wawrzaszek

Bookmarks Fri Jul 31 2015

Bookmarks!

FRIDAY! Ray's Tap reading series gets Popular (that's the theme) at Prop Thtr.

FRIDAY! The Book Cellar hosts writer and visual artist Tony Fitzpatrick for a discussion and reading of his art and new book Dime Stories.

FRIDAY! Poetry magazine RHINO Poetry hosts an open mic and reading at Brothers K Coffee house in Evanston.

SATURDAY! Poetry Foundation hosts (In)visible, a Young Chicago Artists teaching artist reading.

SUNDAY! Here, Chicago the reading series and potluck will be here, Theater Wit.

John Wawrzaszek

Bookmarks Fri Jul 24 2015

Bookmarks!

All Weekend! The Newberry Library hosts their 31st annual book fair throughout the weekend.

Friday! City Lit Books welcomes authors Christine Sneed and Leslie Parry for a a reading and conversation.

Saturday! Story Sessions holds their annual retreat at Little House of Glencoe (tickets available).

Sunday! Reading series the Marrow gets it going early at the Whistler.

Sunday! Sunday Salon Chicago has booked a solid lineup of writers for your entertainment at Riverview Tavern.

John Wawrzaszek

Bookmarks Fri Jul 17 2015

Bookmarks!

ALL WEEKEND! Visit the Book Fort at Pitchfork music festival including local and national publishers and presses.

SATURDAY! Neighborhood festival Learnapalooza hits Lakeview with free programming including some lit workshops including character development, self-publishing, and letterpress tutorials (various locations).

SATURDAY! The Ernest Hemingway Foundation in Oak Park celebrates the birthday of Ernest Hemingway with drinks, music and tours.

SATURDAY! University of Richmond professor Bert Ashe discusses black male identity from his work Twisted: The Dreadlock Chronicles at 57th Street Books in Hyde Park.

SATURDAY! Podcast Bad Karate welcomes guest readers as they record live at Chicago Publishers Resource Center.

SUNDAY! Magazine RHINO Poetry hosts an open mic and poetry reading at Village Tap.

John Wawrzaszek

Bookmarks Fri Jul 10 2015

Bookmarks!

Friday! Loose Chicks reading series comes to Uncharted Books.

Friday! Chicago Alternative Comics Expo partners with their host for a some live comics readings at Chicago Publishers Resource Center.

Friday! Shame That Tune is back at the Hideout Inn.

Saturday! Curbside Splendor book release for Chris Bower's book Little Boy Needs Ride at the Whistler (includes a shadow puppet show of a story from the book!).

Saturday! The 2nd Story holds a pop-up reading at Pub 626 in Roger's Park.

Sunday! Reading series That's All She Wrote at Great Lakes Tattoo.

Sunday! Reading series It's All True records a live podcast at A Red Orchid Theater.

Sunday! Local artist Tony Fitzpatrick holds a book release for his work Dime Stories on Curbside Splendor at Fitzgerald's in Berwyn.

John Wawrzaszek

Bookmarks Fri Jun 26 2015

Bookmarks!

All Weekend! The Amalgamated Printers Association celebrates ChicaGoose with workshops, panels, and a letterpress swap meet at various locations.

Saturday! Printers Ball 2015 is in full force with the theme Push and Pull, offering workshops, readings, hands-on demos and a steamroller!

Saturday! Army veteran Glenda Dugar reads from her book series Career Soldier at City Lit Books.

Saturday! The Kates host a comedy night at the Book Cellar.

Sunday! Quimby's Bookstore presents Three Songs, Three Writers Reading about those Songs at Live Wire Lounge.

John Wawrzaszek

Bookmarks Fri Jun 19 2015

Bookmarks!

Friday! Chicago Center for Literature and Photography releases author Ben Tanzer's newest book New York Stories at City Lit Books.

Saturday! Chicago Alternative Comics Expo leads a comics workshop for LGBTQ/gender non-conforming youth at the Bezazian Branch Library.

Saturday! Reading series You're Being Ridiculous celebrates LGBTQIA Pride Month with a reading at Women & Children First Bookstore.

Saturday! Author Catie Disabato discusses her new book The Ghost Network at the Book Cellar.

Sunday! Reading series the Marrow makes the move to the Whistler.

John Wawrzaszek

Bookmarks Fri Jun 12 2015

Bookmarks!

Friday! Variety show Shame that Tune is at the Hideout Inn.

Saturday! The 54th Chicago Book & Paper Fair will be held at the Chicago Journeyman Plumbers Union Hall.

Saturday! Raw Fury issue #3 release at the Pilsen Outpost.

Saturday! Novelist Dolen Perkins-Valez discusses her work with WBEZ's Natalie Moore at 57th Street Books.

Sunday! Self Publishers of Chicago hosts their monthly reading series at Uncharted Books.

John Wawrzaszek

Bookmarks Fri Jun 05 2015

Bookmarks!

All Weekend! Chicago Alternative Comics Expo (CAKE) celebrates independent comics at their 4th annual fest with an exhibition, workshops, readings and book signings (various locations).

Friday! The Point magazine issue 10 release party at Experimental Station in Hyde Park.

Saturday and Sunday! Printers Row Lit Fest is back downtown in historic Printers Row with book vendors, signings, discussions, kids activities and more.

Saturday! A packed lineup, including comedian Nick Offerman, read at Paper Machete at the Green Mill.

Saturday! Author Jerry Sacher releases his newest book Fair In Love with a signing at Stella's Diner in Lakeview.

Saturday! Pleiades Magazine launch and readings at the Book Cellar in Lincoln Square.

Sunday! Here, Chicago reading series is back at the Wit Theater.

John Wawrzaszek

Bookmarks Fri May 29 2015

Bookmarks!

FRIDAY! Chicago music journalist Jessica Hopper reads from her new book The First Collection of Criticism By a Living Female Rock Critic (Featherproof books) at Quimby's bookstore.

FRIDAY! Book Launch for author Re'Lynn Hansen's memoir To Some Woman I have Known at Women and Children First.

FRIDAY! Author Nathan Poole, in conversation with author Patricia Grace King, will be reading from his debut story collection Father Brother Keeper at City Lit Books.

SATURDAY! Live lit series Story Sessions hosts a brunch reading at City Winery.

SATURDAY! Reading series the Paper Machete holds down its weekly slot at the Green Mill.

SUNDAY! 2nd Story presents the live showInto the Light: Stories of Secrets and Searching at The Promontory.

John Wawrzaszek

Bookmarks Fri May 22 2015

Bookmarks!

Friday! Author Kimbeth Wehrli Judge reads from her book The Flipside at Woman and Children First.

Friday! Author Mark Z Danielewski reads at the Book Cellar.

Saturday! A discussion with Bill Ayers about his newest book at 57th St. Books in Hyde Park.

Saturday! Professors Rosalyn LaPier and David Beck read from their book City Indian: Native American Activism in Chicago, 1893-1934 at the American Indian Center.

Saturday! Noelle Stevenson reads and signs her newest graphic novel at Challengers Comics and Conversations.

Monday! Have a great Memorial Day.

John Wawrzaszek

Bookmarks Fri May 15 2015

Bookmarks!

All Weekend! The Evanston Literary Festival, sponsored by the Chicago Book Expo and Northwestern University, continues its inaugural week with a variety of programming at various locations.

Saturday! Red Rover reading series hosts its 85th installment at Outer Space Studio in Wicker Park.

Saturday! Tamale Hut Cafe reading series is back in Riverside at its namesake, the Tamale Hut Café.

Saturday! Mortified Chicago gets hilariously personal at the Mayne Stage in Rogers Park.

Sunday! Guild Literary Complex hosts Wink and Whisper as their annual benefit fundraiser at Underground Uptown.

John Wawrzaszek

Bookmarks Fri May 08 2015

Bookmarks

Friday and Saturday! Chicago Zine Fest celebrates its sixth annual festival of self-publishing this weekend (various locations).

Friday! Author Matt Kepnes reading and discussion of his book How to Travel the World on $50 a Day at City Lit Books.

Friday! Naked Girls Reading series Chicago Confidential show at Studio L'amour.

Saturday! Chicago Young Adult Book Fest, discussion with authors of Young Adult books at the Book Cellar.

Saturday! Poetry Off the Shelf celebrates with a Middle East Poetry Festival at Poetry Foundation.

Saturday! Poets Rachel Eliza Griffiths and Daniela Olszewska read at Myopic Books.

Saturday! Live lit series You're Being Ridiculous is at the Mayne Stage in Rogers Park.

Sunday! Post Zine Fest reading with out-of-town zine creators at Chicago Publishers Resource Center.

Sunday! Its Mother's Day so go do something with yer ma.

John Wawrzaszek

Bookmarks Fri May 01 2015

Bookmarks

Tonight! First Friday gallery reception for The Chicago 77 exhibition at Poetry Foundation.

Tonight! A Celebration of Asian American Writers in Chicago at Open Books with readers Nami Mun, Vu Tran, and Wallin Wong.

Tonight! Montreal artist Walter Scott reads from his comics collection Wendy at Editions Kavi Gupta.

Saturday! Chicago Independent Bookstore Day hits stores across Chicago from Andersonville to Hyde Park with events, readings and more.

Saturday! Free Comic Book Day strikes again, with events, signings and free selected comics at participating Chicagoland comic book retailers.

Sunday! Storytelling series Here, Chicago is back at Stage 773.

John Wawrzaszek

Bookmarks Fri Mar 06 2015

Bookmarks

Saturday! Swan Day Chicago celebrates female artists of all forms-- writers included. From 10 am to 3 pm, check out performances and keynote speakers at 618 S. Michigan Ave.

Saturday! Chicago Author's Club returns to Open Books to host writers Brian Russell and Hannah Gamble in a discussion of the art and process of poetry, 3 pm.

Saturday! Sector 2337 hosts Danny's Reading Series, featuring poetry by Olivia Cronk and Aaron Kunin, 7 pm.

Sunday! Serving the Sentence returns to Towbar to pay respects to the sentence of the month, "The last time this happened I swore, 'Never again;' but here we are." 7 pm.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Feb 13 2015

Bookmarks

Tonight! Comic construction guru Scott McCloud, author of such formative instructional works as Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics, and Making Comics, will be at the Art Institute this evening for the winter lineup of the Chicago Humanities Festival. There he will discuss his recent work with Chicks Dig Comics author Lynne Thomas, 6 pm.

Tonight! You may have seen Issa Rae's web series, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl; but you may not have heard that she's released a book of the same name, including the same hilarity. Tonight the author and comedian will read excerpts from and discuss her book at the Swedish American Museum, 7:30 pm.

All day Today! The Poetry Foundation hosts lyrical high schoolers in the Chicago Regionals of Poetry Out Loud, a national poetry recitation competition. Support these students as they vie for a spot in Washington, D.C., where they'll represent Illinois in the national Poetry Out Loud finals.

Saturday! Get romantic with the Poetry Foundation as Suzanne Petri guides listeners through a series of poem recitations. The poems, though varied in tone and launguage, all center around the obvious V-Day topic: Love. Free, 5 pm.

Happy Valentine's, Book Clubbers, and Good Luck with your Friday-the-13th's!

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Feb 06 2015

Bookmarks

Saturday! Whistler in Logan Square hosts Author Halle Butler in a release party for her new book, Jillian. The night also features comedian Jared Larson and animator Jenna Caravello, among others, 6 pm.

Saturday! Whether you're looking to expand your art horizons or need venue ideas for your next reading, 24+ hour arts festival 2nd Floor Rear 2015 will investigate Chicago's wealth of alternative art spaces. An astounding lineup of contributors will be putting up experimental works in the I am Logan Square Gallery, Hume Gallery, Dreamland D, Kitchen Space, Corner, the Whistler Storefront Gallery, Tritriangle, and Autotelic Studios. The festival is free and open to the public!

Sunday! Author José Ángel N. will stop into the Book Stall at Chestnut Court to discuss his book Illegal: Reflections of an Undocumented Immigrant, 3 pm.

Sunday! Live Lit show That's All She Wrote returns to Great Lakes Tattoo, 7:30 pm.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Jan 30 2015

Bookmarks

Tonight! Live Lit show Funny Ha-Ha returns the Hideout to discuss Radio favorites over the years, 6:30 pm.

Tonight! Author Scott Blackwell reads from his book See How Small at the Book Cellar, 7 pm.

Tonight! Quimby's hosts Making Magic Happen: a discussion amongst zinesters and librarians on how to turn event ideas into reality, 7 pm.

Saturday! Zine makers, roll up your sleeping bags and pack your s'mores. Quimby's is hosting their annual Zlumber Party, 9:30 pm - whenever!

Sunday! Renowned cultural theorist Cornel West will be sharing a new collection of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s work, The Radical King, at the Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, 2 pm.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Jan 23 2015

Bookmarks

Howdy, Book Club! Ready for this weekend's ridiculous revelry?

Tonight! Shermin Nahid Kruse will be sharig stories from her new book Butterfly Stitches, inspired by the true tales of Iranian Women, at the Book Cellar, 7 pm.

Saturday! If you thought the Empty Bottle Book Club was over, you thought wrong! It was only on a quick 15-month break, and Saturday it returns for more food, drinks and discussion of Viv Albertine's memoir, Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys, 5:45 pm.

Saturday! The Book Cellar's busy weekend continues with the Fourth Annual Book of the Year Awards where The Chicago Authors Association will honor those books that took 2014 by storm. Winning authors, who will be in attendance to discuss their work, include Scott Jacobs (Famous Ski Hills in Wisconsin), Rebecca Makkai (The Hundred-Year House), Samantha Irby (Meaty), and Kristin A. Oakley (Carpe Diem, Illinois (A Leo Townsend novel)), 7 pm.

Saturday and Sunday! Crystal Palaces in Cockaigne opens at the Hairpin Arts Center, and is slated to be up all week with nightly festivities (including a Story Club appearance this Thursday night); gallery opening Saturday at 8 pm.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Jan 09 2015

Bookmarks

Tonight! The Kates hit the Book Cellar at 8 pm for comedy especially provided by Chicago's wealth of female comics, 8 pm.

Saturday! Don't forget weekly favorites, Paper Machete at the Green Mill @ 3 pm and Blackout Diaries at at High Hat Club @ 8 pm.

Sunday! That's All She Wrote,a Lovely Live Lit show held at Great Lakes Tattoo, will present a slew of talented storytellers, free and BYOB, 8 pm.

Sunday! Serving the Sentence challenges writers to concoct a story all using the same first sentence. This month's show will begin (and begin, and begin) with the phrase, "The coffee table was $20,000, I kid you not." Come out to Towbar to see what unfolds, 7 pm.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Dec 26 2014

Bookmarks

Merry December, Everybody! While this weekend everyone is most likely sitting at home reading the novelty books received over the holidays, if you do decide to hit the town, here are a few lit events going on this weekend:

Saturday! City Lit Books hosts "Storytime with Iliya." Make your way to the Logan Square bookstore for a morning of holiday-themed stories and music, 10:30 am.

Saturday! Head over to the High Hat Club for The Blackout Diaries-- true stories of alcohol-fueled misadventures, followed by a Q&A. This one will inevitably be packed with embarrassing holiday revelry, so you won't want to miss it, 7 pm.

Sunday! Uptown Poetry Slam takes the Green Mill stage at 7 pm, with an open mic, a slam, and a featured poet. Come out to see these new and established poets in action!

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Dec 05 2014

Bookmarks

Kick off December with a weekend of litererriment!

Tonight! The Interview Show returns to the Hideout with a lineup that includes local author Jonathan Eig in a discussion of his new book, The Birth of the Pill, 6:30 p.m.

Tonight! Seminary Co-op Bookstore takes a recess from adult lit to present a panel of children's book illustrators, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday! The Chicago Book Expo pops up for its third year of book sales, featured speakers, and lit slams at Columbia College Chicago 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sunday! Author Hunter Sharpless performs and reads from his debut memoir at City Lit Books, 2 p.m.

Sunday! Secret Sunday Salon returns to 209 W. Lake St. for music, lit, dance and any other merriment readily at hand, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Nov 28 2014

Bookmarks

Wake up from Tryptophan/tofurkey naps with this weekend's literary fare!

Saturday! Swing by the Rogers Park branch of CPL for a discussion of book, Quantum Physics for Poets by Leon M. Lederman, 2pm.

Saturday! Paper Machete sets up shop at The Green Mill for its weekly foray into terrific and topical essays and musical delights, 3pm.

Saturday! The High Hat Club hosts comedians' best barely-there memories at The Blackout Diaries' true drinking tales, 8pm.

Don't forget to support local bookstores for Small Business Saturday! Here are some suggestions:

Open Books
The Book Cellar
City Lit Books
Women & Children First
Uncharted Books
Unabridged Books
Myopic Books
Quimby's
Bucket o'Blood Books & Records
Seminary Co-op Bookstore
Powell's Bookstore
Sandmeyer's Bookstore

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Nov 21 2014

Bookmarks

Tonight! Richard Flanagan discusses Man-Booker-Prize The Narrow Road to the Deep North at Seminary Co-Op Bookstore, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday! Bookamania! Harold Washington Library will be home to a children's book festival that includes storytelling, music and appearances by children's book authors and illustrators, 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Saturday! Logan Square's City Lit Books hosts author Lisa Doyle as she reads from her debut novel, Milked, 5 p.m.

Saturday! Make your way to the Book Cellar for a night of poetry, featuring readings by Kate Gale, Ron Koertge and William Trowbridge, 7 p.m.

Saturday! Catch another week of live lit show You're Being Ridiculous at Mary's Attic, featuring performers Jim Bennett, Margaret Dunn, Dennis Frymire, Jonathan Mayo, Jeremy Owens, JH Palmer and Stephanie Sack 7:30 p.m.

Sunday! Take it easy. Happy Thanks-Week!

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Nov 14 2014

Bookmarks

Tonight! Ridiculous and lovely live lit show You're Being Ridiculous returns to Mary's Attic, 7:30 pm.

Tonight! The Kates, a live lit show featuring women in comedy, will return to the Book Cellar, 8 pm.

Saturday! Anjelica Houston follows up her appearance at the Chicago Humanities Festival with a reading of her memoir, Watch Me, at Union League Club, 12 pm.

Saturday! Egg Money Poetry Collective reads from their recent work at Harold Washington Library, 3 pm.

Sunday! Seminary Co-op Bookstore hosts Maya Schenwar in a discussion of her book, Locked Down, Locked Out: Why Prison Doesn't Work and How We Can Do Better, 2 pm.

Sunday! Gabrielle Hamilton stops by the Publican to serve up a feast of dishes included in her new cookbook, Prune, 6 pm.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Oct 31 2014

Bookmarks

Happy Halloweekend from Book Club! Celebrate with any of this spooky fare:

Tonight! Scott Kenemore reads from his horror novel The Grand Hotel at City Lit Books, 6:30 pm.

Saturday! Daniel Woodrell, author of Winter's Bone, will present his newest novel Harold Washington Library's Cindy Pritzker Auditorium, 1:30 pm.

Sunday! From 11 am to 5 pm, The Green Mill hosts "Top Hats & tales," a fundraiser for Story Club Magazine. The event features work from some of the city's best: Megan Stielstra, Lily Be, Don Hall, Samantha Irby, Kelsie Huff, and Jennifer Peepas. $30 at the door, $20 in advance. Costume contest and raffle prizes included.

Sunday! Eileen Myles discusses anthology Afterglow at the Poetry Foundation, 2 pm.

Sunday! Don DeGrazia's live lit show "Come Home Chicago" returns to Underground Wonder Bar with an exceptional lineup including Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh, the Tribune's Rick Kogan, and Kevin Coval, founder of Louder Than a Bomb, 6 pm.

Miden Wood

Book Club Fri Oct 24 2014

Bookmarks

All Weekend! The Chicago Humanities Festival is bursting with mind-boggling events.

Tonight! The Book Cellar hosts David Bell in reading from his latest novel, The Forgotten Girl, 7 pm.

Tonight! Creators of the rich genre of sci fi romance present their works at Quimby's Bookstore, 7 pm.

Saturday! The Tamale Hut reading Series gets spooky with a special Halloween live lit show, 7 pm.

Sunday! Whistler hosts release party for Tad Atcox's latest novel, Does Not Love, 6:30 pm.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Oct 17 2014

Bookmarks

Tomorrow! Hit City Lit Books for Chicago Poets Night, where some of the city's best will read their latest work, 3 pm.

Tomorrow! Hilltop Restaurant hosts the College of Complexes, featuring author Rosalie Riegle, 6 pm.

