Have you been reading Travel Writing by Peter Ferry along with the Gapers Block Book Club this past month? The November meeting is coming up on Monday, and it will be a special event as author Peter Ferry joins us for our discussion. Get the details in Slowdown. Plus, find out what the Book Club will be reading next year -- the 2010 book list is revealed!
The 2010 edition of the Not For Tourists guide to Chicago is out, but you can download PDFs of the various sections for $1.50 each.
Is mathematics ultimately invented or discovered? And for that matter, does that make God the ultimate mathematician? Tonight at 5pm, Dr. Mario Livio will lead a free lecture at Columbia College exploring a question that's plagued mathematicians, scientists and philosophers for centuries, based on his new book, Is God a Mathematician?
The book Designing Obama overshot its Kickstarter funding goal of $65,000 by more than $15,000 -- and the Post Family is celebrating with a launch party tonight at 7pm.
About 28 years ago a fellow by the name of Dan Goodwin scaled both the John Hancock Center and the Sears Tower and a few other famous skyscrapers. Now he's back with a book. Look out! There goes the Spider Dan!
Just a week left to help Scott Thomas of The Post Family fund production of Designing Obama, a book about the iconography and design of the Obama campaign. Pitch in here.
HelloChicago hosts scans of several historic books about Chicago. You have to download them as PDFs, but it's still pretty cool.
As noted in Book Club, Granta continues to extol the virtues of our fine burg by asking local booksellers to list their five favorite Chicago-themed books. This week: 57th Street Books.
The GB Book Club is putting together its 2010 reading list and wants your help.
"Chicago femme fatale, known to police as 'The Nemesis Sweetheart,' claims sixth victim in underworld--one husband, five lovers." Librarian/researcher/author Jess Nevins finds and posts amazing historical headlines like that to his Twitter page under the "on this day in 1929" #otd1929 tag.
Want to get paid to write for The Reader's 9th annual fiction issue to be released in late December- They're seeking submissions. Got writer's block? Here's a look at the archives of past published works for motivation.
The GB Book Club was featured in the Tribune this weekend as part of their series on Chicagoland book clubs. Check out the article, then check out the Book Club page for an explanation on why the five books listed made for great discussions.
New York's The Moth is at Martyrs' tonight for a story slam: come with a story in mind, drop your name in the hat and you could be on stage telling it to the crowd.
All the single ladies (and single men), hold your books up! According to the Sun-Times, the GB Book Club is the #2 way to meet your lover. Awww yeah...
The Trib took some time to chat with David Byrne about his new book, Bicycle Diaries, and got him talking about his cycling experiences in Chicago.
In Stephanie Kuehnert's Ballads of Suburbia, Kara McNaughton and her family find out that the suburban life they dreamed of when they moved to Oak Park isn't all it's cracked up to be. Find out more about this teen drama in my review on the Book Club page.
The Post Family's Scott Thomas is working on a book about the art and design of the Obama presidential campaign. Help it happen by pre-ordering on Kickstarter.
All I can say after reading Audrey Niffenegger's Her Fearful Symmetry is: wow. Okay, that's a lie. I could say a lot more, and I do in my review over on the Book Club page.
Chicagoans have cut back 11 percent on discretionary spending according to Mint.com -- but one thing they're not scrimping on is books.
We cover a lot of local lit in our Book Club, but for an encyclopedic view of the city's publishing scene, head to the Chicago Publishers Gallery at the Cultural Center. It features more than 1500 books from more than 125 publishers, plus magazines and online publications, too. You can also read the Book Club's coverage of the Gallery's opening in October of last year.
Chicago-based interaction designer Nick Disabato has launched a Kickstarter project to help fund his new book, Cadence & Slang. Simply put, Cadence & Slang is a book about interaction design. Help make it a reality.
Hey, have you been reading The Echo Maker by Richard Powers along with us at the Gapers Block Book Club? Our September meeting is taking place this coming Monday, Sept. 14, at The Book Cellar in Lincoln Square. Check out the sample discussion questions on our blog, and visit Slowdown for complete meeting details. Hope to see you there!