Tomorrow! Carnival at Bray author Jessie Ann Foley speaks at City Lit Books, 7 pm.

Tomorrow! In the spirit of Halloween, Sulzer Regional Library presents The New Annotated H.P. Lovecraft, 1:30 pm.

Tomorrow! Food-themed literary magazine Graze celebrates a sixth mouth-watering issue with local performers, brew, and grub! $10, which includes a copy of the issue, 8 pm.

Miden Wood

Events Wed Oct 15 2014

To-Do This Month: Chicago Humanities Festival 2014

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Who better to discuss journeys than Jamaica Kincaid, Cheryl Strayed, Marjane Satrapi or Philippe Petit? Than those makers who traversed oceans, countries, revolutions; who proved that the most harrowing journeys can occur within just two hundred feet of tightrope?

The much-anticipated Chicago Humanities Festival returns for its 25th year with an extraordinary line-up of events, all centered around the theme of "Journeys." The tremendous talent includes, in addition to the aforementioned, writers like Ben Marcus (Leaving the Sea, Flame Alphabet), Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Eula Bliss (On Immunity), Gary Shteyngart (Little Failure), and Jesmyn Ward (The Men We Reaped) to name only a few. Sit in on conversations with these authors and more as they recount journeys actual and notional; from the adventures that inspired their books to the very personal journey of writing them.

In addition to relishing favorite authors, lit lovers can revel in A Moth StorySLAM or any of a number of lectures. Unearth the original iteration of Hamlet, investigate J. Edgar Hoover's fascination with the Harlem Renaissance, or analyze love in all its guilty pleasure modernity with "Modern Love" editor Daniel Jones.

The festival kicks off on Oct. 21 with a Benefit Gala featuring The New York Times Op-Ed Journalist, David Brooks. Then, on Oct. 25, CHF begins full swing, with such a wide array of event topics as to make traveling to one program after another a journey in and of itself. In short, if you were looking for something to do between Oct. 25 and Nov. 9, Chicago Humanities can ensure that you will never be bored [PDF].

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Oct 10 2014

Bookmarks

Tonight! Lagunitas founder Tony Magee presents his book So You Want to Start a Brewery?: The Lagunitas Story at City Lit Books, 6:30 pm.

Tonight! Naked Girls Reading presents naked girls, reading! Check out their Halloween iteration, Naked Ghouls Reading, tonight at Everleigh Social Club, 7 pm.

Tonight! Make your way to Women & Children First for an evening with authors Adrianne Kalfopoulou and David Lazar, who will be reading their works, 7:30 pm.

Saturday! Head to Gallery 400 for Young Chicago Poets' collaborative piece, A Feminist Perspective on Gun Violence in Chicago: Screening and Performance, 4 - 6 pm.

Sunday! Mystery novelist Michael Black stops into Centuries & Sleuths for a signing of his book Chimes at Midnight, 2 pm.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Oct 03 2014

Bookmarks

Tonight! Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz reads from her new book, Dr Mütter's Marvels at Quimby's, 7 pm.

Saturday! Illinois Woman's Press Association makes an appearance at the Book Cellar to celebrate the release of a collection of member's works, The Anthology, 7 pm.

Saturday! If you enjoyed Printers Ball this summer, then start gearing up for next year by bidding on original artwork in a silent auction at Spudnik Press, 7 pm.

Sunday! Here, Chicago returns to Stage 773 for a livelit show and potluck. Grab some grub and gnosh on original tales, 8 pm.

Miden Wood / Comments (1)

Bookmarks Fri Sep 26 2014

Bookmarks

Tonight! Plant yourself amongst a wide array of authors, artists, and architects for the Chicago Botanic Garden's Novel Affair, 6 pm.

Tonight! Well-read rebels read from some of the most commonly banned books to celebrate Banned Book Week. Listen to passages from old controversial favorites like To Kill a Mockingbird, Persepolis, Watership Down, and The Lorax at Logan Square's City Lit Books, 6:30 pm.

Tonight! Join Unabridged Bookstore in Exploring Creative Non-Fiction, featuring writers Megan Stielstra, Dmitry Samarov, and Wendy C. Ortiz, as they discuss fact that reads like fiction, 7 pm.

Tonight! Women & Children First hosts author Amina Gautier as she reads from her book Now We Will Be Happy, 7:30 pm.

Tonight! No relevant experience required to enjoy poet Chris Green's latest collection Résumé at the Book Cellar, 7 pm.

Tonight! Head to Challenger Comics + Conversation to get your copy of Lucy Knisley's new graphic novel Age of License signed by the maker herself, 7 pm.

Saturday! Spend your afternoon at Newberry Library, where author Michael Blanding discusses a book as compelling as its subtitle is long: The Map Thief: The Gripping Story of an Esteemed Rare-Map Dealer Who Made Millions Stealing Priceless Maps, 1 pm.

Saturday! Former Chicago-Sun Times columnist Debra Pickett presents her debut book Reporting Lives at City Lit Books, 5 pm.

Saturday! Make your way to Quimby's Bookstore for a celebration of John Porcellino's new graphic novel, The Hospital Suite, as well as a screening of King-Cat Comics documentary Root Hog or Die, 7 pm.

Saturday! The Kates return to the Book Cellar for more hilarious live lit. Check it out at 7 pm.

Sunday! Free Bourbon. Now that I have your attention, check out the Book Cellar's author event featuring Michael Veach, along with distillers Bill Rix Welter and Paul Heltko, as they discuss Veach's new book, Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey: An American Heritage. Free bourbon tasting to follow, and all spirits will be available for purchased at Provenance down the street, 4 pm.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Sep 19 2014

Bookmarks

Tonight! Funny Ha-Ha celebrates ten years of live literary delights at the Hideout! All proceeds go to literacy group Sit Stay Read. $10, 6:30 pm.

Tonight! Head over to Challengers Comics where author Sean Dove will be signing copies of Last Days of Danger, 7 pm.

Tonight! Women & Children First hosts Beatriz Badikian-Gartler as she reads from her book of poetry Unveiling the Mind, 7:30 pm.

Tonight! Author Brian Costello presents his second novel, Losing in Gainesville at the Empty Bottle, 9 pm.

Saturday! Tamale Hut Reading Series continues at (where else?) The Tamale Hut Cafe, 7 pm.

Sunday! Jesmyn Ward reads from her book Men we Reaped at Women & Children First, 4:30 pm.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Sep 12 2014

Bookmarks

Today! Joan Adler stops by The Standard Club to read from her latest book For the Sake of the Children: The Letters Between Otto Frank and Nathan Straus Jr., 12 pm.

Today! Stop by the Union League Club where Tavis Smiley will discuss his book Death of a King: The Real Story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Final Year, 12 pm.

Tonight! Artists Greg and Fake Petre celebrate the release of their new comic American Nature at Challengers Comics, 6 - 10 pm.

Saturday! Everybody's Coffee hosts a panel for children's book writers and illustrators, all day.

Saturday! Erika T. Wurth releases her new book, Crazy Horse's Girlfriend, with a launch party at City Lit Books, 5 pm.

Sunday! It's a birthday party for beloved author Roald Dahl! Bring your BFF to celebrate the BFG, and whatever you do don't eat the blueberries, at Women & Children First, 3:30 pm.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Sep 05 2014

Bookmarks

Tonight! Author Rachel Wilson celebrates the release of her debut YA novel, Don't Touch at The Book Cellar with a reading and signing at 7 pm.

Tonight! Women & Children first hosts author Rachel DeWoskin in a reading of her new novel, Blind, 7:30 pm.

Saturday! Try your hand at spoken word with performer Gregory Geffrard by signing up for a workshop at Stage773, 4 pm.

Saturday! Enjoy a live taping of the podcast Booked! at Logan Square's City Lit Books. This round of readings will feature Richard Thomas, Jac Jemc, Ben Tanzer, and Brandon Tietz.

Saturday! It's the opening night of the new season of Chicago's Beast Women, an all-female performance variety revue at The Den Theatre, 10:30 pm.

Sunday! Chicago Opera Theater examines the Bard with a seminar on MacBath at the Gene Siskel Film Center. The discussion will explore MacBeth interpretations of film and stage, including the upcoming operatic performance, 12 pm.

Sunday! Don't miss the monthly live lit potluck Here, Chicago. Bring a dish for all to dine on and your entry is free! 7:30 pm.

Sunday! Check out the September installment of Truth or Lie, featuring Alicia Swiz and Sarah Terez Rosenblum, at Firecat Projects, 7:30 pm.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Aug 29 2014

Bookmarks

Tonight! Union Street Gallery brings you a plethora of poetry at open mic Union Street Beat, 6:30 pm.

Tonight! Contributors to semi-annual literary magazine After Hours celebrate its 29th edition with a reading at the Book Cellar, 7 pm.

Tonight! Women & Children First hosts D. Bryant Simmons as she discusses her new book, How to Knock a Bravebird from Her Perch, 7:30 pm.

Saturday! Feast on franks with your favorite inter-dimensional travelers at Chowdown at Sundown(ers), Challengers Comics' cook out with special guests, and creators of the Sundowners comic series, Sean Dove, Tim Seeley, and Jim Terry, 4 - 8 pm.

Saturday! Make your way to Quimby's to enjoy Lane Milburn's new graphic novel, Twelve Gems, described by Robot 6 as "'80s-indie black-and-white space-opera," 7 pm.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Aug 22 2014

Bookmarks

Tonight! Union Street Gallery hosts open mic "Union Street Beats," for any and all poets looking for an audience, 6:30 pm.

Tonight! Tallgrass Writers Guild presents original work around the theme "Dressing Up," at the Book Cellar, 7 pm.

Tonight! New-York-based sketch troupe and YouTube masters The Harvard Sailing Team makes an appearance at Beat Kitchen, 7:30 pm.

Saturday! Scrape together some scratch paper at Columbia's Papermaker's Garden with The Chicago 77. Organizers suggest bringing an article of clothing to be made into paper pulp, 10 am - 3 pm.

Saturday! Check out lady-driven live-lit series "The Kates," at the Book Cellar, 7 pm.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Aug 15 2014

Bookmarks

Tonight! Jeff Zwirek will discuss the second edition of his graphic novel Burning Building Complex at Quimby's, 7 pm.

Tonight! The Human Thread holds its last OpenMind OpenMic at the Bridgeport Art Center, 1200 W. 35th St, 8 pm.

Saturday and Sunday! Figment Chicago, a festival encouraging and celebrating participatory art of all kinds, comes to Jefferson Memorial Park, 10 am - 6 pm both days.

Saturday! Local memoirist Mary Byrne Eigel hosts writing workshop, "Mining Your Soul Story," at Equilibrium Energy & Education Center, 9 am.

Saturday! The Dollhouse Reading Series, a BYOB Poetrypalooza, returns for another monthly installment, 7:30 pm.

Sunday! Curbside Splendor's Naomi Huffman and Leah Pickett host the August installment of THE MARROW at Punch House, 1227 W. 18th St, 7:30 pm.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Aug 08 2014

Bookmarks

Tonight! Quimby's hosts Vice Versa's Breakup Party: an evening of lady-powered zine readings and lectures, featuring Julia Arredondo, Melissa Smith, and Vanessa Viruet, 7 pm.

Tonight! Are you a girl with a passion for literature and birthday suits? Naked Girls Reading is having an open call for performers at Everleigh Social Club, 7 pm.

Tonight! Meme seen round the world, Grumpy Cat, will be begrudgingly presenting The Grumpy Guide to Life at a Skokie Barnes & Noble (55 Old Orchard Center), 7 pm.

Saturday! Brain Frame Comix Reading hosts the very last installment of some truly Punk Rock Shit. You won't want to miss the grand finale at Thalia Hall, 6 pm.

Saturday! Rebecca Makkai reads from her new novel, The Hundred-Year House at the Book Cellar, 7 pm.

Sunday! Catch author Michael Goldstein at Women & Children First, where he'll be discussing his book Return of the Light.

Sunday! Leslie Perrine comes to CHI PRC for another installemtn of Zines 101: Jam Comic FunFest! $3, 1 pm.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Aug 01 2014

Bookmarks

Another weekly installment of what the weekend has in store for lit lovers:

Tonight! Author Tom Lukas will be at the Book Cellar reading from his debut novel, Special Operations, 7 pm.

Saturday! Beloved weekly live lit show Paper Machete introduces some new players this Saturday with the first show of their Fresh Meat series. Head over to the Green Mill to check out the new blood's debuts. (Don't worry, although he's a regular Chad the Bird will still be making an appearance.) 3 pm.

Saturday! Live lit show You're Being Ridiculous returns to Mary's Attic (above Hamburger Mary's) for their August show. This month, expect a fantastic line-up of readers who promise to be absurd, over-the-top, and absolutely positively ridiculous, $15, 7:30 pm.

Sunday! The Book Cellar brings us more authorial goodness with readings from The Hundred-Year House, a new novel by Rebecca Makkai, 7 pm.

Sunday! Test your judgment of fact or fiction with the Truth or Lie reading series. This weekend's show, to be held at Firecat Projects, features six readers presenting either a true story or total hooey. Is it true? That's up to you, 7:30 pm.

Sunday! Formerly known as Here's the Story, live lit show and potluck dinner Here, Chicago will return to Stage 773 for an evening of tales and tapas. Check out their website to learn more about the readers in store, and try your hand at cooking up a dish for the potluck! $8 or free with a potluck dish, 7:30 pm.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Jul 25 2014

Bookmarks

All Weekend! Check out the Newberry Library's 30th Annual Book Fair. All 120,000+ titles will be available for $2.00 or less, with a half-off day on Sunday.

Tonight! Author Catherine Fitzpatrick presents her novel Going on Nine at the Book Cellar, 7 pm.

Tonight! Itching for graphic novel goodness? Get Over It! with artist and author Corinne Mucha's reading at Quimby's, 7 pm.

Saturday! Newberry brings you the Bughouse Square Debates. Held in Washington Square Park, the freedom-of-speech-fest promises debates, speeches, and heartily encourages heckling, 12 - 4 pm.

Saturday! Ever dream of cycling across the country? It may do you good to hear the tale from the horse's mouth: Brian Benson presents his book Going Somewhere: A Bicycle Journey Across America at City Lit Books, 5 pm.

Saturday and Sunday! Catch bookstore Women & Children First's Used Book Sale at Andersonville Sdiewalk Sale.

Sunday! The Museum of Contemporary Art hosts Word Weekend, a celebration of all things wordy including a book fair, live readings, hip-hop performances, a play premiere, and graffiti workshops, 12 - 5 pm.

Sunday! Head to the Podlasie Club, 2918 N. Central Park, for therelease of Images of America Avondale and Chicago's Polish Village, 6 pm.

Miden Wood

Events Thu Jul 24 2014

August is Nigh; Time to Funk Up Your Tuesday

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"Wait, it's already almost August?" you holler at your computer screen, already pre-mourning the impending end of summer. Almost-August means almost-fall means soon the outdoors will again be closed off by a wall of dreaded, frostbiting, withering cold! There was so much you wanted to do! So much you wanted to see! Winter is coming.

Alright, alright, take a breath. The onset of August also means one whole month of summer remains, so it's time to hit the town and soak in all the city has to offer! Our suggestion? Ring in your month with the 72nd installment of eclectic live lit series Tuesday Funk. Swing by Hopleaf at 7:30pm on Aug. 5 to see featured readers Hannah Gamble, David Daskal, Christine Simokaitis, Britt Julious and Leah Thomas, all co-hosted by Eden Robins and Gapers Block editor Andrew Huff. RSVP on Facebook here, and we'll see you in August!

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Jul 11 2014

Bookmarks

Tonight! Naked girls read in Naked Girls Reading, a live lit show at Everleigh Social Club, 7 pm.

Tonight! Get titillated with Lust & Letters at Women & Children First. Tera Patrick will read from her book Sinner Takes All and Shawna Kenney will be reading from Book Lovers: Sexy Stories From Under the Covers, 7:30 pm.

Tonight! The Kates return to the Book Cellar for another monthly installment of lady live lit and comedy, 8 pm.

Saturday! Teenage-oriented comic book convention Pocket Con III comes to the Gary Comer Youth Center, featuring makers LeSean Thomas, Mshindo Kuumba, and Malcolm Ray, 12 - 6 pm.

Saturday! City Lit Books hosts some of Curbside Splendor's best in a reading featuring authors Susan Lanier, Dmitry Samarov, Halle Butler, Scott McClanahan, and Juliet Escoria, 5 pm.

Sunday! Serving the Sentence challenges its performers with this month's mandatory opening, "Para-sailing is the quietest thing I've ever done," at Towbar, 7 pm.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Jul 04 2014

Bookmarks

On this most patriotic of weekends, celebrate freedom of speech with these live lit and author talk Bookmarks.

All Weekend! Celebrate Independence Weekend with a celebration of independent publishing, as local self-publishing center CHI PRC celebrates its one-year anniversary. Stop by to enjoy readings from local zine artists as well as hands-on workshops!

Saturday! Author Kit Lyman will be discussing her book Satan's Garden at City Lit Books, 4:30 pm.

Saturday! Paper Machete's not-to-be-missed weekly variety show begins at the Green Mill, 3 pm.

Sunday! Stage 773 Live Lit show and potluck Here, Chicago promises loads of talent and at least one clown at this weekend's show. $8 or free with a potluck dish, 8 pm.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Jun 27 2014

Bookmarks

Saturday! Grow your brain all day long with the first installation of Learn-a-Palooza in Wicker Park! Make a Zine, Keep some Bees, Produce a Play, or try your fist at Self Defense! The day, which lasts from 11:30 am to 4:00 pm, holds those workshops and more. Check out learnapaloozachi.com for more classes.

Saturday! Richard N. Cote will Skype in to discuss his career and book In Search of Gentle Death: The Fight for Your Right to Die With Dignity at the Edgewater Branch Library, 2 pm.

Saturday! Printers Ball returns for its tenth anniversary of readings, workshops and featured artists, all under the theme of "Chatter." Be sure to RSVP to attend, 4 pm - 8 pm.

Saturday! Kam Oi Lee reads from her work of speculative fiction at Bucket o' Blood Books and Records, 5 pm.

Sunday! Author Jonathan Lethem discusses his book Dissident Gardens with Printers Row editor Jennifer Day at Logan Square Auditorium, 3 pm.

Sunday! Make your way to Block Rock Pub for Salon Chicago, a live lit series featuring readings from Arnie Bernstein, Tessa Mellas, Kate Milliken, and Ben Tanzer, 7 pm.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Jun 20 2014

Bookmarks

Tonight! Author Maria Venegas discusses her book Bulletproof Vest: The Ballad of an Outlaw and His Daughter at Women & Children First, 7:30 pm.

Tonight! The Moonlight Owl Collective hosts artists of all shapes and sorts presenting on the themes Exaggeration and Generation Gap, 10 pm.

Saturday! Tap into Chicago's musical roots with Rosalind Cummings-Yeates as she discusses her book Exploring Chicago Blues at the Edgewater Branch Library, 1 pm.

Saturday! The Book Cellar hosts Suzanna Dunata Walters in a discussion of her book, The Tolerance Trap, 7 pm.

Sunday! A fizzy afternoon is in order with the City Winery's Bubbly and Books, featuring sparkling wine tasting and readings from featured authors Jen Lancaster, Stacey Ballis, Sarah Jio, and Amy Hatvany, 1 pm.

Sunday! Add even more blues to your weekend at the Book Cellar with David Whiteis's book, Southern Soul-Blues, 7 pm.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Jun 13 2014

Bookmarks

Tonight! Author Susan Jane Gilman reads from her debut novel The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street at Women & Children First, 7:30 pm.

Tonight! The Book Cellar hosts monthly comedic Live Lit show The Kates, 8 pm.

Saturday! The Book Table hosts author Leah Hager Cohen in a discussion of her career, including such works as No Book but the World and Train Go Sorry: Inside a Deaf World, 7 pm.

Saturday! Metal Fans, make your way to Quimby's for a discussion of Mike "McBeardo" Padden's Heavy Metal Movies: Guitar Barbarians, Mutant Bimbos & Cult Zombies Amok in the 666 Most Eye- and Ear-Ripping Big Screen Films Ever! 7 pm.

Saturday! Tamale Hut Café puts up another installment of the Tamale Hut Reading Series, featuring Robert Rodi, Regina Buccola and Tina Jens, 7 pm.

Sunday! Curbside Splendor's very own live lit series The Marrow returns to The Punch House, 7:30 pm.

Miden Wood

Book Club Fri Jun 06 2014

Bookmarks

All Weekend! Printers Row Lit Fest rings in its 30th year at the historic printers' hub on Dearborn with hundreds of booksellers, over 200 authors, and a wide array of readings and workshops. If you are interested in literature and you live in Chicago, Lit Fest is where you need to be. Check out the schedule here and start planning your weekend. The festival is free, though indoor talks and events require tickets or a Printers Row Lit Fest Pass, which comes with two complimentary tickets for up to five programs, plenty of commemorative swag, and a 1-year digital subscription to Printers Row Journal.

Saturday! Thea Goodman reads from her debut novel, The Sunshine When She's Gone at Seminary Co-op Bookstore, 1 pm.

Saturday! Maya Lang stops by City Lit Books to discuss her book, The Sixteenth of June-- a loose adaptation of James Joyce's Ulysses-- with Borrowers author Rebecca Makkai, 5 pm.

Saturday! Legs McNeill and Gillian McCain can be found at Bucket o' Blood Books and Records, where they will be discussing their latest book, Dear Nobody, 7 pm.

Saturday! Live Lit show The Spotty Truth comes to the Den Theatre for a double feature of competitive storytelling and improv comedy, $7, 10:30 pm.

Sunday! Five stories, one opening sentence: "I haven't always been afraid of clowns." Serving the Sentence returns to Towbar for a night of potentially circus-themed Live Lit. Donations will be collected for DetermiNation Illinois, 7 pm.

Sunday! That's All She Wrote returns to the Savoy for a Live Lit show brimming with talent, 8 pm.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri May 30 2014

Bookmarks

All Weekend! Don't forget that CAKE: Chicago Alternative Comics Expo will be holding events throughout this upcoming week! Check out the schedule here to peruse an array of events, all free and open to the public.

Tonight! City Lit books hosts Diane Raptosh and Roger Bonair-Agard in a poetry reading, 6:30 pm.

Tonight! Daisy Rockwell reads from her new novel, Taste at Women & Children First, 7:30 pm.

Saturday! Powell's Bookstore receives a visitb from author Bonnie ZoBell to discuss her debut short story collection, WHAT HAPPENED HERE, 7 pm.

Sunday! Woman Made Gallery's reading series returns with poets Renny Golden, Vandana Khanna, Mary McMyne, Janeen Pergrin Rastall, Yunuen Rodriguez, and Erika Sanchez; all discussing a theme bound to send you spinning in Derrida logic circles: "The Other," 1:30 pm.

All Weekend! For those James Joyce fans out there, a theatrical adaptation of one of his classic novels entitled ULYSSES 101 goes up this weekend at Cafe Logan. (Don't worry -- the 265,000 words have been slightly abridged, so it shouldn't be 8 hours long.)

Miden Wood

Events Tue May 27 2014

Before Dessert: The Week Leading Up to CAKE

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If you haven't yet befriended Charles Cake, you should. Not only is Charles a top-notch Facebook friend and all around stand up guy, but he also has the full scoop on his not-to-be-missed namesake, CAKE: the Chicago Alternative Comics Expo.

10373729_10203688071384407_7886899377359811501_n.jpgChicago has long been a hub of underground comics, and this week CAKE is rolling out a schedule of events -- all of which are free and open to the public -- that will do that history proud. The expo's third year kicks off with a live comic reading sponsored by Minneapolis-based comics publisher 2D Cloud. These works, imagineered by Edie Fake, Anna Bongiovanni, Sam Alden, Andy Burkholder, Mark Connery, Sarah Ferrick, John Holden, Scott Longo and Annie Mok -- liberally linked here for your viewing pleasure -- are intricate, expressive and beautiful. Head over to Galerie F (2381 N. Milwaukee Ave.) this Thursday at 7 pm to hear these stories told in the authors' own voices.

10306721_876359759047975_7327892387866606507_n.jpgAfter the 2D reading, gear up for whole other slew of CAKE-sponsored goodness this Friday. Artist Tony Millionaire will be doing a signing at Graham Cracker Comics (77 E. Madison Ave.) from 5 - 7 pm. According to advertising, he'll sign anything, so get creative. Quimby's Bookstore (1854 W. North Ave.) will host three of CAKE's exhibitors: Elisha Lim, MariNaomi, and Mike Dawson. These critically acclaimed authors and illustrators will read from selections of their latest work. In case that isn't enough hooplah for one evening, the third option for your Friday is an Artist's Panel at DePaul's School of Cinema (14 E. Jackson St.), featuring the story artists of beloved late-night cartoon nonsense, Adventure Time: Jesse Moynihan, Michael DeForge and, making a second appearance, Sam Alden. The panel, which begins at 6 pm, will discuss how Adventure Time's collaboration with alternative comic artists has breathed new life into the form and content of animated narrative.

Continue reading this entry »

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri May 23 2014

Bookmarks

Tonight! Author James Fearnley discusses his book, Here Comes Everybody at the Book Cellar, 7 pm.

Saturday! JaQuavis discusses his new book Whitehouse at CPL's West Englewood Branch, 2 pm.

Saturday! Take your self-started project to the next level with The Propeller Fund, an organization dedicated to stimulating creative growth in Chicago. Attend a workshop at Mana Contemporary Chicago to learn how to apply, 2233 S. Throop St., 1 pm to 6 pm.

Saturday! David Grubbs reads from his book Records Ruin the Landscape: John Cage, the Sixties, and Sound Recording, featuring musician John Corbett, at Corbett vs. Dempsey, 3 pm.

Sunday! Mike O'Flaherty reads from his new novel Where do You Run? at 57th Street Books, 3 pm.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri May 16 2014

Bookmarks

Tonight! Naked Girls Reading brings a little literary spice to your everyday nude show. $20, 7 pm.

Saturday! Head to the University of Chicago Logan Center for the Arts, where Freakonomics authors Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner will be discussing their new book, Think Like a Freak, $30, 3 pm.

Saturday! Red Rover Reading Series at Outer Space Studio presents Kristy Bowen, Ladan Osman, Davis Schneiderman, and Keith Wilson, 7 pm.

Saturday! You won't want to miss comic artist and CAKE rep Edie Fake as he discusses his new book, Memory Palaces at Quimby's, 7 pm.

Saturday! Tamale Hut Café Reading Series returns with featured writer Alice Vedral Rivera, 7 pm.

Saturday! Bucket O'Blood Books & Records welcomes author Bill Hillmann in presenting his new novel with Curbside Splendor, The Old Neighborhood, 7 pm.

Sunday! Celebrate the latest issue of december magazine at Zolla/Lieberman Gallery with readings from Marvin Bell, Susanna Lang, Dina Elenbogen, and Abby Ryder-Huth followed by a reception, 6 pm.

Sunday! Reading series Excited Utterance comes to Uncommon Ground for its second installment of LiveLit goodness! This week's show features readings from Larry O. Dean, Kenyatta Rogers, and Kathleen Rooney, 7 pm.

Sunday! Salon Chicago comes to Black Rock Bar, with readings by Edward Kelsey Moore, Paulette Livers, Phong Nguyen, and Randy Richardson, 7 pm.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Wed May 07 2014

Bookmarks

Tonight! Back to Print launches its first children's book, The Wild Pumpkin Patch at Galerie F. The night features story time with the author, live music from Philip Toscan, and arts & crafts. Kid-friendy, 6 pm.

Tonight! Union Street Gallery hosts Union Street Beat, a poetry open mic. Stop by for poetry, complimentary food and plenty of art to peruse, 6:30 pm.

Tonight! The author of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Ann Brashares, will be signing her new novel The Here and Now at the Skokie Barnes & Noble, 7 pm.

Tonight! Bad Grammar Theatre is back for their monthy reading, featuring readings from established and emerging authors alike, 8:30 pm.

Saturday! Celebrate Indie's First Storytime, an initiative that brings authors and illustrators to independent bookstores, at the Book Cellar with Esme Raji Codell, 11 am.

Saturday! Eden Unger Bowditch, YA author of The Young Inventors Guild discussed her work at the Sulzer Regional Library, 2 pm.

Sunday! Make your way to The Savoy for LiveLit show That's All She Wrote, 8 pm.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri May 02 2014

Bookmarks

Tonight! The Book Cellar hosts a reading by local poets Tim Hunt and Susanna Lang, 7 pm.

Saturday! Head over to Concordia University Chicago to engage in Movement through Words, a discussion of possible intersections between literature and dance, 10 am.

Saturday! Seminary Co-Op Bookstore hosts Saskia Sassen in a discussion of her book, Expulsions: Brutality and Complexity in the Global Economy, 3 pm.

Saturday! US Senator Elizabeth Warren discusses her book A Fighting Chance at the Spertus Institute, 4 pm.

Saturday! ESPN The Magazine contributor Chris Hollenback discusses his novel Sleep When You're Dead at City Lit Books, 5:30 pm.

Saturday! Get duped at Chicago's "25th Annual" Biggest Liar Contest, held at The Ravenswood United Church of Christ, 7 pm.

Sunday! City Lit Books hosts a discussion of novel The Walls of Delhi with author Uday Prakash, 3 pm.

Miden Wood

Book Club Fri Apr 25 2014

Bookmarks

All Weekend! C2E2, the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, returns to bring you all things comics, comedy, and nerd.

Saturday! The Poetry Foundation hosts Children's Poetry Day, a full day of merriment including children's films, scavenger hunts, and other lyrical adventures! Free, 10 am.

Saturday! Powell's Bookstore hosts an artsy spin on those literary shapes we take for granted with The Adventures of Letterpress, an Expo of the work of local letterpress artists. 2 - 6 pm.

Saturday! Local publishing house Curbside Splendor celebrates its authors with readings and signings at City Lit Books. 5 pm.

Saturday! In its 32nd iteration, The Dollhouse Reading Series brings you readings from Nate Pritts, Jennifer H. Fortin, Adam Fell and Zach Savich, 7 pm.

Saturday! 826CHI presents Prom 9 From Outer Space. Buy your tickets to benefit the tutoring center and its efforts to make writing fun for kids all over Chicago! 8 pm.

Sunday! Make your way to the Harold Washington Library for Poetry Fest: a day jam-packed with readings, workshops, open mics and more! 10 am - 4:30 pm.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Apr 18 2014

Bookmarks

Tonight! Author Rosalind Cummings-Yeates and musician Billy Branch come together at City Lit Books to discuss book Exploring Chicago Blues, 6:30 pm.

Saturday! Tribune reporter Liam T. A. Ford discusses his book Soldier Field: A Stadium and its City at Logan Square Library, 1 pm.

Saturday! Join New Yorker musica nd rock critic Sasha Frere-Jones as he discusses his work. 3 pm at Corbett vs. Dempsey.

Saturday! Enjoy bite-sized musings with 20x2! A transplant from SXSW, 20x2 features 20 writers, artists, musicians, filmmakers and even chefs, each with two minutes to answer the same question: "Where are we?" 7 pm at Schubas, $10.

Saturday! Quimby's Bookstore hosts Hillary Chute, long-time interviewer of contemporary cartoonists, in a discussion of her new book, Outside the Box, wherein she dishes all her insider's scoop. 7 pm.

Saturday! Unearth The Secret History of Chicago Zines with Steve Krakow, Jake Austen, and Chris Ware as they discuss the music industry's relationship with the local zine world. 7 pm at Powell's Books.

Saturday! Tamale Hut Café Reading Series returns with featured writer Aaron Longoria, 7 pm.

Sunday! Brain Frame and Chicago Alternative Comics Expo combine to create: CAKEFRAME (2)! Come out to bid on original artwork by Chicago's finest, see live music and drawing, and parteee, all to raise funds for CAKE 2014. 6 pm at the Co-Prosperity Sphere.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Apr 04 2014

Bookmarks

Tonight! The Interview Show comes to The Hideout for its April installment, and the lineup this month looks dee-lightful. 6:30 pm, $8 at the door.

Saturday! Alexander Eisenschmidt and Jonathan Mekinda discuss Chicago's architectural future through their essay, "Chicagoisms," at the Graham Foundation, 2 - 4 pm.

Saturday! Make your way to City Lit Books to join author Scott Jacobs as he discusses his latest book, Famous Ski Hills in Wisconsin (And Other Delusions of Grandeur), 5 pm.

Saturday! The Book Cellar presents the second annual "Ladder to the Moon" reading, featuring readings by Andrew Squitiro, Naomi Washer, Howard Simmons, Amy Giacalone, and Joe Meno, 7 pm.

Sunday! Stop by Logan Squre's Uncharted Books to lend an ear to Napkin Poetry, an open mic and reading, surrounding this month's theme: "EXILE." 7 pm, free.

Sunday! Stage 773 brings you another installment of LiveLit series and potluck, "Here's the Story." Listen up and then chow down with featured readings from Irv Levinson, Angelique Nelson, Nick Johne, Kelsie Huff, and Tim Witting. 8 pm, $8 OR free with a potluck dish!

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Mar 28 2014

Bookmarks

Tonight! Free Street Theatre presents an open mic for poetry, lit, music, anything! Doors open at 5 pm.

Tonight! Author Jenny Bowen discusses her new book, Wish You Happy Forever at The Book Cellar, 7 pm.

Saturday! the Nelson Algren Committee celebrates the author's birthday with readings, discussions, and multimedia homage. The event is $10 and starts at 8 pm at the Bloomingdale Arts Building. Merry Birthversary, Nelson!

Sunday! Peggy Shinner discusses her book, You Feel So Mortal: Essays on the Body at Women & Children First, 4:30 pm.

Sunday! Stop by Black Rock Pub for reading series "Sunday Salon," featuring seasoned writers Janice Deal, Gina Frangello, Alan Grostephan, and Kelly O'Connor McNees. 7 pm, free!

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Mar 21 2014

Bookmarks

Tonight! Nudity and literacy collide in Lit show Naked Girls Reading at Everleigh Social Club, 7 pm.

Tonight! Elizabeth Earley reads form her book A Map of Everything at Women & Children First, 7:30 pm.

Saturday! Gregory Benton discusses his graphic novel, B + F at Quimby's Bookstore, 7 pm.

Saturday! Red Rover Series returns with more "readings that play with reading." Check out the amazing lineup of readers at Outer Space Studio (1474 N. Milwaukee Ave.) at 7 pm.

Saturday! You saw them at Zine Fest last weekend. Brain Frame is back to twist your neurons with another installment of comix readings at Constellation, open to all at 7:30 pm, and 21+ at 10 pm.

Sunday! 2nd Story brings you another night of powerful and provocative LiveLit, but there's more. Because the show is held at Revolution Brewing, the $40 ticket price includes two hours of unlimited Revolution Food and Brew samples. Start imbibing at 6 pm.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Mar 14 2014

Bookmarks

Tonight and Tomorrow! Chicago Zine Fest returns for its fifth annual self-pubstravaganza to showcase even more magnificent independent publishers! Drop by to check out the awesome line-up of exhibitors, take a workshop, or just DANCE. Plan your weekend with the full Zine Fest schedule here.

Tonight! Celebrate the Freedom of Information Act at the FOIA Festival with lectures and workshops geared towards journalists, bloggers and writers. Sessions will run all morning and afternoon, from 8:30 am to 5 pm, at Loyola University (25 E. Pearson St.).

Tonight! Richard Hell reads from his autobiography and documentation of punk rock culture, I Thought I was a Very Clean Tramp at 57th Street Books, 6 pm. Word is he "is willing to sign anything people bring on the condition that they've bought a copy of TRAMP at the event," so don't forget to bring your most cherished book, 8-track, or pet.

Tonight! Learn a little more about the late author's life with Norman Mailer: A Double Life, read at DePaul Barnes & Noble (1 E. Jackson Blvd.) by author Mike Lennon.

Saturday! Author José Ángel reads from his book Illegal: Reflections of an Undocumented Immigrant at the Book Cellar (4736 N. Lincoln Ave.), 7 pm.

Starting on Sunday! Chicago Story Week Festival of Writers kicks off its amazing weeklong series of readings, workshops, and Writers Bootcamps, featuring the work of acclaimed and emerging writers. Check out the schedule here to plan your Story Week, starting off with Sunday's Story Workshop Mini-Classes from 3-5 at the Chicago Dance Center (3868 N. Lincoln Ave.), and then an installment of livelit series by 2nd Story at Martyr's (3855 N. Lincoln Ave.) at 6 pm.

Sunday! Author Katey Schultz will read from her short story collection, Flashes of War at Women & Children First (5233 N. Clark St.), 4:30 pm.

Miden Wood

Events Wed Mar 12 2014

Chicago Zine Fest is Back for its Fifth Year!

czf.jpgDon't let green sprouting up around the city fool you; there's much more going on this weekend than St. Patty's Day. Friday, March 14th marks the beginning of fifth annual self-pubstravaganza Chicago Zine Fest, a weekend-long showcase dedicated to celebrating the work of small presses and independent publishers.

There are few instances in which so many creatives occupy a single space, and the effect at Zine Fest is awe-inspiring, as one might guess just taking a look at the Fest's impressive exhibitor line-up; bursting with stories, illustrations, and the powerful perspectives unique to zine work. Absorb their work through readings and exhibitions throughout the weekend, and jump into the process yourself with any of the many workshops and discussions scheduled for Saturday, March 15!

The festival kicks off this Friday at 1 pm at Columbia College's Conway Center (1104 S. Wabash Ave.) with an opening panel entitled In it for the Long Haul: A Discussion on Longevity in Zines with Cindy Crabb (Doris), Tomas Moniz (Rad Dad), and Alex Wrekk (Brainscan). The panel will be moderated by Quimby's Bookstore's own Liz Mason (Caboose)

Continue reading this entry »

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Mar 07 2014

Bookmarks!

Saturday! Check out the semifinal round of Louder Than a Bomb, the world's largest youth slam poetry festival. Head on over to verse venue Metro to hear out slams any time between 10 am and 9 pm!

Saturday! Continue the Slam Spree with a Spoken Word workshop at Stage 773. The workshop, taught by spoken word veteran Gregory Geffrard, runs from 1 pm to 4 pm and costs $30.

Saturday! Weekly free lecture series, The Playground for People Who Think, hosts Dr. Lora Chamberlain in a discussion of fracturing legislation at the Hilltop Restaurant, 6 pm.

Saturday! The Book Cellar hosts novelists Gina Frangello (A Life in Men) and Peter Mountford (The Dismal Science), 7pm.

Sunday! Livelit series 2nd Story engages in a study human endurance with Once More Unto the Breech: Stories of Beautiful Struggle. These stories of resilience in the face of unforeseen trials, "From a friend trying to save another friend from a cult, to a woman trying to learn to be a mother to another mother's children" sound like some you won't want to miss. Head over to Webster's Wine Bar, $20, 7:30 pm.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Feb 28 2014

Bookmarks

Tonight! Join artist Martine Syms as she puts up new show Mundane Afrofuturism. As part of the event, she will discuss her recently published essay, "The Mundane Afrofuturist Manifesto," which explores racial relationships within intergalactic and cyberspacial realms. 6 pm, Free.

Saturday! See what's in store at the latest installment of LiveLit showPaper Machete at the Green Mill. 3 pm, Free.

Saturday! Indulge in some Provencal wines and foods at the Sofitel Chicago Water Tower, as chefs Viktorija Todorovska and Francois Millo present their latest cookbook Provence Food and Wine. 5:30 pm, $20.

Saturday! Stage 773 hosts monthly LiveLit series and potluck, "Here's the Story." Listen up and then chow down with an exciting lineup of readers, including Nico Lang (Rolling Stone), NASA's Andi Nelson, Ranjit Souri (Second City), and J.H. Palmer (That's All She Wrote). 8 pm, $8 OR free with a potluck dish!

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Feb 21 2014

Bookmarks

Tonight! Book release and signing for author Matthew Hoffman's A Decade of You Are Beautiful at Galerie F, 7 pm.

Saturday! The Cliff Dwellers Book Club discusses The Temple of Air, by Patricia Ann McNair, with lunch to follow!

Saturday! Chicago Zine Fest Sign Making Party at CHIPRC, 4 pm.

Saturday! Red Rover Series presents "Experiment #72", an improvisational artistic collaboration, at Outer Space Studio, 7 pm.

Saturday! Valentine Trauma Zine release reading with author Mike McBeardo McPadden and friends at Quimby's, 7 pm.

Saturday! Publisher 7Vientos celebrates the book release of Latin American author Mario Bellatin at the Chicago Urban Art Society, 7 pm.

Saturday! Author Rachel Bykowski reads from her book Glory vs. The Wolves at Women & Children First, 7:30 pm.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Feb 14 2014

Bookmarks

Not sure what to do this Valentine's Weekend? We've got a few ideas:

Saturday! Authors Charles May and Tom Williams discuss their latest work at 57th Street Books, 3 pm.