The worst thing about Blagojevich's book is it fails to name names as promised, says Steve Rhodes.
I had the good fortune to get an early look at the upcoming "Chicago" issue of Granta magazine and it is as fitting a tribute to our city as it is to the authors who have lived here and written about it. To get an idea of what the magazine contains, read my full review on the Book Club page.
Follow along as Eric Zorn reads Rod Blagojevich's book, The Governor, chapter by chapter: one, two, three, four and five so far.
The classic book Eight Men Out about the 1919 "Black Sox" may be much more fiction than fact, two Chicago lawyers argue in the latest issue of Chicago Lawyer.
Coudal Partners is running a quick contest in connection to Claire Zulkey's An Off Year (reviewed in Book Club last month): In just a couple sentences by email, tell them "what you would have rather done instead of starting on that first day of higher education" by noon tomorrow, and you could win an autographed copy of the book.
In Doubleback, Libby Fischer Hellmann pairs two of her dynamic female leads - Ellie Foreman and Georgia Davis - to uncover the truth behind the kidnapping of a young girl and the murder of her mother. Find out more about this fast-paced read in the full review over on the Book Club page.
Naked Girls Reading is exactly what it sounds like: nude women reading literary works to an audience at Studio L'Amour. Of course, it's not for everyone, but if it's for you, you might even considering entering the "So You Wanna Be a Naked Girl" contest at this month's event, happening Friday. (NSFW, obviously.)
For only the second time in 120 years, London-based Granta Magazine is devoting an entire issue to a single city: Chicago. And we're reaping the benefits, including a literary-star-studded kick-off September 14 hosted by Chicago Public Radio's Steve Edwards and featuring local authors Audrey Niffenegger (The Time Traveler's Wife) and Aleksandar Hemon (The Lazarus Project). The issue features 26 other locals; check Slowdown for more details.
Disney may have acquired Marvel, but superheroes and anti-heroes will still be out in full force in a few weeks at the Windy City Comicon, a growing and lively comic convention featuring a diverse array of local talent.
Another month, another book for the Gapers Block Book Club. For September, we will be reading The Echo Maker by Richard Powers, the National Book Award-winning novel about the fragility and resiliency of the human mind. Read the introduction on the book club blog, and then join us at The Book Cellar on Monday, September 14, to talk about the book. See Slowdown for details.
Are you fascinated by the music scene in Chicago during the 90's? Would you like to read a book written by James VanOsdol, former host of Q101's The Local Music Showcase? Well, thanks to KickStarter.com you can make that book a reality by pledging money to fund this DIY venture. He's $12,000 from his goal so help him write on, Chicago!
Rest in peace, John Dickson. Some examples of his work.
Nami Mun's debut novel, Miles from Nowhere, about a teenage runaway, is becoming wildly successful. In my opinion, that success is fully deserved. Find out more about the book in the full review on the Book Club page.
You can now pre-order The Governor, "a proclamation that one man will not be silenced, that his side of the story must be heard and that the fight for American liberties and freedom must sometimes occur within its own borders," by Rod Blagojevich. Coming out September 8.
Former astronauts--and Louis Vuitton icons--Buzz Aldrin and Jim Lovell visit Northwestern tonight to discuss their journeys, while Aldrin signs copies of his new book, Magnificent Desolation: The Long Journey Home from the Moon. Or, you can also celebrate everything Apollo 11 at Adler Planetarium.
Local author and Funny Ha-Ha reading series host Claire Zulkey makes her novel debut with An Off Year, the story of a girl who's not sure that college is the right step for her. Find out more about this young adult read in the full review over on the Book Club page.
Well, not literally -- there are two Chicago book projects looking for funding on Kickstarter right now: a guide to Chicago greasy spoons and one about the Chicago rock scene in the '90s. Help out if you can.
August brings us to Jessica Abel's graphic novel La Perdida, the story of a young woman whose innocence and willingness to trust others lands her in trouble while she's trying to find something to connect her to her roots in Mexico. Read the intro on the Book Club page now, then join us on Monday, August 10, at the Book Cellar to discuss it in person. New members are always welcome.