Saturday! The Guild Literary Complex holds "Dramaturgy of the Body," a writing workshop directed towards divergent and innovative writers, at City it Books, 12 pm.

Saturday! Have pages upon pages of sonnets to give to your Valentine, but worry that they're too cumbersome? Make them more compact with CHI PRC's Book-Binding Workshop, 1 pm.

Saturday! David Witter reads from Chicago Magic: A History of Stagecraft & Spectacle at Quimby's Bookstore, 7pm.

Saturday! Author Addie Zierman discusses her memoir When We Were On Fire at The Book Cellar, 7 pm.

Saturday and Sunday! Join Beau O'Reilly as he delves into the work of Samuel Beckett with his piece 60 Story Animal at The Poetry Foundation, 7 pm on Saturday and 3 pm on Sunday.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Feb 07 2014

Bookmarks

Tonight! Local author Gina Frangello discusses her new book A Life in Men at Women & Children First, 7:30 pm.

Saturday! University of Texas history professor Jacqueline Jones discusses her book, A Dreadful Deceit: The Myth of Race from the Colonial Era to Obama's America at the Woodson Regional Library, 1 pm.

Saturday! Cartoonist Michael DeForge launches his graphic novel Ant Colony, with a slideshow-reading, followed by a book-signing. 7 pm.

Sunday! 2nd Story returns with Live Lit show, "Any Minute Now: Stories of Loving and Looking," at Webster's Wine Bar. $20, 7 pm.

Sunday! Curbside Splendor holds a book release for Don't Start Me Talkin', featuring readings from local authors as well as live music, at The Hideout, 8 pm.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Jan 31 2014

Bookmarks

Tonight! Stop by City Lit Books to hear Charles Finch discuss his new novel, The Last Enchantments, 6:30 pm.

Tonight! Head over to The Book Cellar to hear from local authors Mark Brand, Giano Cromley, Ben Tanzer, and Joseph Peterson, as they read from and discuss their latest works, 7 pm.

Saturday! You’ve finally perfected that short story collection, polished up the novel, edited the poetry down to one concise word; what next? CHI PRC hosts a submission workshop that will cover every step along the way to publishing your work, 3 - 5 pm, $10.

Saturday! Muscle your way into the sold-out 90-Second Newbery Festival, and enjoy young readers’ creative adaptations of Newbery-Award-winning books, 1.5 minutes at a time. Show goes up at the Vittum Theatre at 3 pm.

Saturday! Cole’s Bar hosts Back to Print in their 4th anniversary Jubilee, as they release their latest collection “Weather or Not”. Drop in to enjoy readings, followed by music, and, most importantly, cake. 9 pm.

Sunday! Theatre Wit presents Here’s the Story, a livelit series featuring seasoned storytellers as well as five open mike slots, all accompanied by a potluck dinner. Bring a dish, dish the dirt, $8 at 8 pm.

Miden Wood

Bookmarks Fri Jan 24 2014

Bookmarks

Saturday! Tamale Hut Cafe Reading Series featuring Janet Wondra, 7pm.

Saturday! Local Authors Read featuring mystery/crime authors Gail Lukasik, Matt Hader, Mark Rusin and John K. Manos at the Evanston Public Library, 3pm.

Sunday! The Historic Pullman Garden Club presents its annual Winter Lecture Series on first ladies and their Midwestern roots, 3pm.

Sunday! Sunday Salon Chicago presents readers Grace Tiffany, Geoff Hyatt, Zak Mucha and Cris Mazza at Black Rock Pub, 7pm.

Lara Levitan

Bookmarks Fri Jan 17 2014

Bookmarks

Tonight! Office Pizza Party Reading at CHIPRC, 8pm.

Tonight! Samuel R. Delany presents the first of two readings at University of Chicago's Harper Memorial Library, 4:30pm. (The second reading is Friday, January 31.)

Saturday! Author Alex Garel-Frantzen presents and signs his latest book, Gangsters & Organized Crime in Jewish Chicago, at the Edgewater branch of Chicago Public Library, 11am.

Saturday! The Chicago Writers Association presents its 3rd annual Book of the Year Awards at The Book Cellar, 7pm.

Saturday! Myopic Poetry Series presents Benjamin Hollander & Ed Roberson, 7pm.

Saturday! Novelists Chris Abani and Luis Alberto Urrea at International House at the University of Chicago, 2pm.

Sunday! The Green Mill hosts the Uptown Poetry Slam with an open mic at 7pm, featured poets at 8pm, and a slam competition at 9pm. Cover is $6.

All weekend! Sink your teeth into storytelling festival Fillet of Solo at Lifeline Theatre. $10, times vary.

And don't forget-- on Monday, all Chicago Public Libraries are closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Lara Levitan

Bookmarks Fri Jan 10 2014

Bookmarks

Tonight! Musical comedy game show Shame That Tune presents "The Future" with readers Danny Black, Thymme Jones and Peter Andreadis at the Hideout, 6:30pm.

Saturday! Quimby's Bookstore hosts a Zlumber Party, an overnight workshop for zinesters, 9pm- 9am Sunday.

Saturday! Red Rover reading series presents "The Vulnerable Rumble" (coinciding with the MLA Convention) at Outer Space Studio, 8pm.

Saturday! Author Douglas Trevor reads from his debut novel Girls I Know, joined by fellow author Michael Byers (Percival's Planet, Long for This World) at the Book Cellar, 7pm.

Sunday! The Fillet of Solo monologue-fest presents Five from Rogers Park--including writers Liz Baudler and Jade C. Huell, among others--at the Heartland Studio Theatre, 5pm.

Sunday! Book launch for Eat Ink: Recipes, Stories, Tattoos at Atwood Cafe, 4pm.

Lara Levitan

Bookmarks Fri Jan 03 2014

Bookmarks

Tonight! The Interview Show hosted by Mark Bazer featuring Robbie Fulks, Paul Kahan and Kate James at the Hideout, 6:30pm.

Saturday! The Fillet of Solo Fest presents The Best of Story Club at 7pm; and rapid-fire literary faceoff Write Club at Lifeline Theatre, 9pm.

Sunday! Here's the Story featuring Rahmaan Statik Barnes, Angela Oliver, Don Hall, Katie Liesener and Samantha Irby at Stage 773, 7:30pm potluck, 8pm show.

Lara Levitan

Bookmarks Fri Dec 27 2013

Bookmarks

Saturday! Storyteller Velma Gladney headlines the North Austin branch library's Kwanzaa Celebration, 2pm.

Saturday! College of Complexes at Lincoln Restaurant. Topic: Monetary Reform and the
100 Year Anniversary of the Federal Reserve. 8pm.

Saturday! The Blackout Diaries final show at the Lincoln Lodge, 8pm.

Saturday! Quiet Writers Riot writing group meets at Uncharted Books, 2-4pm.

Lara Levitan

Bookmarks Fri Dec 20 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! Bad Grammar Theater reading series at Powell's Bookstore University Village, 6pm.

Saturday! Author Christine Sneed serves as guest holiday bookseller at City Lit Books, 12-2pm.

Saturday! Author Graham Moore leads a discussion following The Raven Theatre's production of Sherlock Holmes and The Case of the Christmas Goose. Moore is the author of The Sherlockian and is the screenwriter for the upcoming movie adaptation of The Devil in the White City. 7:30pm.

Lara Levitan

Bookmarks Fri Dec 13 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! Curbside Splendor presents The Essay Collective featuring Samantha Irby, Ben Tanzer and Megan Stielstra at City Lit Books, 6:30pm.

Tonight! Musical comedy extravaganza Shame That Tune "Turns 40" featuring Angela Vela, Kenny Witzgall and Josh Zagoren (a.k.a. Chad the Bird from The Paper Machete) at the Hideout, 6:30pm.

Tonight! Absinthe and Zygote #12: Dirty Laundry, a guerilla reading in a laundromat featuring James Tadd Adcox, Cean Gamalinda, Ryan N. Lang and more at Sudz Laundry, 7pm.

Saturday! Low-key, BYOB "poetry party" The Dollhouse Reading Series presents Laurie Saurborn Young, Matt Hart, Kiki Petrosino, and Stephen Danos, 7:30pm.

Sunday! A Bloody and Boozy Christmas Story with beer and Chinese food at Bucket O' Blood Books and Records, 4pm.

Sunday! The Conspirators Theatre Co. presents comedians and playwrights readingWorst Ever Christmas Letters at Uncommon Ground, 8pm.

Sunday! Sketch-ravaganza Art Sale at Quimby's, 12:30-6:30pm.

Lara Levitan

Bookmarks Fri Dec 06 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! Interview Show hosted by Mark Bazer featuring local authors Tavi Gevinson (Style Rookie) and Charles Blackstone (Vintage Attraction) at The Hideout, 6:30pm, $8 at the door.

Tonight! Fiction journal Birkensnake throws a participatory release party for its sixth issue at Uncharted Books, 7pm.

Saturday! Cole's Bar hosts Emergency Assembly Reading with M. Bartley Seigel, Jac Jemc, Daniela Olszewska, Mason Johnson, James Tadd Adcox, and Brooks Sterritt, 6:30pm.

Saturday! The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame inducts this year's class of six historically important writers at Roosevelt University, 7pm.

Saturday! Memoryhouse presents its first-ever Chapbook Festival with performances by poets Kenyatta Rogers, Eric Elshtain, Jennifer Karmin, and Stephanie Anderson at Noyes Hall at the University of Chicago, 7-9:30pm. Free.

Saturday! Myopic Poetry Series presents Ouija: A reading/séance co-sponsored by Convulsive Editions, "a micro-press that publishes affordable, well-designed chapbooks, broadsides, french folds, and other printed matter featuring lyrical writing that quakes and rattles," 7pm.

Saturday! Mortified Live stories of teen angst at Schuba's Tavern, doors at 6:30, show at 7pm.

Saturday and Sunday! Free creative writing classes taught by graduate students at Northwestern University.

Sunday! That's All She Wrote will feature readings by Wendy McClure, Jen Bosworth, Rebecca Keller, and Whit Nelson at Swim Cafe, 8pm.

Sunday! The Renaissance Society presents the Black Is, Black Ain't book launch and symposium featuring panelists Thelma Golden, Bennett Simpson, Huey Copeland, Kellie Jones and Hamza Walker at Kent Hall at the University of Chicago, 2pm.

Lara Levitan

Bookmarks Fri Nov 29 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! Funny Ha Ha Reading Series: Thanks A LOT, a benefit performance at the Hideout, 6:30pm.

Saturday! I Hate America! (I Love America): Who Owns Myth, Pop, Money, Race, and Terror in the Land of the Free?, a live 10 hour conversation between the U.K. and the U.S. by art collective Lucky Pierre at Defibrillator performance art gallery, 7am-5:30pm.

Sunday! Here's the Story December Show at Stage 773, 7:30pm.

Lara Levitan

Bookmarks Fri Nov 22 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! City Lit Books presents writer and bicycle activist Elly Blue reading from her new book, Bikenomics, 6:30pm.

Tonight! A BINGO fundraiser for The Chicago Zine Fest at 826CHI, 7pm.

Tonight! Support college-age poets at Louder Than a Bomb University, a college slam portion of LTAB, the world's largets youth poetry festival. Tonight's verse venue is the Chicago Cultural Center. Slam starts at 5pm, and is free!

Tonight! Loose Chicks North featuring Roberta Miles, Tamale Sepp, Gandlyn Ross, Jill Howe and Deanna Moffitt at Emerald City Coffee & Grill, 8pm.

Saturday! A free NaNoWriMo Write-In at StoryStudio Chicago, 10am-4pm.

Sunday! The Chicago Book Expo at St. Augustine College, 11am-5pm.

Lara Levitan

Bookmarks Fri Nov 15 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! Naked Girls Reading presents the 4th annual Literary Honors award for emerging writers at Everleigh Social Club, 7 pm.

Saturday! Patrick Butler speaks about his new book, The Hidden History of Uptown and Edgewater, at the Edgewater Public Library, 11am. Co-sponsored by the Edgewater Historical Society.

Saturday! Tamale Hut Cafe in Riverside welcomes Matt Bieniek to read from his work, The Sleep Detectives, 7pm.

Saturday and Sunday! Reading and workshop featuring Jacob M. Appel, author of The Biology of Luck. (Times vary)

Saturday! Storytelling event You're Being Ridiculous at Mary's Attic, 7:30pm. This month's theme is "heroes."

Saturday! Live performative comic reading series Brain Frame returns for its fifteenth installment of mind-bending visual story. This month's performance promises "song, puppetry, animations and animatics," among other antics, all live at Constellation. Doors open at 8 pm, show at 8:30 pm. Tickets are $8, 21 and over.

Saturday! Dr. Quentin Young discusses social justice and a single-payer system at Powell's, 12pm.

Saturday! The Poetry Foundation presents Sijo Poetry with David McCAnn, 3pm.

Sunday! J. Victor Tomaszek, author of The Tatra Eagle, to read at the Polonia Book Store, 2pm.

Sunday! Graphic artist Ezra Claytan Daniels' illustrated work Black Violet will be performed at Constellation along with chamber music accompaniment from Fifth House Ensemble, 8:30pm.

Sunday! Don De Grazia, Tyler Mills, Catherine Theis, and Tony Trigilio read as part of Black Rock Pub's Sunday Salon, 7pm.

Lara Levitan

Bookmarks Fri Nov 08 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! Shame That Tune musical comedy game show at the Hideout, 6:30pm.

Tonight! Bad Grammar Theater reading series at 1743 S. Halsted, 6pm and free!

Saturday! Storytelling event You're Being Ridiculous at Mary's Attic, 7:30pm. This month's theme is "Heroes."

Saturday! Reading by We the Animals author Justin Torres as part of the Chicago Humanities Festival, 3pm. $10 or $5 for teachers and students.

Saturday! Saturday Poemtime at the Poetry Foundation, 10:30am.

Saturday! Ray's Tap Reading Series, 10pm.

Sunday! Studs' Place. Pocket Guide to Hell re-creates an episode of Stud Terkels' 1950s TV show, Studs' Place, at the Hideout, 7pm. $10 suggested donation.

Sunday! Lovely Ladies' LiveLit show That's All She Wrote puts up their monthly series of stories at Swim Cafe, 1357 W. Chicago Ave. 8pm. BYOB and free!

All weekend! Check out some of the amazing author talks, lectures, and concerts (to name a few) at the Chicago Humanties Festival before it ends on November 11! Ticket prices vary, but the content is priceless.

Lara Levitan

Bookmarks Fri Nov 01 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! Grazyna Plebanek reads from and signs her novel, Illegal Liaisons, at City Lit Books.

Tonight! Join Kate Harding, Jessica Coen, and Claire Zulkey for The Book of Jezebel release party at the Book Cellar.

Tonight and Saturday! "Like Bread" by Poetry Performance Incubator at Free Street Theater.

Saturday! Friend. Follow. Text. #storiesFromLivingOnline book release at City Lit Books.

Saturday! Curbside Splendor's Splendorous Showcase of Poetry at Sulzer Library.

Sunday! Chicago End-of-Life Care Coalition and 2nd Story present Final Chapters: An Evening of Storytelling at Revolution Brewing; this is a fundraiser for Chicago End-of-Life Care Coalition.

Sunday! Here's the Story at Stage 773.

Lara Levitan

Bookmarks Fri Oct 25 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! Author Margit Liesche stops by the Book Cellar to share her new book, Triptych, at 7pm.

Tonight! Dave Isay, founder of StoryCorps, presents Ties That Bind: Stories of Love & Gratitude from the First Ten Years of StoryCorps at the Cultural Center.

Tonight! Chicago Zine Fest presents Hallowzine! Fun-raiser at CHI PRC.

Tonight! Story Club and StoryStudio Chicago present Live Lit: Find Your Spotlight class show at the Holiday Club.

Saturday! Sharon Mesmer, Barbara Barg, and three other poets alight for a reading at Myopic Books at 7 p.m.

Sunday! 2nd Story presents Bump In the Night: Stories from After Dark at Untitled.

Sunday! Making Out With Wes Perry and Friends at the Hideout.

Lara Levitan

Bookmarks Fri Oct 18 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! Printers Row presents Helen Fielding discussing her latest Bridget Jones installment.

Saturday! Gapers Block presents 20X2: Twenty People. One question. Two Minutes each. At Martyr's.

Saturday! Red Rover Series Presents Experiment #68: Troubling the Line: Trans and Genderqueer Poetry & Poetics at Outer Space Studio.

Saturday! Chris L. Terry's farewell reading at City Lit Bookstore.

Saturday! Mary Donnelly and Moira McCormick discuss their new book Boys Don't Lie: A History of SHOES at The Book Cellar.

Sunday! The Chicago Humanities Fest presents Rebecca Skloot: Creatures Great and Small.

Lara Levitan

Bookmarks Fri Oct 04 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! The Music Box and Unabridged Bookstore present Nick Offerman promoting his new book, Paddle Your Own Canoe.

Tonight! "Meat & Greet" book release event for Samantha Irby's debut essay collection, Meaty, at Barnes & Noble (on Webster).

Tonight! Welcome to Pleasure Town: A Story-Based Performance at Stage 773.

Saturday! Wild Things Day at Open Books celebrates the work of Maurice Sendak with activities and programs for kids and families.

Saturday! The Drinking & Writing Festival at the Drinking & Writing Theater at Haymarket Pub & Brewery honors Jim Morrison.

Saturday! Tea Krulos reads from Heroes in the Night: Inside the Real Life Superhero Movement at Quimby's.

Sunday! Self Publishers of Chicago host the Last Gasp reading series at Uncharted Books.

All weekend! The Heartland Fall Forum, a trade show, conference, and celebration of independent bookselling hosted by the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association and the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association, takes place at the Crowne Plaza Chicago O'Hare with over 90 authors scheduled to appear.

Lara Levitan

Bookmarks Fri Sep 27 2013

Bookmarks

All weekend! The 2nd annual Chicago Writer's Conference at the Harold Washington Library with two free public reading events tonight and Saturday night.

Tonight! Judith Valente reads from The Art of Pausing and Atchison Blue at Women & Children First.

Saturday! 826CHI presents Tale Gate: A Street Festival of Literary Proportions.

Saturday! Brian Tuohy reads from Larceny Games: Sports Gambling, Game Fixing and the FBI at Quimby's.

Saturday! Open House for the Chicago Publishers Resource Center.

Saturday! Red Rover Series #67: Private Eyes (They're Watching You) at Outer Space Studio.

Sunday! Sunday Salon Chicago Literary Happening at Black Rock Pub.

Sunday! Wait... WHAT?!? An Open Mic, Storytelling and Live Music Benefit at McCormick Boys & Girls Club.

Lara Levitan

Bookmarks Fri Sep 20 2013

Bookmarks

Saturday! David Cross and Bob Odenkirk promote their book Hollywood Said No!: Orphaned Film Scripts, Bastard Scenes, and Abandoned Darlings from the Creators of Mr. Show at Up Comedy Club.

Saturday! Joe Janes and Friends present staged readings from Seven Deadly Plays at Quimby's.

Saturday! Tamale Hut Cafe Reading Series at the Tamale Hut Cafe.

Saturday! Rethinking the Black Chicago Renaissance panel discussion at Woodson Regional Library.

Sunday! Jay Pridmore presents Building Ideas: An Architectural Guide to the University of Chicago at Seminary Co-op Bookstore.

Lara Levitan

Bookmarks Fri Sep 13 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! Mystery writer Sue Grafton hosts a reading and book signing at Anderson Book Shop.

Tonight! Quimby's celebrates the release of David Moscovich's new novel, Eckhard Gerdes also reads.

Saturday! John Holl presents his new cookbook The American Craft Beer Cookbook at The Book Cellar.

Saturday! StoryCorps@ your library stops by the Lozano Library. Registration required.

Saturday! Ipsento Reading Series presents Larry O. Dean, Sara Tracey and Matthew Klane.

Saturday! Anna Lee Huber and Susanna Calkins, and Sunday! Libby Fischer Hellmann at Centuries & Sleuths Bookstore.

Lara Levitan

Bookmarks Fri Sep 06 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! Quimby's hosts a reading from Brown & Proud Press's zine On Struggling.

Saturday! Kevin Smokler, author of Practical Classics: 50 Reasons to Reread 50 Books You Haven't Touched Since High School, speaks at The Book Cellar.

Saturday! The Jane Austen Society of North America presents "...in proportion to their family and income: Houses in Jane Austen's Life and Fiction" at the Harold Washington Library.

Saturday! Mac Lethal reads from Texts from Bennett at City Lit Bookstore.

Saturday! Chris L. Terry throws a launch party for coming-of-age novel Zero Fade at The Book Cellar.

Sunday! 2nd Story presents The Eye of the Storm: Stories of Chaos and Calm at Webster's Wine Bar.

Lara Levitan

Author Mon Aug 26 2013

Breaking into Live Lit: An Amateur's Guide

If you regularly attend live lit events in Chicago, you've probably considered contributing your own work at least once. Maybe you've been lurking in the back of the audience for years, longing to join in. Maybe you're an aspiring writer with no performance experience. Maybe you're a fan of a particular series, but just have no clue how to get involved.

If you fall into any of these categories, this guide is for you. No matter your level of experience or expertise, you can break into Chicago's live lit scene. All it takes is a little persistent effort and an intelligent use of your time. Here are some pointers.

Step #1: Find a "Home"

There are many, many live literary events in Chicago spanning a variety of topics, settings, and audiences. If you're new to the scene, it's tempting to adopt a scatter-shot approach, applying willy-nilly to any and every show you can think of. But if you're a new writer/performer, cool your jets. Focus on shows that are amenable to your own style and topics of interest.

larry kerns this much is true.jpg

Do you like to write personal creative essays? Story Club, Essay Fiesta, or This Much is True might be the place for you. Do you prefer to tell a story off the cuff, free of notes? Go for The Moth or Do Not Submit. Do you prefer nonfiction that covers current events or pop culture? The Paper Machete is your bag. Do you have a gritty, explicit tale to tell? Guts & Glory or The Sunday Night Sex Show are your spots. Choosing an appropriate setting for your work is absolutely essential.


Step #2: Become a Regular

Establish a rapport with the show (or shows) you'd like to submit to. Each show is its own microcosm within the live lit community, and to become a member of that community you must show your face. Hang around and chat with contributors after the show, or send the show's organizers a nice email or Facebook post.

Attend a show multiple times before submitting your work to its hosts. This will improve your chances in two ways. First, it will allow your to learn the show's unique style, and second, it will convince the show's hosts that you are a thoughtful, decent member of the live lit community (and not a foaming psychopath)-- both of which will vastly improve your odds.

Step #3: Learn the House Style

jh palmer story club.jpg

Every live lit series has its own unique style, and the only way to master the style is to attend regularly and pay close attention. Before submitting work to a series, ask yourself the following: How long is the average piece? Do contributions ever contain explicit content? Do contributors use the first person, or is it more journalistic? Do readers use notes or do they speak extemporaneously? Is work laugh-a-minute, or more subdued and serious? How irreverent are the stories? How conversational are they?

Once you have a good sense of a series' style (and what distinguishes it from other shows), you are ready to start writing. As you write your piece, never lose track of the desired tone, length, and style. The ideal submission should be a perfect amalgam of the show's overall sensibility and your own unique voice.

Step #4: Find the Appropriate Submission Channel

Live lit shows accept new work in a variety of ways. Make sure you play by a show's particular rules so you don't irritate the hosts and organizers with emails or in-person queries that don't follow the standard procedure. Usually you can find the appropriate submissions method on the series' website or on their social media pages.

Some shows, like Do Not Submit, Story Club, and The Moth run on an open-mic basis, in which case the only way to participate is to show up early, put your name in, and wait for the opportunity to share. Other shows, like Essay Fiesta, Fictlicious, and Write Club accept online submissions. In some cases, shows have dedicated open mic nights that are distinct from the main show, but give new writers the opportunity to try out material and eventually snag a spot at the main event. For example, The Paper Machete, runs an open-mic writing group the first Wednesday of every month that occasionally feeds new writers into the main show. do not submit.jpg

Step #5: Be Not Afraid!

Even if you carefully study the show you are submitting to, attend it often, schmooze with the hosts, and craft a piece you are utterly happy with, you might face disappointment. Before you swear off live lit entirely, remember that work is rejected for all kinds of reasons. Maybe your story wasn't appropriate for the venue or the event. Maybe the hosts have a big backlog of performers on their schedule. Maybe you're close to the appropriate style or tone, but haven't quite perfected it.

A rejection does not mean that your writing is terrible or that the hosts dislike you. Try again! Almost no one gets a story into a show the first time they try. Learning to respond to criticism or rejection is a crucial stage of development as a writer or a performer.

Anecdote in point: Earlier this summer, I sent a few samples to Karen and Willy at Essay Fiesta. At first they gave me the kindest, most encouraging rejection ever. The pieces I sent just weren't right, but they were close, and I was encouraged to submit again. I spent more time editing some other work and attending Essay Fiesta, then I submitted two more pieces a few months later and got into the show. I'm sure most writers have had similar experiences with live lit shows (or lit mags). Tenacity and sensitivity to criticism can really pay off in both cases!

Step #6: Do it! Now!

There you have it! You now have the tools to begin a foray into live lit. Actually, you probably had all of these tools before you even clicked on this piece. If you're an avid attendee of lit events in Chicago, you already know a great deal about what works and what doesn't in live storytelling. So use your knowledge, write a piece, and take it out on the town.

Photo of Larry Kerns at This Much is True by Jill Howe is courtesy of the This Much is True website.
Photo of JH Palmer at a recent Story Club event by Jill Howe courtesy of Story Club's website.
Do Not Submit postcard image is courtesy of Do Not Submit's website.

Erika Price / Comments (3)

Bookmarks Fri Aug 23 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! Neil Steinberg celebrates the paperback edition of You Were Never in Chicago with a reading at The Book Cellar.

Tonight! Elwin Cotman reads from Hard Time Blues with Patty Templeton at Quimby's.

Saturday! Joe Gustaitis presents Chicago's Greatest Year, 1893: The White City and the Birth of a Modern Metropolis at the West Town library.

Saturday! Release party for Natalie Slater's cookbook Bake and Destroy: Good food for Bad Vegans. Get your book signed and try some of the recipes at Challengers Comics.

Lara Levitan

Bookmarks Fri Aug 16 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! A release party for Mary Gray Kaye's A Winged Thing, and Holy at Women & Children First.

Saturday! John D'Emilio discusses the life and legacy of Bayard Rustin at the Chicago Public Library Edgewater branch.

Saturday! the seXXX files. RELEASE PARTY! at Uncharted Books (email getbacktoprint@gmail.com).

Saturday! Lindsay Hunter reads from short story collection Don't Kiss Me at The Book Cellar.

Saturday and Sunday! The Greenhouse Theater Center book drive at the Greenhouse Theater.

Lara Levitan

Author Wed Aug 14 2013

Chicago Lit Mags Currently Open for Submissions

Writers, rejoice! As the summer days dwindle, the dreadful season of literary magazine "reading periods" is finally ending, too. Usually spanning the months of May-September, reading periods give editors the opportunity to shutter their doors, shut down their online submissions pages, and catch up on the manuscript backlog. For aspiring authors, summer means a dry spell of no submission opportunities and numerous rejection emails from magazines they don't even remember sending work to.

But fear not! The following awesome Chicago-based lit mags are now open for business and accepting new work:

No Assholes! is a zine-like publication based informally out of DePaul, featuring poetry of all styles and the occasional smattering of fiction. The editors also hold relaxed, approachable reading events in their personal residences, and I've always been dazzled by the caliber of their work and the speed at which they churn out new issues. They are currently accepting submissions for their sixth and seventh issues; check out their Tumblr for more info.

Chicago Quarterly Review is a slightly more highbrow but still very accessible publication seeking full-length short stories, creative nonfiction, poetry, and even photography! They've recently switched to online submissions and are now open, so float them a piece of up to 5,000 words.

Literary Orphans is completely online, but don't let that deter you: their taste is top-notch. Each month's issue is named after/inspired by a prominent author of days gone by (this month is Wordsworth), and the work they publish is contemporary yet classic. Submissions are always open for new flash fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, and there is currently a call out for superhero-inspired stories.

Curbside Splendor is a gritty, witty press that publishes long works as well as its own monthly e-zine. In fact, they're about to release Samantha Irby's new book of essays, Meaty, in September (and eleven other titles this fall). This is definitely a wagon you want to hitch yourself to. Submission are currently open for their magazine, including poetry and fiction under 3,000 words.

Inkwell Mag is a relatively young lit mag that focuses each issue on a theme, and within that theme, anything (including medium) goes. This month's theme is Fantasy vs. Reality, and the editors are open to nearly anything that fulfills that theme-- including book excerpts, short stories, creative nonfiction, poetry, illustrations, videos, and flash fiction.

Chicago Review is also welcoming new work, so if "traditional" literary fiction is your bag, it's time to polish up a story of under 5,000 words and ship it off for consideration. Since this magazine is among the top 50 literary publications in the country according to EveryWritersResource.com, it's definitely not one to pass up. Submit poetry and fiction under 5,000 words.

Of course, this is a small selection of the numerous fantastic literary magazines produced in Chicago. Which excellent publications (large or small) did I overlook? Any tips for writers looking to find a home for their work? Hit me up with comments.

Erika Price / Comments (4)

Bookmarks Fri Aug 09 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! The Dollhouse Reading Series featuring B.J. Best, Tara Boswell, Stephanie Anderson and Jacob Saenz.

Tonight! Bad Grammar Theatre.

Tonight! Shame That Tune's Tribute to the Dog Days at the Hideout.

Tonight! the kates all female stand-up at the Book Cellar.

Saturday! Queer literary showcase All the Writers I Know at Quimby's.

Saturday! Red Rover Series at Outer Space Studio.

Saturday! Raw Food Made Easy book signing and recipe demo.

Sunday! That's All She Wrote at Swim Cafe.

Lara Levitan

Bookmarks Fri Aug 02 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! Live Lit on the Lake at Theatre on the Lake.

Tonight! The Interview Show at The Hideout.

Tonight! Tara Ison reads from her latest book Rockaway at Women & Children First. (Fun fact: Ison is also the co-author of the 1991 Christina Applegate classic Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead.)

Tonight! Author David Burstein discusses his new book, Fast Future: How the Millennial Generation is Shaping Our World, at The Book Cellar.

Tonight and Saturday! Slam poets from Germany and Chicago theatrically interpret each other's work at the Raven Theatre's In Any Tongue.

Saturday! Joe Meno and The Caribbean record an episode of podcast "the Labor" at City Lit.

Saturday! Notes on the Art of Conversation at the Humboldt Park Library.

Saturday! The Paper Machete at The Green Mill features WTF's Marc Maron!

Saturday! Myopic Poetry Series at Myopic Books.

Lara Levitan

Bookmarks Fri Jul 26 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! Steve Miller and Tesco Vee read from Detroit Rock City and Touch and Go: The Complete Hardcore Punk Zine '79-'83 (respectively) at Quimby's.

Saturday! Printer's Ball at Hubbard Street Lofts.

Saturday! You're Being Ridiculous reading at Mary's Attic.

Saturday! Red Rover Reading Series at Outer Space Studio presents Amanda Ackerman, Toby Altman, Emily Barton, and Suzanne Scanlon.

Saturday! Michael Innis-Jiménez discusses his book, Steel Barrio: The Great Mexican Migration to South Chicago, 1915-1940, at the Vodak-East Side branch of the CPL.

Saturday! Saturday Strip: Comic Day at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Sunday! Micki LeSueur, Michael Nye, Sandi Wisenberg, and Adam McOmber read at Sunday Salon Chicago at Black Rock Pub & Kitchen.

Sunday! Brain Frame throws an evening of comics readings with performance art, smoke machines, and stilt-walking at Co-Prosperity Sphere.

Lara Levitan

Book Club Mon Jul 22 2013

Acts of Love to Distribute 10K Books to Under-Served Chicago Neighborhoods

This Thursday, Acts of Love, an international book-giving charity, will be kicking off its second-annual "Love Young People" tour by distributing over 1,000 books to children and young adults in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood. This event is the first of twelve such occasions slated to occur in Chicago throughout this month and August, in which 10,000 total books will be given to residents of various troubled communities.

Beginning at 6:30pm in Hamilton Park (513 W. 72nd Street), a team of volunteers will scour Englewood, one Chicago's most under-privileged communities, giving out book bags full of donated books to local residents. Adult residents will also be asked to take the "Acts of Love" pledge to support children in their communities and promote reading in their homes. According to the organization's Facebook page, volunteers for this kick-off are still needed, and are welcome to check-in at the Hamilton Park Play Lot at 6:30pm the night of the event.

In addition to its neighborhood visits, Acts of Love will have tents set up at several festivals in the next month, including Family Fun Fest and the Chicago Westside Music Festival. The organization will be accepting book donations at all these events, as well as distributing book gifts to local children and families in attendance.

Here is Acts of Love's full schedule:

July 25th - Englewood (Hamilton Park)
July 27th - Taste of WVON
July 28th - Garfield Park
August 1st - North Lawndale
August 9th - Humboldt Park
August 10th - Altgeld Gardens
August 11th - Roseland
August 12th - Washington Park
August 13th - Bronzeville
August 14th - Dearborn Homes
August 17th - Family Fun Fest
August 25th - Chicago Westside Music Festival

Visit the Acts of Love site for more information on the project or to make a donation of books or cash.

Erika Price

Bookmarks Fri Jul 19 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! Funny Ha-Ha reading at The Hideout.

Tonight! Quimby's hosts a release party for the anthology Fan Interference: A Collection of Baseball Rants and Reflection.

Tonight! Live Lit on the Lake featuring Kelsie Huff and Patrick Allen Carberry at Theatre on the Lake.

Saturday! Erica Weisz reads from One Thousand and One Words at City Lit Books.

Saturday! Nathan Hok reads from his poetry collection, The Narrow Circle, at The Book Cellar, joined by Jennifer Karmin and Catherine Theis.

Saturday! One Book One Chicago Bronzeville Tour departs from Chicago Architecture Foundation.

All weekend! Oak Park celebrates Hemingway's birthday.

All weekend! The Book Fort at Pitchfork Music Festival hosts musically inclined writers and young experimental authors (including Jac Jemc, Matt Bell, and Lindsay Hunter on Sunday at 2 p.m.).

Lara Levitan

Bookmarks Fri Jul 12 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! Bad Grammar Theater reading series in Pilsen.

Tonight! Sarah Bruni reads from her debut novel, The Night Gwen Stacy Died, at Women & Children First.

Tonight! Author Eleanor C. Whitney moderates DIY success panel with Selena Fragasi, Rebecca Ann Rakstad and Bradley Adita at Quimby's.

Tonight! Poems While U Wait are typewritten poems on demand as part of the Buena Park Arts Expo.

Saturday! Go support us at the Gapers Block Hot Dog cookoff at Schubas.

Saturday! Comic artists Sara Pichelli and David Messina sign their books at Challengers Comics + Conversation.

Saturday! Pilsen Walking Tour hosted by The Chicago Architecture Foundation in partnership with Chicago Public Library and its One Book, One Chicago selection The Warmth of Other Suns.

Saturday! The Dollhouse Reading Series in Ravenswood.

Sunday! Janet Stickmon and Laura Kina discuss their work at Women & Children First.

Sunday! Poetry Made of Persistent Editions hosted by Love Symbol Press at Uncharted Books.

Lara Levitan

Bookmarks Fri Jul 05 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! Free Encyclopedia Show at Theatre on the Lake.

Saturday! Pocket Con II at Gary Comer Youth Center.

Saturday! Quimby's welcomes Dan Gleason and friends.

Sunday! Curbside Splendor's Pop-Up Book Fair at the Empty Bottle.

Sunday! Graze magazine presents Print to the Future at Revolution Brewing.

Sunday! Rixonland: Author Rick Perlstein (Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America) in conversation with writer Claire Conner at Seminary Co-op Bookstore.

Lara Levitan

Bookmarks Fri Jun 28 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! Naked Girls Reading presents "Hot Dishes" at the Everleigh Social Club.

Saturday! A Star-Studded Paper Machete 4th of July Special at the Green Mill. WBEZ will be taping.

Saturday! Michael Penkas at Tamale Hut Cafe in North Riverside.

Saturday! Author Anthony Stanford presents "Homophobia and the Black Church: How Faith, Politics, and Fear Divide the Black Community" at Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional branch.

Saturday! John Densmore signs The Doors: Unhinged at Reckless Records.

Sunday! Doug Sohn signs copies of Hot Doug's: The Book (co-authored with Kate DeVivo) at Open Books.

Until July 27, Columbia College's A&D Gallery hosts the Ladydrawers female comics group exhibit Sex.Money.Race.Gender.

Lara Levitan

Bookmarks Fri Jun 21 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! Bernard Harcourt and W. J. T. Mitchell discuss Occupy: Three Inquiries in Disobedience (written with Michael Taussig) at Seminary Co-Op Bookstore.

Tonight! Nathan Rabin, formerly of the Onion A.V. Club, discusses You Don't Know Me but You Don't Like Me: Phish, Insane Clown Posse, and My Misadventures With Two of Music's Most Maligned Tribes at the Book Cellar.

Saturday! City Lit Books in Logan Square hosts story time bright and early at 10:30am.

Saturday! Red Rover Reading Series Experiment #64: Coda Chroma, at Outer Space Studio.

Saturday! Quiet Writers Riot, a weekly writing group, meets at Uncharted Books in Logan Square.

Any time! Support local independent bookstore Transistor, previously profiled in Gapers Block.

If Saturday's Blackhawks game inspires you, submit a written ode to Stymie online magazine, a sports and games themed literary journal with a penchant for David Foster Wallace.

All weekend! Half Off Sale at Open Books.

Lara Levitan

Bookmarks Fri Jun 14 2013

Bookmarks


Tonight! Bad Grammar Theater in Pilsen.

Tonight! Cin Salach and Caroline Goodwin at Women and Children First.

Tonight! Check out Doc Merriweather's Miracle Elixir & Medicine Show at Co-Prosperity Sphere for a reenactment of some colorful Chicago Daily News history.

Saturday! Young Chicago Authors' Kevin Coval at Chicago Public Library, West Town branch.

Saturday! Susan Schorn at Thousand Waves Spa (an off site Book Cellar event).

Saturday! The Dollhouse Reading Series in Ravenswood.

All weekend! CAKE 2013 (Chicago Alternative Comics Expo).

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Jun 07 2013

Bookmarks

This weekend! Printers Row Lit Fest on the blocks surrounding Dearborn and Polk Streets.

Friday and Saturday! Ray Bradbury Festival at Strawdog Theater.

Tonight! Brooksday, a celebration of Gwendolyn Brooks, at the Chicago Cultural Center.

Saturday! Mortified reading series at Schuba's.

Saturday! No Lizard Kings reading featuring three musician-poets at Transistor.

Saturday! Release party at The Book Cellar, for Daddy Cool, an anthology of essays and such written by cool dads, edited by Ben Tanzer.

Sunday and Monday! 2nd Story reading series; theme: "It's the End of the World As We Know It: Stories of Revelation."

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri May 31 2013

Bookmarks


This weekend! Midwest Small Press Festival 2013 in Milwaukee.

Tonight! SeeBunny Leach read from and discuss her memoir, Turtle Shells: Heading Through Cancer, at Barnes & noble DePaul Center.

Tonight! Sunnyoutside and David McNamara present a pop-up Sex and Death pre-birthday celebration reading at Uncharted Books!

Tonight! George & Sedena Cappannelli will be at City Lit Books in Logan Square to read from and sign their new self-help book.

Saturday! If you're having trouble getting motivated or just getting started on your next writing project, come write during the Quiet Writers Riot session at Uncharted Books.

Saturday! Paul Durica and Bill Savage read from their new book Chicago by Day and Night: The Pleasure Seeker's Guide to the Paris of America at the Newberry Library.

Saturday! Jordan Matter presents her new book Dancers Among Us: A Celebration of Joy in the Everyday at City Lit Books.

Sunday! Here's the Story is at Theater Wit offering a potluck before the reading (free admissions if you bring a dish).

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri May 24 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! Carol Horton, Ph.D., discusses her books 21st Century Yoga: Culture, Politics, and Practice and Yoga Ph.D.: Integrating the Life of the Mind and the Wisdom of the Body at 57th Street Books.

Tonight! Susan Benjamin Feingold reads from her new book Happy Endings, New Beginnings: Navigating Postpartum Disorders at the Book Cellar.

Tonight! The Crusade for Collecting at the Chicago Photography Center, 7pm.

Saturday! Tamale Hut Cafe Reading Series featuring Robert Rodi (The Sugarman Bootlegs).

Saturday! See poet Coya Paz, musician Jeremy Jackson, and poet Sheera Talpaz read and perform at Bonk! Poetry and Music Series.