As noted in Book Club awhile back, two local college students have landed an unusual book deal: Twitterature, out this fall from Penguin Classics, will translate classic literature into 20 tweets or less. That's 2,800 characters -- or about the length of the left-hand column on GB. Of course, for some, even that's too long.
The Architects' Journal ranks Chris Ware's Chicago second in its list of Top 10 comic book cities. Go vote in their poll -- we're currently tied with a few other inked metropolises. (Thanks, Twitterer and fellow comic book aficionado DovBee!)
The Gapers Block Book Club is meeting this Monday, July 13, to talk about Every Crooked Pot by Renee Rosen. Every Crooked Pot is a sweet coming-of-age story about Nina Goldman, a young woman who was born with a disfiguring birthmark over one eye. She tries just about anything to fit in while growing up before finally finding self-acceptance. You can read the discussion questions on the blog, and find complete details about the meeting in Slowdown.
Face it, there's only so much time you should spend this summer watching roadies switch out cables. Next time you're heading out to a show, take along one of these fine books about music recommended by Transmission staff.
If the prospect of meeting Cory Doctorow isn't exciting enough for you, how about meeting everyone's favorite media critic (and BBQ fan) Nathan Rabin? The head writer for the AV Club will be at the Barnes & Noble at Webster Place tonight at 7:30pm to discuss his new book The Big Rewind.
Punk Planet founder Dan Sinker is launching Cell Stories soon, and is looking for submissions. Learn more in this week's Hot Type.
The Great Books Foundation is publishing a Centennial reprinting of the Plan of Chicago. If you want more details, here's their press release.
A former University of Chicago grad student gives a New Yorker magazine book section shout-out to two new publications from some of her fellow alumni from the school "where fun comes to die."
Our own Jim Allenspach created a series of fake covers for the popular 33 1/3 book series, exploring some of the worst possible album/author combinations. His set hass started making the rounds on blogs and spawned at least one imitator -- and now has inspired the publisher to run a contest for humorous covers.
When carving a name in stone, it's a good idea to double-check the spelling. [via]
Alinea's Grant Achatz has sold the proposal for Life, On The Line, written by himself and partner Nick Kokonas, to Gotham Books.
I was surprised to find Aleksandar Hemon's new story collection, Love and Obstacles, quite enjoyable. Find out why in my full review over on the Book Club page.
Chicago Rocked! 1990-1999 is the working title of an - as yet unpublished - book by former Q101 radio show host, James VanOsdol. The book chronicles the Chicago music scene in the 90's, as experienced by those who were at the core of it; and VanOsdol himself. He plans to independently publish the book and is currently seeking donations.
Amy Guth is on a mission: compile a list of the 100 Quintessential Chicago Books. Her first step was polling Printer's Row Lit Fest attendees for their favorite classic Chicago books, and she now wants your input and write-in's.
Author Arika Okrent's 10 favorite words from invented languages, as told to UChiBLOGo. [via]
Navigating the Printers Row Lit Fest is always a daunting task. Over on the Book Club page we've selected some Book Club selection authors as well as other notable local authors, sellers and organizations to help you narrow down your schedule.
Marc Kelly Smith, creator of the Poetry Slam, expresses some misgivings about the growing popularity of this art form.
Excited for the upcoming Dave Eggers/Vendela Vida film Away We Go? Visit the Book Club page to find out how you can go to a free screening next week.
Just a reminder from your friendly GB Book Club Editor that today we will have our first Book Swap & Drive with Open Books! Come see us at Black Rock and swap your books with others or donate your extras to help fund Open Books's literary initiatives. You can find the specifics in Slowdown.
The discussion questions for Nella Larsen's Passing are now up on the Book Club page. Join us next Monday, May 11, when we'll discuss the book in person at the Book Cellar at 7:30pm. New members are always welcome.
Did you know you can download audiobooks and videos from the Chicago Public Library's website? All you need is a library card and some software.
The wonderful and talented Joe Meno has a new book out - yay! You can check out my review of The Great Perhaps over on the Book Club page.
Jessa Crispin, the founder of Bookslut, is leaving the Chicago, headed for Berlin. Her longtime assistant, Caroline Eick, is taking over as managing editor; Crispin plans to resume posting on the blog once she's settled and, according to her, stops crying.