Saturday! Author of three poetry collections Patrick Rosal will be reading at Vox Salon followed by a short open mic.

Saturday! Get Archived with WBEZ and Sixy Inches From Center.

Saturday! Annie Mok and Sam Sharpe at Quimby's.

Saturday! Catch the all-female comedy troupe The Kates performing and enjoy delicious treats and libations from the Book Cellar's cafe.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri May 17 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! The Dollhouse Reading series featuring Natalie Shapero, Alexis Pope and Ben Clark.

Tonight! Naked Girls Reading presents "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" at the Everleigh Club.

Saturday! Bodies of Work Festival to feature Jim Ferris, Leroy F. Moore, and Barry Silesky at the Poetry Foundation.

Saturday! Librarian Pub Crawl, starting at Atlantic Bar and Grill.

Saturday! Celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson presents his memoir Yes, Chef
at the Merchandise Mart.

Sunday! Nate Silver reads from The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail - But Some Don't at the Spertus Institute.

Sunday! Chicago Nerd Social Club writer's panel at Open Books.

Sunday! Leslie Zemeckis presents Behind The Burly Q: Stories of Burlesque in in America at Sheffield's.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri May 10 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! Bad Grammar Theaterreading series.

Tonight! Julia Alvarez at Columbia College's "The Big Read" Series.

Tonight! Eve Ensler reads from In the Body of the World at the Swedish American Museum.

Tonight! Ars Poetica, poetry set to music, at the Poetry Foundation.

Tonight! Stories & Queer traveling reading series at Quimby's Quimby's.

Saturday! Keith Koeneman discusses First Son: The Biography of Richard M. Daley at The Book Cellar.

Saturday! Sitting Between the Sea and the Buildings: A Symposium of Poets and Artists at the Poetry Foundation.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri May 03 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! Angela Davis lectures on the subject of "Feminism and Abolition: Theories and Practices for the 21st Century" Rockefeller Chapel in Hyde Park.

Tonight! Andrea Pitzer reads from The Secret History of Vladimir Nabokov at the Book Cellar.

Saturday! Free Comic Book Day all across the land; check out your local offerings here.

Saturday! Loren Glass reads from Counterculture Colophon: Grove Press, the Evergreen Review, and the Incorporation of the Avant-Garde at Seminary Co-Op.

Saturday! Dark of the Male, Light of the Female reading at Uncharted Books.

Saturday! Myopic Poetry series
at Myopic Books featuring Lauren Shapiro.

Sunday! Pete Jordan reads from In the City of Bikes: The Story of the Amsterdam Cyclist at Quimby's.

Sunday! Rick Perlstein (Nixonland) talks with Gary Willis (Why Priests?) at Seminary Co-Op.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Apr 26 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! Augusten Burroughs at Unabridged Books.

Tonight! Brian Kimberling reads from Snapper at the Book Cellar.

Tonight! Naked Girls Reading
presents "Mythology" at the Everleigh Social Club (reservations required).

Friday! Self Publishers of Chicago celebrates its one year anniversary with the State of SPOC Address at Uncharted books.

This weekend! The Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo affectionately known by fans as C2E2 is back at the McCormick Place all weekend long.

Saturday! Promic-Con 2013, a benefit for 826CHI, brings together all the things you love, Prom and Comics, under one roof at the School of the Art Institute Ballroom. Tickets still available.

Sunday! Katherine Preston reads from Out With It: How Stuttering Helped Me Find My Voice at Lovely Bake Shop.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Apr 19 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! Live music and literature at Salon Splendor with Kathleen Rooney, Okla Elliott, James Tadd Adcox, and music by Good Evening, at Madame Zuzu's.

Tonight! Bizarro Hour featuring Michael Allen Rose (Party Wolves in My Skull), Justin Grimbol (The Crud Masters), and MP Johnson (The After-Life Story of Pork Knuckles Malone) at Knockbox Cafe.

Tonight! Steve Tomasula reads from In & Oz at Seminary Co-Op Bookstore.

Saturday! Red Rover Series featuring CM Burroughs, Hannah Gamble, Kate Greenstreet, Deborah Poe, and Anne Shaw at Outer Space Studio.

Saturday! Explore Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art at the Graze Magazine's issue 3 release party. Fine fare and libations along with a copy of the magazine are included in the ticket price.

Saturday! Chicago Bears defensive lineman and comic book publisher Israel Idonije signs copies of The Protectors, one of his Athleta Comics offerings, at
Challengers Comics + Conversation.

Saturday! Roosevelt University student reading at the Book Cellar.

Saturday! The Dollhouse Reading Series in Ravenswood.

Sunday! Sister Souljah reads from A Deeper Love Inside at the Woodson Regional Library.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Apr 12 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! CAKE fundraiser at Brain Frame.

Tonight! Marina von Neumann Whitman reads from The Martian's Daughter at Seminary Co-op Bookstore.

Tonight! Ryan Browne reads from his graphic novel God Hates Astronauts at Challengers Comics + Conversation.

Tonight! Readings from Roosevelt University's Oyez Review at Quimby's.

Saturday! The Poetry Foundation presents Poetry Off the Shelf: Poesia en Abril.

Saturday! Contributors to The Way We Sleep: An Anthology read at The Book Cellar.

Sunday! Curbside Splendor and the Chicago Writer's House present a Pop-Up Book Fair at the Empty Bottle.

Sunday! Author Chad Simpson reads from his short story collection Tell Everyone I Said Hi at The BookMarket in Glenview.

Sunday and Monday!! 2nd Story presents "Born Into This: Stories of Where We Come From" at Webster's Wine Bar.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Apr 05 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! 2nd Story and Fete Chicago present some flavorful readings at Ina's. Tickets are $20 and include the cost of appetizers.

Tonight! Sam Rosenthal reads from Rye, a gender-queer erotic novel, at The Pleasure Chest. 8pm, free!

Tonight! Chelsea Prince reads from Rock and Vine: Next Generation Changemakers in America's Wine Country at the Book Cellar.

Saturday! Dark of the Male, Light of the Female: Women Writing about Horrible Things at Uncharted Books, 7pm.

Saturday! H. D. Carpenter reads from The Fall From Grace at the BookCellar.

Saturday! Newberry Library presents "OUTSIDERS: Zines, Samisdat, and Alternative Publishing," a symposium on the past and present of Self-Publishing. 9am - 1:30pm, Free!

Saturday! Chicago State University hosts Willow Books LitFest offers a wide range of seminars, networking programs, and workshops for writers. All day. Most events free, though registration is required.

Saturday! Myopic Books continues its poetry series with readings from Johannes Goransson, Lara Glenum, Aase Berg. 7pm, Free!

Sunday! Mary Driver-Thiel reads from her book, The World Undone, at Women & Children First, 4:30pm.

Sunday! Jennifer Perrillo reads from Homemade with Love: Simple Scratch Cooking from Jennie's Kitchen at the Book Cellar.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Mar 29 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! Mark Radfar presents Insincerely Yours: Letters from a Prankster at the Book Cellar.

Tonight! Check out the RHINO Journal open mic and reading bt Ching-In Chen and Elizabeth Joy Levinson in Evanston.

Saturday! Marie Sarantakis signs Essentially Raw at the DePaul Barnes and Noble.

Saturday! Myopic Poetry Series with Chris Fink and Daniel Libman.

Saturday! All female comedy troupe, The Kates, will be doing "for comedy what Hannibal Lecter does for livers and Chianti" at the Book Cellar.

Saturday! Jay Wexler reads from TheAdventures of Ed Tuttle, Associate Justice, and Other Stories at Quimby's.

Sunday! The Uptown Poetry Slam is hosting an open slam with a $10 prize.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Mar 22 2013

Bookmarks

Saturday! K'Wan discusses his latest novel Animal via Skype at the Chicago Public Library, Englewood branch.

Saturday! Author Peter Sotos and Nine-Banded Books founder Chip Smith discuss independent publishers and overlooked literature at Quimby's.

Saturday! Christopher Castellani discusses All This Talk of Love at City Lit Books as part of the Read Indie series.

Saturday! Check out Brain Frame Comix reading at its new location.

Saturday! Don't missSara Ross Witt reading at Tamale Hut Cafe Reading Series.

Sunday! Gabriel Wallace hosts the Pamela reading series at Uncharted Books.

Sunday! Uptown Poetry Slam at the Green Mill, 7 PM, $6 cover.

Sunday and Monday! Poetry As Comedy at the Poetry Foundation.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Mar 15 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! Edward Kelsey Moore reads from his recently released novel The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat at Women and Children First.

Tonight! Quimby's hosts readings from Hair Lit, Vol. 1, a tribute to the rockers and power balladeers of '80s and '90s metal bands.

Saturday! Check out WBEZ's Allison Cuddy's panel discussion with comic artists Jill Thompson, Lyra Hill and Jenny Frison at the Superhero Expo.

Saturday! Hit up The Red Rover Reading Series and enjoy the talented lineup: H. V. Cramond,Tim Jones, Yelvington, Robin Morrissey, and Steven Teref.

Saturday! Enjoy extended Saturday hours in the Poetry Foundation Library.

Saturday! Women and Children First's monthly reading Sappho's Salon will feature Kathie Bergquist's "night of lesbian diversions" features three Sapphic storytellers: Barrie Cole, Sapna Kumar and Laura Stempel.

Sunday! Get to schmoozing with historical Chicago figures at the First Ward Ball from Pocket Guide to Hell.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Mar 08 2013

Bookmarks

All weekend! Chicago Zine Fest.

Tonight! Francesca T. Royster will read from Sounding Like a No-No: Queer Sounds and Eccentric Acts in the Post-Soul Era at Women and Children First.

Tonight! Alex A. Burkholder and John F. Hogan read from Fire Strikes the Chicago Stock Yards: A History of Flame and Folly in the Jungle at Centuries and Sleuths.

Tonight! Poetry Made of Diamonds reading at Uncharted Books.

Tonight! Zine, Lose or Draw at Quimby's, part of Chicago Zine Fest.

Saturday! Louder Than A Bomb youth poetry finals at the Cadillac Palace Theater.

Saturday! Kevin Budnik reads from Our Ever Improving Living Room at Challengers Comics + Conversation.

Sunday! Gapers Block Book Club hosts Dan P. Moore reading from Mark Twain Was Right at No Nation Gallery, part of the Chicago Zine Fest.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Mar 01 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! G. D. Brennan III reads from Ninety-Seven to Three at Uncharted Books.

Tonight! Ted Cox talks basketball with Rus Bradburd and Michael Lenehan at the Book Cellar (the latter two will also be at Revolution Brewing on Sunday).

Tonight! Christina Henry signs Black City at Challengers Comics + Conversation.

Saturday! Soup and Bread: Building Community One Pot at a Time with Martha Bayne at Kendall College.

Saturday! Release party for Michael Moreci's ReincarNATE at Challengers Comics + Conversation.

Saturday! Dark of the Male, Light of the Female: Women Writing about Horrible Things reading at
Uncharted Books.

Saturday! Carrie McGrath reads from her poetry collection Ohio Lonely at Quimby's.

Saturday! Dr. Seuss Day at Open Books.

Sunday! Books, Beer and Basketball with Jonathan Eig, Rus Bradburd and Michael Lenehan at Revolution Brewing.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Feb 22 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! The triumphant return of the Funny Ha-Ha Reading Series at the Hideout.

Tonight! Readings from the 2nd Story's Briefly Knocked Unconscious by a Low-Flying Duck anthology at Quimby's.

Saturday! The Bandthology #2 Comic release party at Third Coast Comics.

Saturday! Hashbrown Chili Cookoff fundraiser at Spudnik Press.

Saturday! Check out the Chicago Dramatists reading of, May You Live In Interesting Times, a play in progress about the power of community.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Feb 15 2013

Book Marks

Tonight! Naked Girls Reading at Everleigh Social Club.

Tonight! Rosie Schaap reads from Drinking With Men at the Book Cellar.

Saturday! Voices of Resistance discussion, part of The Sahmat Collective: Art and Activism in India since 1989 at the University of Chicago Smart Museum of Art.

Saturday! Ben Hellwarth reads from SEALAB at the Book Cellar.

Sunday! Transgender raconteur S. Bear Bergman at Women and Children First.

Sunday! Poetry Made of Diamonds reading at Uncharted Books.

Sunday! The Renaissance Society presents a poetry reading by Lisa Jarnot.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Feb 08 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! Bad Grammar Theater reading in Pilsen.

Tonight! Amy Andrews reads from her memoir Love and Salt at Women and Children First.

Saturday! Taste chocolatey treats; make a valentine; confess; listen to Panoramic & True at Graze Magazine's Cocoa Derby chocolate making contest.

Saturday! Brian Posehn signs copies of Deadpool
at Challengers Comics + Conversation,

Saturday! Scott Jacobs signs copies of Never Leave Your Block: Adventures in Urban Living at the Lincoln Park Barnes and Noble.

All weekend! "And The Poet Sang," poems set to music, at the Poetry Foundation.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Feb 01 2013

Bookmarks

Saturday! Check out Death and Trash: Self-Preservation Party and Workshop at the Read/Write Library, the first in a three-part series exploring archiving and ephemera.

Saturday! Three chances to catch Dave Eggers in action; dig the details here.

Saturday! Third birthday party for Back to Print publishing group

Saturday! Panel discussion on African American history for Black History Month featuring professor Christopher Reed of Roosevelt University, associate professor Robert Starks of Northeastern Illinois University and others at Woodson Regional Library.

Saturday! Myopic Poetry Series featuring Quraysh Ali Lansana and others at Myopic Books.

All weekend! Love Is Murder mystery writers' conference.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Jan 25 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! 2nd Story hits the South Side with readings from their anthology Briefly Knocked Unconscious By a Low-flying Duck at 57th Street Books.

Tonight! Lumpen comics show at Co-Prosperity Sphere in Bridgeport.

Saturday! Crafter Day offering supplies to make crafts, cocoa and friendly conversation at
Read/Write Library.

Saturday! Tamale Hut Cafe reading series welcomes Christoph Simon.

Saturday! "Feminist Plays about Nothing," an evening of free staged readings of comedic short plays at Center on Halsted.

Saturday! 2nd Story presents True Lies: Stories of Deception at Underground Wonder Bar.

Sunday! Voice of Champions reading at Dan's Soul Food.

Sunday! Sunday Salon Chicago at Black Rock Pub & Kitchen.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Jan 18 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! Brain Frame reading at Happy Dog Gallery.

Tonight! Terri Paul reads from Glass Hearts at the Book Cellar

Saturday! CWA 2012 Book Awards at the Book Cellar.

Saturday through Sunday! Zine "Zlumber" Party at Quimby's.

Saturday! Ms. Fit Online Zine Launch Party and Fundraiser at Women & Children First.

Sunday! Booze, Books and Brunch (discussing Herself When She's Missing by Sarah Terez Rosenblum) at Empty Bottle.

Sunday!
Chicago Authors Night
at Black Rock Pub featuring David Ansell, Daniel Greenstone and Terri Paul.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Jan 11 2013

Bookmarks

Tonight! Shame That Tune, America's favorite musical comedy game show, welcomes Kim Bellware, Caitlin Bergh and Lily Emerson to The Hideout.

Saturday! Tricks to Marketing Through Amazon for authors with Michelle Sussman (pen names Megg Jensen and Isobel Lucas) at Sulzer Public Library.

Saturday! Cynthia Kallile of The Meatloaf Bakery presents The Meatloaf Bakery Cookbook: Comfort Food with a Twist at the Lincoln Park Barnes and Noble.

Saturday! Author Bruce Levine at Abraham Lincoln Book Shop.

Saturday! Orange Alert Press presents a Hair Lit Volume 1 reading at the Book Cellar.

Saturday! The Dollhouse Reading Series in Ravenswood.

Sunday! Jonathan Safran Foer lectures on "Judaism, Writing and Inspiration" at the Spertus Institute.

Sunday! Open house at Chicago Dramatists.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Jan 04 2013

Bookmarks

Continuing this weekend! The 16th Annual Fillet of Solo Festival at the Lifeline Theatre and Heartland Studio Theatre.

Tonight! Interview Show at the Hideout will feature Rebecca Skloot (The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks), chef Homaro Cantu of Moto and Ing, and theater director Henry Wishcamper.

Tonight! Chicago Poetry Review at Reggie's featuring live music by Soul People.

Saturday! The College of Complexes at Lincoln Restaurant hosts a screening of Pleasantville followed by discussion.

Saturday! Check out the opening reception of A Thousand Words, organized by Graze Magazine and Two With Water.

Sunday! YOUmedia drawing workshop for teens at Harold Washington Library.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Dec 28 2012

Bookmarks

Saturday! The College of Complexes at Lincoln Restaurant hosts a lecture on "Predictions for the Next 100 Years."

Sunday! The next edition of the Uptown Poetry Slam at The Green Mill begins at 7pm with an open mic hosted by Marc Smith.

Monday! The 2nd Story New Year's Eve bash.

Monday! A Nerd Year's Hope party at Challengers Comics and Conversation.

Any time! Check out the Chicago Reader's profile of local poet Michael Robbins.

Any time! Check out Writer Unboxed's 10 New Year's Resolutions for Writers.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Dec 21 2012

Bookmarks

Tonight! A Post-Moderately Acceptable Reading Series at Uncharted Books.

Saturday! College of Complexes at Lincoln Restaurant hosts a lecture on "A Simplicity Revolution: Our Lifestyles of Abundance Whether We Can Afford Them or Not?"

Any time! Check out poets.org's carefully curated Christmas poems.

Any time! Check out Notes From The Slushpile's 12 Days of Christmas wish lists from authors and editors.

Hope you have time to curl up with a good book over the holidays!

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Dec 07 2012

Bookmarks

Tonight! Sarah Terez Rosenblum hosts local authors reading on obsession at Uncharted Books.

Tonight! John Binder signs The Girl Who Applied Everywhere at Centuries and Sleuths.

Tonight! James VanOsdol reads from We Appreciate Your Enthusiasm: The Oral History of Q101 at Challengers Comics and Conversation.

Saturday! Simple Structures: Bookmaking with Folded Paper workshop at Spudnik Press.

Saturday and Sunday! Middle Coast Zine Fest at Galerie F.

Saturday! Shy Town Girls book release party at Akira.

Sunday! Chicago Writers House Book Fair at Empty Bottle.

Sunday! James Teitelbaum promotes Destination Cocktails - The Traveler's Guide to Superior Libations at Bar DeVille.

Sunday! The 2nd Story presents "Epic Fail: Stories of Extraordinary Blunders" at Webster's Wine Bar.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Nov 30 2012

Bookmarks

Tonight! The third annual Chicago Literary Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

Tonight! Rhino magazine reading Rhino Reads at Brothers K Coffeehouse in Evanston.

Tonight! Steve McDonagh and Dan Smith read from The New Old Bar: Classic Cocktails and Salty Snacks From the Hearty Boys at the Book Cellar.

Saturday! An Evening With Sean Hemingway (Ernest's grandson) featuring cocktail reception and talk in Oak Park.

Saturday! Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt sign their graphic novel Sixth Gun
at Challengers Comics and Conversation.

Saturday! Red Rover Reading Series #60: Then and Now Again at Outer Space Studio.

Sunday! Head to the Hyde Park Art Center for Epic Something, and art show and readings "where story and image collide," curated by Zach Dodson, Caroline Picard, and Dan Gleason.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Nov 23 2012

Bookmarks

Saturday! Book release party for The Hipsters at Club Foot.

Saturday! The 2nd Story presents "This Must Be the Place: Stories of Home and Heart" at Underground Wonder Bar.

Saturday! And all weekend, check out Poet Photos: From the Archives of Poetry Magazine at the Poetry Foundation open at 11am.

Saturday! Check out Chicago Dramatists on stage. Playwrights, theatre artists, and the public convene for a reading of a stage production in progress. Tell them what you think!

Sunday! After Hours contributors read at the Chicago Cultural Center.

Happy Thanksgiving, Chicago!

Claire Glass / Comments (1)

Bookmarks Fri Nov 16 2012

Bookmarks

Tonight! Finalists read their submissions for the third annual Naked Girls Reading Literary Honors Award at Everleigh Social Club.

Tonight! Columbia College's F Magazine release party at Hopleaf.

Tonight! Brain Frame "performantive comix reading" at Happy Dog Gallery.

Saturday! Contributors read from Briefly Knocked Unconscious by a Low-Flying Duck: Stories From 2nd Story at the Book Cellar.

Saturday! Bookamania at Harold Washington Library.

Saturday! All The Writers I Know queer reading series at Quimby's.

Saturday! Chicago Zine Fest open feedback/organizational meeting at the Chicago Public Library, Logan Square branch.

Saturday! Tamale Hut Cafe Reading Series featuring Elsa Prado.

Saturday! The Myopic Books Reading Series presents Vyt Bakaitis, Kimberly Lyons & Elizabeth Robinson at Myopic Books.

Sunday! Sunday Salon Chicago with readings from The Beautiful Anthology from OV Books at Black Rock Bar.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Nov 02 2012

Bookmarks

Tonight! The Interview Show at the Hideout featuring Rick Perlstein (Nixonland), comedian Lil Rel Howery and chef Dale Levitski.

Tonight! Anne Elizabeth Moore (Hip Hop Apsara: Ghosts Past and Present) at the Book Cellar.

Tonight! The 2nd Story with Eric May, Deb Lewis, Molly Each and music by Seeking Wonderland.

Tonight! Kat Meads reads from For You, Madam Lenin at Powell's in Greektown.

Tonight! Kathleen Rooney reads from Robinson Alone; Hannah Gamble reads from Your Invitation to a Modest Breakfast at Women and Children First.

Saturday! Thomas Norman DeWolf and Sharon Leslie Morgan read from their co-written memoir Gather at the Table: The Healing Journey of a Daughter of Slavery and a Son of the Slave Trade at the DuSable Museum of African American History.

Saturday! Hank Phillippi Ryan reads from The Other Woman at Centuries and Sleuths.

Saturday! Red Rover Reading series #59 at Outer Space Studios.
Saturday! Punk author Michael T. Fournier reads from his novel Hidden Wheel and Maine author Katie Lattari reads from Zembla Vist's American Vaudeville at Quimby's.

Sunday! Suzanne Scanlon (Promising Young Women) and Kate Zambreno (Heroines) at Uncharted Books.

Sunday! Write Club presents at the Poetry Foundation during the Chicago Humanities Fest.

Sunday! Here's the Story Picnic and Potluck, an evening of live, unscripted, theatrical storytelling at Stage 773.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Oct 26 2012

Bookmarks

Tonight! See Mexican and Mexican American writers Luis Humberto Crosthwaite, Álvaro Enrigue, and Santiago Vaquera-Vásquez read their work and that which inspires them at the Poetry Foundation.

Tonight! Onion editors and writers present The Onion Book of Known Knowledge: A Definitive Encyclopaedia Of Existing Information at the Skokie Barnes and Noble.

Tonight! Witty Women Writers featuring Stacey Ballis, Amy Guth, Jen Lancaster, Wendy McClure, and Claire Zulkey at the Book Cellar.

Saturday! Janet Groth reads from her new memoir, The Receptionist, recalling her time at the New Yorker at Women and Children First Bookstore.

Saturday! Check out The Paper Machete is a free, weekly "live magazine" covering pop culture, current events and American manners with Samantha Irby, Dana Norris, and Dmitry Samarov and more.

Saturday! Gillian Flynn reads from Gone Girl at Centuries and Sleuths.

Saturday! Randy Richardson reads from cheeseland
at Powell's in Greektown.

Saturday! Author and professor of political theory Jodi Dean speaks on ideas drawn from her forthcoming book The Communist Horizon at UIC's Gallery 400.

Saturday! Programs represented at Columbia College Chicago's Graduate Open House including the MFA in Creative Writing at Columbia College Chicago Film Row Cinema.

Sunday! The Creeping Shudder horror reading at Bucket o' Blood Books and Records.

Sunday! Head to City Lit books to hear Logan Square local Irica Baurer, featured musician for the Illinois Library Association, sing, play guitar, and tell halloween tales.

Sunday! Sunday Salon Chicago featuring Ramsin Canon, Jobie Hughes, Thomas Mundt, and Mike Zapata at the Black Rock Pub and Kitchen.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Oct 19 2012

Bookmarks

Tonight! The Book Cellar welcomes Chicago's resident ghost expert Ursula Bielski, who will sign copies of her books Ghosthunter's Tales of the City's Scariest Sites, and Chicago Haunts: Locked Up Stories From an October City, and more.

Tonight! Author and professor Richard A. Courage discusses his book The Muse in Bronzeville: African American Creative Expression in Chicago, 1932-1950 at 57th Street Books.

Tonight! Erin Watson reads from her poetry chapbook No Experiences at Uncharted Books.

Saturday! Myopic Poetry series presents an evening of Russian poetry with the Debut Prize authors Dina Gatina, Kirill Korchagin, Ksenia Marennikova, and Aleksey Porvin.

Saturday! Drinking and Writing Festival at Haymarker Pub and Brewery

Saturday! Sip a hand-crafted cocktail or two or nibble on some autumnal treats as Graze Magazine ushers its second issues into the world with a celebration. Buy your tickets!

Saturday! Twenty-four Hour Comics Day.

Saturday! Curious George Day at Open Books.

Sunday! Matthew Inman reads from How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You at the Lincoln Park Barnes and Noble.

Sunday! Sara Pennypacker reads from Summer of the Gypsy Moths at Women and Children First.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Oct 12 2012

Bookmarks

Tonight! Writer-performers Samantha Irby and Alisa Rosenthal (and one surprise guest) embarrass themselves on Shame That Tune, Chicago's favorite live comedy gameshow. The Hideout, 6:30pm.

Tonight! Tom Raworth (Windmills in Flames) reads his poetry at the brand new Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts in Hyde Park (part of their launch celebration).

Tonight! Poetry off the Shelf features "Translating Poetry" at the Poetry Foundation.

Tonight! The Dollhouse Reading Series in Ravenswood.

Saturday! Northwestern professor Darlene Clark Hine discusses The Black Chicago Renaissance at the Woodson Regional Library.

Saturday! Adam Zagajewski reads in the Reva Logan Poetry Series at the Logan Center for the Arts.

Saturday! Chicago Literary Hall of Fame Silent Auction and Cocktail Party at the Hilton in River North.

Saturday! Myopic Poetry Series at Myopic Books.

Saturday! Catherynne M. Valente reads from The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There at the Book Cellar.

Saturday! Red Rover Series is holding reading Experiment #58, "Person/Persona: Are You Yours" featuring Kent Johnson , along with locals Quraysh Ali Lansana and Daniela Olszewska.

Sunday! Chris Ware presents Building Stories at Quimby's.

Sunday! Peter Cole presents The Poetry of Kabbalah: Mystical Verse From the Jewish Tradition at the Spertus Institute.

Sunday! See Scott Kenemore at City Lit Books discussing his latest horror novel, Zombie, Illinois. Zombie attire welcome, but not required.

All weekend! IBAM! book festival at the Irish American Heritage Center.

Saturday & Sunday! Check out the Poetry Foundation's in a guided tour as part of the Chicago Architecture Foundation's Open House Chicago.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Sep 28 2012

Bookmarks

Tonight! Yuval Taylor and Jake Austen present Darkest America: Black Minstrelsy From Slavery to Hip-Hop at Powell's in Greektown.

Tonight! Rhino Reads, a Rhino magazine showcase, featuring at Virginia Bell and Bryan Borland at Brothers K Coffeehouse in Evanston.

Tonight! Anne Elizabeth Moore presents Hip Hop Apsara: Ghosts Past and Present at Quimby's.

Tonight! Susah Hahn reads from The Six Granddaughters of Cecil Slaughter at Women and Children First.

Saturday! Arthur Conan Doyle/Sherlock Holmes Symposium at the Newberry Library.

Saturday! Cartoonist Chris Ware, known for his graphic novel, "Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth" will discuss his latest graphic novel, "Building Stories," at the Tribune Tower.

Saturday! Lecture on "Jane Austen: Multimedia Maven?" at the Harold Washington Library.

Saturday! Poetry Center Reading Series with David Matlin and Cris Mazza at the Chicago Cultural Center.

Saturday! Red Rover Series, Experiment #57, at Outer Space Studio in Wicker Park.

Sunday! Sunday Salon Chicago featuring Paul Jones, Kyle Minor, Randy Richardson, and Aaron Teel at Black Rock Pub.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Sep 21 2012

Bookmarks

Tonight! Jeffrey Brown presents Darth Vader and Son at the Book Cellar.

Tonight! Podcast Dreadful with Chicago Center for Literature and Photography
at Quimby's.

Tonight! Book release party for Reisha's Sexy Clowns at Art Revolution in Pilsen.

Tonight! C. M. Burroughs (The Vital System) and Kristina Marie Darling (The Moon and Other Inventions) at Women and Children First.

Saturday! Martin B. Gold discusses Forbidden Citizens: Chinese Exclusion and the U.S. Congress: A Legislative History at the Chicago Public Library, Bezazian branch.

Saturday! Amber Sparks presents May We Shed These Human Bodies at Cole's.

Saturday! Tamale Hut Cafe Presents featuring Jeanine Marie Vaughn.

Saturday! The Dollhouse Reading Seriesat
featuring Jesse Malmed, Zachary Schomburg and Jenny Zhang.

Saturday! "And The Poet Sang": Musical ensemble The Crooked Mouth sets William Blake, Whitman and other poets to music at the Poetry Foundation.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Sep 14 2012

Bookmarks

Tonight! Bad Grammar Theater in Pilsen.

Tonight! Joanne Kyger at the Poetry Foundation.

Tonight! Islamic studies professor Ahmad Sadri speaks on "Shi'ite and Iranian Spirituality" at the Swedenborg Library.

Saturday! Carmen Bugan reads from Burying The Typewriter at the Book Cellar.

Saturday! Participate in Here's the Story's robot apocalypse themed giant game of tag, Journey to the End of the Night. RSVP Required!

Saturday! Gregory Harms presents It's Not About Religion at Quimby's.

Saturday! Myopic Poetry Series at Myopic Books.

Saturday! Sappho's Salon reading and performance at Women and Children First.

Saturday! First anniversary party for Ink Well magazine at The Lincoln Loft.

Sunday! Frances McNamara (Death at Woods Hole) and David J. Walker (Company Orders) at Centuries and Sleuths.

Sunday! Wilbert Jones signs Chicago's Gold Coast at the Lincoln Park Barnes and Noble.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Sep 07 2012

Bookmarks

Tonight! Interview Show at The Hideout featuring theater director David Cromer, chef Matt Eversman, and Heckler editor in chief Brad Zibung.

Tonight! Matthew Gavin Frank presents Pot Farm at Quimby's.

Tonight! Poetry Penathlon hosted by Waiting 4 The Bus at the Book Cellar.

Saturday! "Renaissance Families: The Evidence of a Florentine Diary" at Newberry Library.

Saturday! Book launch party for Getting Into Face: 52 Mondays Featuring Jojo Baby and Sal-E at Eyeporium Gallery.

Saturday! Ray's Tap Reading Series featuring Margaret Chapman, Barrie Cole, Samantha Irby, Mason Johnson, Daniel Shapiro, Dave Snyder, Matt Test, and Vickie Walden (music by Tijuana Hercules) at Prop Thtr.

Saturday! John Cage's 100th Birthday Party at Corpse Space in Logan Square.

Sunday! Poetry at the Book Cellar featuring Helen Degen Cohen, Ken Hada, Charlie Newman, Donna Pucciani, Deborah Nodler Rosen, and Steven Schroeder.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Aug 31 2012

Bookmarks

Tonight! Angry Robot Books author showcase featuring Gwenda Bond, Adam Christopher, Kim Curran and Chuck Wendig at the Book Cellar.

Saturday! The College of Complexes at Lincoln Restaurant hosts author Lowell D. Thompson giving a talk on "The Whole Truth About Black Chicago: What's Your BCIQ?"

Saturday! Absinthe and Zygote: Reading #3 featuring readings by Francesca Abbate, Traci Brimhall and Adrienne Dodt and homemade brunch!

Saturday! Enjoy a night of Spanish poetry from Contratiempo magazine and Pilsen-based community organization Calles y Sueños with the Ciudad Juarez-based Escritores por Ciudad Juarez, featuring local and foreign poets.

Happy Labor Day! Some poems for reflection.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Aug 24 2012

Bookmarks

Tonight! Marisel Vera signs If I Bring You Roses at Revolution Books.

Tonight! Celebrate the first English-language translation of Thani Al-Suwaidi's novella The Diesel with a panel discussion with Chicago-area translators at the Book Cellar.

Saturday! Red Rover Reading Series at Outer Space Studios in Wicker Park.

Sunday! Graze Magazine hosts From Market To Make It potluck at Bang Bang Pie Shop.

Sunday! Sunday Salon Chicago at Black Rock Tavern featuring Eugene Cross, Jac Jemc, Lauryn Allison Lewis, and Megan Stielstra.

All weekend! Evanston Writer's Workshop Conference.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Aug 17 2012

Bookmarks

Tonight! The Dollhouse Reading series featuring poets John Gallaher, Daniela Olszewska, Andrew Terhune, and Tony Trigilio.

Tonight! Dustin Thomason reads from 12.21 at the Book Cellar.

Saturday! Poetry Community Reunion Picnic hosted by the Chicago Poetry Alliance in Hyde Park.

Saturday! Lauren Barnett, Neil Fitzpatrick and Bernie McGovern at Quimby's.

Saturday! Myopic Poetry Series at Myopic Books in Wicker Park.

Saturday! The last Neutron Bomb reading at Cal's Bar.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Aug 10 2012

Bookmarks

Tonight! Poetry reading at Women and Children First.

Tonight! Bob Riesman presents I Feel So Good: The Life and Times of Big Bill Broonzy at SPACE in Evanston.

Saturday! Comic artist Eliza Frye at Quimby's

Sunday! The final P. Fanatics Reading Series at Cole's.

All weekend! Wizard World comic con.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Aug 03 2012

Bookmarks

Tonight! The Interview Show featuring Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl) and others at The Hideout.

Tonight! Nina Yah reads from Truth at (ironically) Liar's Club.

Tonight! Brion Polonic (Xanthous Mermaid Mechanics) and Eckhard Gerdes at Quimby's.

Tonight! Bill Wolak and Mahoom Karimi-Hakak read from Love Emergencies at the Book Cellar.

Saturday! Jon Gower reads from Too Cold For Snow at the Book Cellar.

Sunday! Anne Nordhouse-Bike (Follow the Sun: A Simple Way to Use Astrology for Living in Harmony) and Jennie Spallone (Window of Guilt and Deadly Choices) at DeLux Bar and Grill.

Sunday! Here's The Story storytelling and potluck.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Jul 20 2012

Bookmarks

Tonight! Enjoy the spectacle that is Printers' Ball downtown at Columbia College.

Tonight! Bad Zine Everyone's Fault reading tour kick off show at Quimby's.

Tonight! Jon Langford and Billheimer's Story Night at the Hideout.

Tonight! TallGrass Writer's Guild members read work on the theme of "Drowning In Paper" at the Book Cellar.

Saturday! Bryan Gruley signs The Skeleton Box at Centuries and Sleuths.

Saturday! Chris Colfer signs The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell at Macy's (book must be purchased at store to get signed).

Saturday! Miguel Conner reads from Stargazer at Quimby's.

Saturday! Sappho's Salon at Women and Children First.

Sunday! At 4pm, join Two With Water reading series reading at Cole's bar as part of the Milwaukee Arts Festival.

Sunday! The second to last P.Fanatics reading series will be at Cole's bar.

Sunday! "Poets Who Open Doors" at Women Made Gallery.

Sunday! Beach Poets in Rogers Park

Sunday! Release party for The Land Line literary quarterly at The Plaines Project in Pilsen.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Jul 13 2012

Bookmarks

Tonight! Burial Day Books presents Campfire Storieshosted by Uncharted Books.

Tonight! Naked Girls Reading at
does Summer Blockbusters at the Everleigh Club.

Tonight! The Dollhouse Reading series in North Center.

Saturday! Myopic Poetry Series at Myopic Books.

Saturday! Tamale Hut Cafe Reading Series featuring Matthew Bieniek.

Saturday! Logan Square Literary Review reading at Comfort Station.

Saturday! W. C. Turck reads from The Last Man at Quimby's.

Sunday! Historical re-enactment group Pocket Guide To Hell presents Like A Secondhand Sea at the lake.

Sunday! Beach Poets in Rogers Park.

Sunday! Bookstore Bicycle & Art Show by Powell's Books.

All weekend! Book fort at Pitchfork Festival.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Jul 06 2012

Bookmarks!

Tonight! Live at Transistor book, music, and art shop: A night of solo performances by Dan Phillips, Stephen Mulcahy and Marko Casso. Enjoy tunes in a distinctly literary ambiance.

Friday! Poetry, food, drinks on the Rooftop at Reggie's featuring FM Supreme, Malcolm London, Briel Daniels and Deja Taylor.

Saturday! Pocket Con at Chicago Public Library.

Saturday! The Bookie's & 7-11 Parking Lot Party featuring live local authors including Arnie Bernstein, Michael Black, Jack O'Keefe, Mark Quinn, Jim McGreal and music by The Wrecker Brothers.

Saturday! June Skinner Sawyers signs her newest edition of Chicago Portraits at Centuries and Sleuths.

Sunday! Beach Poets in Rogers Park.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Jun 29 2012

Bookmarks

Tonight! The first installment of Absinthe and Zygote, a rhizomatic reading series featuring four poets, a house party, and a lot of absinthe.

Tonight! Patrick Somerville and Natalie Bakopoulos at Women and Children First.

Saturday! Brian Wood signs The Massive at Challengers Comics + Conversation.

Sunday! Round robin open mic at the Beach Poets series in Rogers Park.

Sunday! Here's the Story presents another night of unscripted, embodied storytelling; practiced under porch-lights and on street corners and by fire-sides, by people who have a truth to tell.

Happy holiday weekend!!

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Jun 22 2012

Bookmarks

Tonight! St. Sukie de la Croix reads from Chicago Whispers: A History of LGBT Chicago Before Stonewall at Women and Children First.

Tonight! Talk by author Ruben Molina (Chicano Soul: Recordings & History Of An American Culture) at the National Museum of Mexican Art.

Tonight! All The Writers I Know queer literary showcase at Quimby's.

Tonight! Jennifer Close (Girls in White Dresses) and Jennifer Miller (The Year of the Gadfly) at the Book Cellar.

Saturday! Tamale Hut Cafe Reading Series featuring Brendan Detzner.

Saturday! Neutron Bomb punk rock reading at Cal's.

Sunday! Sunday Salon Chicago featuring Robert Duffer, Roger Reeves, Janna Sobel, and Xu Xi at Black Rock Pub.

All weekend! Half price sale at Open Books.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Jun 15 2012

Bookmarks

Tonight! Audrey Niffeneger in discussion with Richard Harris about his "Morbid Curiosity" exhibit at the Chicago Cultural Center.

Tonight! Fred Afflerbach reads from Roll On: A Trucker's Life on the Road at the Book Cellar.

Tonight! The Dollhouse Reading Series featuring David Trinidad, Suzanne Buffam, Anne Shaw, Nora Hickey, and Jessica Dyer.

Tonight! Kevin Huizenga and Dan Zettwoch at Quimby's, part of CAKE weekend.

Tonight! Naked Girls Reading covers culinary tales with "Hot Dishes."

Saturday! Mike McPadden reads from If You Like Metallica at Salon Tress.

Saturday! Patrick Somerville reads from This Bright River at Open Books (also be sure to check out his Gapers Block event June 26).

Saturday! Bloomsday Celebration: Rattlin' of the Joists, a celebration of all things James Joyce at the Irish American Heritage Center.

Sunday! 100 Years of Studs Terkel film and video festival
at the Claudia Cassidy Theater. Free.

Saturday and Sunday! CAKE Chicago Alternative Comics Expo
at Columbia College.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Jun 08 2012

Bookmarks

Tonight! Literary journal I Am Logan Square presents an exhibit of artwork inspired by Borges' Book of Imaginary Beings.

Tonight! Reginald Dwayne Betts at the Poetry Foundation.

Tonight! Richard and Kate Russo at Women and Children First.

Tonight! Michael Robbins reads from his poetry collection, Alien vs. Predator, at 57th Street Books.

Tonight! Applied Words reading series presents "Gil Scott Heron: Passages, Interludes, Subtext N' Understandin'" at
Experimental Station.

Saturday! Julie Sekmistrz presents her new kids' book, Sam the Shoe, at Barnes and Noble, DePaul Center.

All weekend! Printers Row Lit Fest.

Sunday! P. Fanatics reading series asks, "Why Would Anyone Want to go to a reading?" Find out at Cole's bar.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Jun 01 2012

Bookmarks!

Tonight! The Interview Show at the Hideout featuring Matt Baron, Rich Cohen, Tony Fitzpatrick Michael Hornick and STV SLV of the Hood Internet.