Got more books than you know what to do with? Ready to pick up some new reads? Sounds like a Book Swap and Book Drive is what you need. Good thing there's one coming up in May. Details on the Book Club page.
GigPosters.com is producing a book, which includes several local poster artists -- and if you preorder it, you could get a limited edition Jay Ryan art print free!
I bet you didn't know Lindsay Lohan wrote poetry? She does -- it just took Kevin Guilfoile to find it.
This month we take a look at what it means to be white, what it means to be black and how two women straddle the sometimes fine line that divides the two. You can read the intro to Nella Larsen's seminal work Passing on the Book Club page now, then join us on May 11 at the Book Cellar to discuss it in person. New members are always welcome.
Jill Gage, a research librarian at the Newberry Library, argues the reason Charles Dickens skipped Chicago during his six-month tour of the U.S. was he was afraid of the Trib. Also, did you know that his brother Augustus is buried is Graceland Cemetery?
Tonight is the GB Book Club's fourth anniversary! Hope to see some of you at the Book Cellar tonight.
The Schaumburg Township District Library now has a rule prohibiting intense smells, adding additional fuel to the controversial relationship between the homeless and libraries. The rule supposedly applies equally to those with too much perfume and those who need access to showers, but we'll see how that plays out...
The Reader publishes "Entrapment," a short story by Nelson Algren that will appear in Entrapment and Other Writings, a new collection of previously unpublished work.
Local author Porter Shreve's When the White House Was Ours is a semi-autobiographical look at a family who creates their own alternative school in Washington, D.C. in the 1970s. To find out more about it, check out the review over on the Book Club page.
Psst...would you like a case of free books for your school, organization, church or business? Visit the Book Club blog to find out how.
This month the Gapers Block Book Club is reading Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris, a debut novel that captures the highs and lows of the modern dysfunctional family--our co-workers. Although set during the dot-com bust of the turn of the century, the atmosphere of fear as characters try to avoid corporate layoffs at an unnamed Chicago ad agency has just as much relevance today. Read the complete introduction now at the Book Club blog.
What would Jane Addams have said about the Burnham Plan? That's the question asked in a forthcoming book timed to the 100th anniversary of the great plan for our city.
Chef Didier Durand has announced plans to open a foie gras museum in his restaurant, Cyrano's Bistrot. Meanwhile, Mark Caro's Foie Gras Wars is selling like, um, foie gras.
Sandra Cisneros may be the author of the latest One Book, One Chicago selection, but that doesn't mean she likes Chicago.
Graphic novelists Chris Ware and Marjane Satrapi discuss the art of storytelling and capturing the texture of life on paper.
The Book Club continues next Monday, March 16, with our discussion of John McNally's The Book of Ralph, a somewhat comedy, somewhat coming-of-age story about two very mismatched friends. You can check out the discussion questions on the Book Club page now, then join us at the Book Cellar to discuss it in person. New members are always welcome to join.
It hasn't been easy, but formerly Chicago-based independent cartoonist, teacher, and wind energy protester Lynda Barry has risen through a troubled childhood and rocky adulthood to become a creative legend.
GB flickr pool contributer Joseph Voves took a photo of dozens of his books and labeled them all for our enjoyment.
The Sun-Times' Lynn Sweet reports that former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich will be writing "The Governor" for Phoenix Books. Gov. Rod "will write about his journey that led up to the twice-elected governor and former congressman being ousted from office." The book is scheduled to be released this October, just in time to make an excellent present for your favorite winter holiday.
Borders still hasn't made any progress subleasing its four troubled stores, but it is planning to close its Magnificent Mile location at the beginning of next year.
Writer Jeff Kelly Lowenstein is posting a black history book a day throughout February.
This month the GB Book Club will read John McNally's The Book of Ralph, a coming of age story about a mismatched pair of fifth graders, one wreaking havoc through the streets of Chicago and the other taking it all in while constantly questioning their friendship. You can read the introduction over on the Book Club page now, then join us on March 16 at the Book Cellar to discuss it in person. New members are always welcome to join us.