Tonight! Shanny Jean Maney reads from her poetry collection I Love Science! at the Book Cellar.

Tonight! "Superheroes: Hollywood's Rewriting of History" panel discussion with local comics at Victory Gardens Theater.

Tonight Jeanne Cordova (When We Were Outlaws), in a conversation with journalist Achy Obejas at Women and Children First.

Saturday! 100 Years of Studs Terkel at the Chicago History Museum.

Saturday! Jeff Shaara (A Blaze of Glory: A Novel of the Battle of Shilo) and Timothy B. Smith (Corinth 1862: Siege, Battle, Occupation) at Abraham Lincoln Book Shop.

Saturday! Jack Frederickson (Hunting Sweetie Rose) and John McEvoy (Photo Finish) at Centuries & Sleuths Bookstore.

Sunday! Here's the Story yummy potluck and reading at Stage 773 with featured readers including Megan Stielstra and Scott Whitehair.

Sunday! The Chicago Way featuring e Eckhartz Press novelists Randy Richardson, Kim Strickland, Rick Kaempfer and Brendan Sullivan at the Hidden Shamrock.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri May 25 2012

Bookmarks

Tonight! Story Night Chapter Two: Sex Legends of Rock at the Hideout.

Tonight! Matt Kindt signs the first issue of Mind Mgmt at Challengers Comics + Conversation.

Saturday! If you missed him Friday, see Matt Kindt at Chicago Comics.

Saturday! Craig Cleve signs The Green Hornet Streetcar Disaster at Centuries and Sleuths.

Saturday! Tamale Hut Café Reading Series featuring Jerome Pohlen (Oddball Illinois).

Saturday! Windy City Story Slam Championships at the Viaduct Theater.

Andrew Huff

Bookmarks Fri May 18 2012

Bookmarks!

Tonight! Windy City Story Slam holds its All-City Championships Semi-Finals at the Chicago Urban Arts Society.

Tonight! Gapers Block and The Coop present a reception for 8x8, featuring writings inspired by art.

Tonight! Book release party
for Molly Backes' The Princesses of Iowa at Story Studio Chicago.

Tonight! Diana Falanga signs P.S. I Still Hate It Here: More Kids' Letters From Camp at the Book Cellar.

Tonight! Vijay Prashad (The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World) discusses Arab Spring, Libyan Winter at High Concept Laboratories; reservations required.

Tonight! Stories From the Bottom of the Glass featuring Keith Ecker, Samantha Irby, Ian Belknap, J.H. Palmer, Shannon Cason, and Dana Norris at SMALL Showroom.

Tonight! The Dollhouse Reading Series featuring Nathan Breitling, Laura Goldstein, Virginia Konchan, and Catherine Wagner.

Saturday! Myopic Poetry Series at Myopic Books.

Saturday! Sappho's Salon "provocative night of lesbian diversions" at Women and Children First.

Saturday! Tamale Hut Cafe Reading Series showcases the work of series regular Christopher Krazmus.

Sunday! Two With Water magazine celebrates the release of its second issue with readings at the Beauty Bar.

Sunday! Readings from Fifth Wednesday Journal contributors at Open Books.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri May 11 2012

Bookmarks!

Tonight! Check out Journey to the End of the Night event in collaboration with Here's the Story.

Tonight! Rock night at Naked Girls Reading featuring rock star biographies and Naked Guitar Hero.

Tonight! Kate Hopper reads from Use Your Words: A Writing Guide for Mothers at Women and Children First.

Saturday! Takashi Yagihashi discusses Takashi's Noodles with demonstrations and recipes at Macy's.

Saturday! Isaac Adamson reads from Complication at the Book Cellar.

This weekend! 2nd Story observes Mother's Day as storytellers share the theme of
letting go.

This weekend! Version Fest 12 featuring Quimby's pop up shop in Bridgeport.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri May 04 2012

Bookmarks

Tonight! Poetry magazine hosts a reading by poet Ron Silliman at the Poetry Foundation.

Tonight! Edward W. Wolner reads from Ives Cobb's Chicago: Architecture, Institutions, and the Making of a Modern Metropolis at the Southside Hub of Production.

Tonight! JackLeg Press showcase with poets Barbara Cully, Jennifer Harris, and Maureen Seaton at Women and Children First.

Saturday! Jeffrey Brown signs his comic collection Darth Vader and Son at Quimby's.

Saturday! Red Rover Reading Series "Experiment #54: Springy Thingy" at Outer Space Studios.

Saturday! Free Comic Book Day, various locations.

Sunday! Roger Ebert signs A Horrible Experience of Unbearable Length: More Movies That Suck at the Lincoln Park Barnes and Noble.

Sunday! The Chicago Way reading series with novelist Libby Fischer Hellmann (A Bitter Veil) at the Hidden Shamrock.

Sunday! Check out the Here's the Story monthly reading series and potluck at Stage773.

Claire Glass

Book Club Fri Apr 27 2012

Bookmarks

Tonight! Watch out for Alison Bechdel at University of Chicago.

Tonight! Daniel Levin Becker (Many Subtle Channels: In Praise of Potential Literature) at 57th Street Books.

Tonight! Rhino Reads at Brothers K Coffeehouse in Evanston.

Tonight! Roosevelt University MFA students read their work at the Book Cellar.

Tonight! Release party for inaugural issue of food-focused lit mag Graze at the Smart Museum.

Saturday! Chicago Public Library's 13th annual celebration of National Poetry Month at Harold Washington Library.

Saturday! TriQuarterly magazine poetry reading at Jak's Tap.

Sunday! A hike to the suburbs Gets Better: Dan Savage at Elmhurst College.

Sunday! Sunday Salon Chicago at Black Rock Pub.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Apr 20 2012

Bookmarks

Tonight! MAKE Magazine hosts MAKE DO: exformation, featuring paintings by Patrick McGee, readings from Thomas Mundt and Mike Zapata, and music from Reid Coker.

Tonight! Conor P. Dempsey reads from The Exiles of the New World at Open Books.

Tonight! Contributors to Roosevelt University's Oyez Review read at the Book Cellar.

Saturday! Myopic Poetry Series with Mark Goldstein and Camille Martin.

Saturday! Sappho's Salon featuring Anne Elizabeth Moore and Yasmin Nair at Women and Children First.

Saturday! Curbside Splendor celebrates the release of Chicago Stories: 40 Dramatic Fictions by Micheal Czyzniejewski at Cole's in Logan Square.

Sunday! Pamela Lu reads from her novel Ambient Parking Lot at Comfort Station.

Sunday! Readings by teenage contributors to the anthology We Are Girl/Friends! Art on Community Violence, Justice, and Healing at Women and Children First.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Apr 06 2012

Bookmarks

Tonight! Naked Girls Reading presents Comedy Undressed at the Everleigh Club.

Tonight! The Interview Show at the Hideout.

Saturday! Jules Feiffer at Jean Albano Gallery.

Saturday! Poesía en Abril, a Poetry off the Shelf event, at the Poetry Foundation.

Saturday! Red Rover Series #53: Men Undressed at Outer Space Studio.

Saturday! Achy Obejas at Tamale Hut Cafe Reading Series.

Saturday! Joe Allen discusses People Wasn't Made to Burn: A True Story of Housing, Race, and Murder in Chicago at the Chicago Public Library, Lozano branch.

Sunday! P Fanatics reading series teams up with Two Cookie Minimum at Cole's.

Sunday, the Chicago Alternative Comics Expo (CAKE) hosts a Comic Art Battle fundraiser at the Hideout.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Mar 23 2012

Bookmarks

Last week, president of the Poetry Foundation, John Barr, announced his retirement. Read all about it here.

Tonight! Interview Show at the Hideout featuring actor Brian Dennehy and Mick Dumke of the Chicago Reader.

Tonight! Last call for Columbia College's Story Week Festival of Writers.

Tonight! Dale Flattum, John Porcellino and Zak Sally at Quimby's.

Tonight! Katherine Stewart (The Good News Club: The Christian Right's Stealth Assault on America's Children) at Revolution Books.

Saturday! Funnier Than Fiction storytelling night at Bucket o' Blood Books and Records.

Saturday! Andrew Vachss signs That's How I Roll at Centuries and Sleuths.

Saturday! At the Tamale Hut: "Smart Talk on Self-Publishing" at 3pm; Tamale Hut Cafe Reading Series with Carrie Kaufman at 7pm.

Saturday! Nelson Algren's Birthday Party at Wicker Park Art Center.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Mar 09 2012

Bookmarks


Tonight! Ben Ryder Howe discusses his memoir, My Korean Deli: Risking It All for a Convenience Store at Zaleski & Horvath Market Cafe in Hyde Park.

Tonight! Naked Girls Reading at the Everleigh Club. Third anniversary show; theme: "Fairy tails."

Tonight! Eugene Cross reads from Fires of Our Choosing at Women and Children First.

Saturday! Brian Lewis-Jones reads from Parish, Parish at Uncharted Books.

Saturday! Try to get into Louder Than A Bomb at The Vic.

Saturday and Sunday! Try to get into The Boho Dance at The Poetry Foundation.

Sunday! Stacy Riedel reads from The Field at Uncharted Books.

Sunday! The Chicago Way Literary Series with James Finn Garner and Christine Sneed at Hidden Shamrock.

This weekend! Chicago Zine Fest.

Claire Glass

Bookmarks Fri Feb 17 2012

Bookmarks

Tonight! It's the four-year anniversary of The Interview Show at the Hideout with director Greg Scott and WBEZ's Steve Edwards.

Saturday! Bright 'n early, Marty McMorrow discusses his memoir Phoenix to L.A. in a WLUW broadcast from the Heartland Cafe.

Saturday! Author Kimberly Springer (Living for the Revolution: Black Feminist Organiaations, 1968-1980) gives a lecture on "When Identities Collide: Sexuality and Black Feminism" at the Chicago History Museum

Saturday! Naked Girls Reading at the Everleigh Social Club.

Sunday! Author Afternoons at the Beverly Arts Center
featuring Michelle Rodriguez (Opera Macabre).

Sunday! Denese Neu signs Chicago by the Pint: A Craft Beer History of the Windy City at the Lincoln Park Barnes and Noble.

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Feb 10 2012

Bookmarks

Saturday! Vittorio Carli will read from his A Passion for Apathy at 7pm at Quimby's Bookstore (1854 W. North Ave). Look for special guests Vince Bruckert, Lynn Fitzgerald, and more!

Saturday! Barry Schwabsky at Myopic Books (1564 N. Milwaukee) at 7pm.

P. Fanatics reading series is Sunday at Cole's Bar presenting the theme "I'm not Racist but...". This event is reminiscent of the now defunct Ray's reading series in its humor invited guests (as it features reader Chris Bower, former Ray's host).

Punk reading series Neutron Bomb hits Saturday at Cal's liquors with a round of readers featuring Ben Tanzer, followed by live music.

Tonight! Urban Sandbox poetry reading at Comfort Station.

Tonight! Contributors read from the Winter 2012 issue of Granta at Women and Children First.

Saturday! Sarah Becan signs Shuteye at Challengers Comics + Conversation.

Saturday! Eric Dregni presents Vikings in the Attic: In Search of Nordic America at the Swedish American Museum.

Saturday! Amina Gautier (At Risk) and David Mills (The Dream Detective) at The Book Cellar.

Friday and Saturday! The Poetry Foundation presents Dreamweaver: The Works of Langston Hughes.

Sunday! Moment Magazine presents their Memoir Awards at the Spertus Institute.

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Feb 03 2012

Bookmarks

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Jan 27 2012

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Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Jan 20 2012

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Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Jan 13 2012

Bookmarks

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Jan 06 2012

Bookmarks

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Dec 30 2011

Bookmarks

Happy Almost New Year's Eve! We hope you had a happy, prosperous, and reading-filled 2011, and wish you the best for 2012. Onto this week's annotations!

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Dec 16 2011

Bookmarks

...will be on a brief hiatus now through next Friday. Happy Holidays!

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Dec 09 2011

Bookmarks

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Dec 02 2011

Bookmarks

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Nov 25 2011

Bookmarks -- Thanksgiving Edition

Happy Thanksgiving from Book Club! It's a slow weekend for literary events; a good time to reflect on what you're thankful for. Or, if you want to pull yourself out of the stuffing coma:

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Nov 18 2011

Bookmarks

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Nov 11 2011

Bookmarks


Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Nov 04 2011

Bookmarks

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Oct 28 2011

Bookmarks


Weekend update:

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Oct 21 2011

Bookmarks

Weekend update:

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Oct 14 2011

Bookmarks

Weekend update:

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Oct 07 2011

Bookmarks

This weekend:

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Sep 30 2011

Bookmarks

  • 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.
  • Check out Strange Kids Comix Magazine #2 for some pre-Halloween good times.
  • Ray Bradbury inspires at 2001's Six Annual Writer's Symposium by the Sea.

This weekend:

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Sep 23 2011

Bookmarks

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Sep 16 2011

Bookmarks

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Sep 09 2011

Bookmarks

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Sep 02 2011

Bookmarks

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Aug 26 2011

Bookmarks

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Aug 19 2011

Bookmarks

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Aug 12 2011

Bookmarks

Weekend update:

In other news...

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Aug 05 2011

Bookmarks

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Jul 29 2011

Bookmarks

The rest of the weekend:

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Jul 22 2011

Bookmarks

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

Bookmarks Fri Jul 15 2011

Bookmarks

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

Bookmarks Fri Jul 08 2011

Bookmarks

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Jul 01 2011

Bookmarks

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Jun 24 2011

Bookmarks

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Jun 17 2011

Bookmarks

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Jun 10 2011

Bookmarks

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Jun 03 2011

Bookmarks

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri May 27 2011

Bookmarks

Your literary weekend update:

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri May 20 2011

Bookmarks

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri May 13 2011

Bookmarks

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri May 06 2011

Bookmarks

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Apr 29 2011

Bookmarks

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Apr 22 2011

Bookmarks

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Apr 15 2011

Bookmarks

Forget about the rain and head inside for a weekend of literary diversions. Do it!

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Apr 08 2011

Bookmarks

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Apr 01 2011

Bookmarks

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Mar 25 2011

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Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Mar 18 2011

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Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Mar 11 2011

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Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Mar 04 2011

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Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Feb 25 2011

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Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Feb 18 2011

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Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Feb 11 2011

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Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Feb 04 2011

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Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Jan 28 2011

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Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Jan 21 2011

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Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Thu Jan 20 2011

One-Shots: Nate Beaty

Nate Beaty has experienced the opposing poles of the West Coast: from living off the grid on Orcas Island to coding and commuting in Los Angeles, these geographical and cultural extremes have brought him to the physical center of the country. Drawing for pleasure (and sometimes for money) and pixel-pushing for money (but it seems to have its moments), his line-heavy illustrations are charming and funny, awkward and sad, and above all thoughtful, whether he's illustrating moments from his past relationships, someone else's story, or a plate of charcuterie. We talked about old advertisements, the awesome food in LA, and zines, while I tried to get a sense of how Nate's often autobiographical comics have followed him to the middle.

Name: Nate Beaty
Job: Cartoonist / Coder
Age: 35
Education: Self-taught
Awards: Blue Ribbon, 7th grade REACH diorama
Location: Humboldt Park
Hometown: Newport, OR
Website: natebeaty.com
Favorite place in Chicago: Humboldt Park in winter

 
Self-portrait (on right in photo)

How did you get into self-publishing?

I got into self-publishing in 95'. A friend of mine, Keith Rosson, had a zine, Avow -- he actually just moved from Portland to Milwaukee. He did a zine with a friend in Seattle when I was living on the coast at the time, we actually lived together in Newport. But it was kind of artsy-fartsy independent publishing. There was a circle of literary zines, and poetry, and art, that we would trade across the country.

It was really interesting before the Internet connected people, it was really difficult to find networks of people that were into small publishing. But there was a pretty tight-knit group of people around the country that would trade things -- you would always get a ton of crap in the mail, a lot of crap, but still.

Continue reading this entry »

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Jan 14 2011

Bookmarks

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Jan 07 2011

Bookmarks

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Dec 31 2010

Bookmarks

Happy New Year's Eve! Here's wishing you a prosperous, wonderful, and very literary 2011.


Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Dec 24 2010

Bookmarks

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Dec 17 2010

Bookmarks

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Tue Dec 14 2010

One-Shots: Nicole Hollander

It's One-Shots' first newspaper comic artist! Nationally syndicated, Chicago-born cartoonist Nicole Hollander has been discussing everything from politics to relationships to cats through the funny, insightful, at times snarky and sardonic cast that makes up Sylvia. For the past three decades, her feminist wit and quirky charm have made their way into books, publications, and papers, sketching observations on American life and culture in a heavy, curving black line.

It hasn't been a smooth path -- throughout Nicole's career, she faced sexism not only as a woman, but as a woman working with humor. We talked about her graphic design beginnings, her recent entry into blogging, and how the character of Sylvia is both a Chicago woman of an earlier era, yet very much of any time.

This year, Nicole released The Sylvia Chronicles: 30 Years of Graphic Misbehavior from Reagan to Obama. She talks about this and more on WTTW's Chicago Tonight, 7pm CST.

Name: Nicole Hollander
Job: Syndicated cartoonist (Sylvia) and Blogger
Age: 71
Education: MFA
Awards: Wonder Woman Award, 1984
Location: Roscoe Village
Hometown: Chicago
Website: http://www.badgirlchats.com
Favorite place in Chicago: Any funky café with good coffee.

 
Self-portrait

Were you always, or ever, into comics?

You mean as a child?

Sure, or any time.

You know, I wasn't. I learned how to read so that I could read the Sunday comics. I was not in school yet, and I think my parents got tired of reading them to me, and they taught me how to read so I could read the comics. I think that around 14 or so, when I was an adolescent, I didn't see that the comics had any relevance to me. I mean, I wasn't into adventure or superheroes, because I wasn't a boy. Or a girl who was interested in adventure or superheroes. So I stopped reading comics.

I think what happened was that I...became a graphic designer. I went to art school, got a Master's in Fine Arts. But I never completely liked painting, because I didn't like standing alone in front of a canvas, I was more social than that. And really, it is -- especially with me, when I was younger -- it was a bleak thing, you'd look at that canvas and think about what was going on in your psyche, and you would paint it and it would be kind of scary and distorted and that kind of thing, and not at all social. So I started to think about how could I possibly combine my interest in art with something that had more to do with the rest of the world, with community. Because that was part of my family. We were political in the sense that we were aware that some people, through no fault of their own, did not have it as good as other people. My father was in the union, my mother worked in a hospital. That was part of my growing up, that you're part of a community, and you want to be, and you want to give something to them.

So, I struggled with finding what would match me. I thought about being an art therapist, and I talked to the dean at the school, and he said you could do that, but you would never be an artist, that would be what you would do. I somehow fell into becoming a graphic designer. I really don't know how that happened, but that's what I was.


3/23/10

Continue reading this entry »

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Dec 10 2010

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Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Dec 03 2010

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Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Nov 26 2010

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Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Nov 19 2010

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Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Nov 12 2010

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Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Nov 05 2010

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Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Oct 22 2010

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Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Oct 15 2010

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Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Oct 08 2010

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Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Oct 01 2010

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Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Sep 24 2010

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Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Sep 17 2010

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Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Sep 10 2010

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Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Sep 03 2010

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Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Aug 27 2010

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Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Aug 20 2010

Bookmarks

  • Poetry Off the Shelf decides not to celebrate summer.
  • Author Keir Graff writes his own press release to publicize his fourth novel, The Price of Liberty.
  • Review of UChicago philosophy professor Robert Pippin's new book, Hollywood Westerns and American Myth: The Importance of Howard Hawks and John Ford for Political Philosophy...
  • ...and Pippin's top ten Westerns and noirs.
  • Local sign, comic and zine maker Grant Reynolds talks about what goes into his odd and oddly beautiful illustrations.
  • Chicago-born Rosencrans Baldwin keeps a diary for five months before the release of his debut novel.

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Aug 13 2010

Bookmarks

Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Aug 06 2010

Bookmarks

Bookmarks is a Friday feature recapping Book Club highlights from the week, and will often contain new content we couldn't fit into our regular rotation. As always, if you have any tips or suggestions, please send them to bookclub [at] gapersblock [dot] com. Thanks!


Rose Lannin

Bookmarks Fri Jul 30 2010

Bookmarks

Bookmarks is a new Friday feature recapping Book Club highlights from the week, and will often contain new content we couldn't fit into our regular rotation. As always, if you have any tips or suggestions, please send them to bookclub [at] gapersblock [dot] com. Thanks!


Rose Lannin

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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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