Next week we'll meet to discuss Norman Maclean's A River Runs Through It, and I'm looking forward to seeing how everyone feels about the differences between the movie and the book. Check out all of the discussion questions on the Book Club page now and join us with your thoughts on February 9 at the Book Cellar.
Sam Munson's debut novel, The November Criminals, was written originally for the University of Chicago admissions office as a response to an essay question. Publishing rights for the book reportedly sold at auction for close to $100,000.
We've been asking for poetry for Blagojevich to read at his next press conference over in Fuel. "Gov Blago Shakespeare" points us to his own fine collection.
I recently had the delight of interviewing James Kennedy, author of The Order of Odd-Fish, and I got to ask him all the questions I was wondering while reading the book--where the story came from, how he feels about Harry Potter and the literary nature of the battle between good and evil. You can read the interview over on the Book Club page, and don't forget that you can see Kennedy himself tonight at the Book Cellar.
The Obama inauguration poem gets critiqued by people who should know...the fans and members of The Poetry Foundation based here in Chicago. Judging from the comments section, not everyone was enthralled by the piece.
For February, we'll take a look at the book that inspired a renewed interest in fly-fishing, written by a University of Chicago professor who made his fiction debut in his 70's. You can read the introduction to A River Runs Through It on the Book Club page now, then join us on February 9 when we'll discuss it in person at the Book Cellar. New members are always welcome to join.
Check their Website for details. That could actually be a very cool book club.
If you haven't explored Google Book Search, you owe it to yourself to find the time. Lynn Becker has an excellent starting point for you. [via]
Moleskine released a "city notebook" for Chicago last year, with maps and other useful info printed right onto its hipster-friendly pages. There's also a blog to go with it.
You can now check out the questions we'll use during our discussion of A Raisin in the Sun over on the Book Club page. Join us next Monday at the Book Cellar to take part in the discussion - new members are always welcome.
Angel at the Fence, the forthcoming memoir stemming from an account of a teenaged prisoner at a Nazi concentration camp who was kept alive by food tossed to him through a barbed wire fence by a young girl whom he would later marry, has been cancelled by its publisher after the author's agent revealed that the story was a hoax. Oprah has deemed Herman Rosenblat's account to be "the single greatest love story...we've ever told on the air" and has had Rosenblat on her show twice. Rosenblat is hoping for a third visit so that he can explain why he lied.
Add one more to the list of things to look forward to in the spring. The Museum of Science and Industry scored a coup of sorts last week, beating out institutions around the world for the chance to premier "Harry Potter: The Exhibition" next April. Tickets already available online.
I don't think I can possibly tell you how great The Order of Odd-Fish is, but I sure as heck try in my review over on the Book Club page. This debut young-adult novel by local author James Kennedy is honestly one of the best things I've read all year.
At the Gapers Block Book Club, we wholeheartedly agree that books make great gifts. You can find lots of fine gift choices on this week's round-up of notable nonfiction books about Chicago published in the past year. And, if you missed last week's fiction round-up, read it here.
Following an agreement from all parties, the Republic Windows & Doors workers have ended their sit-in.
This year has brought us a wonderfully wide variety of new fiction publications. Head on over to the Book Club page to read about a few of them in our 2008 Chicago Fiction in Review.
Literacy non-profit organization Open Books is holding a holiday auction offering dozens of unique items for you to bid on. The proceeds from the auction benefit Open Books' many efforts to improve literacy in Chicago, so when you purchase something here, your gift goes much further than you can see. Bidding runs through December 12.
WBEZ's Studs Terkel archive keeps growing, this time with an hour-long discussion with Terkel and Dybek from the 2006 StoryWeek Festival of Writers.
Make sure you return that copy of Twilight you borrowed on time: the Chicago Public Library is doubling its late fee to 20 cents per book per day.
Lorraine Hansberry's ground-breaking play A Raisin in the Sun is our January selection for the Book Club. You can read the introduction now, then join us on January 12 at the Book Cellar to discuss it in person. New members are always welcome.
Slumbering in the U of C's Regenstein Library were nine volumes of The Chicagoan. The U of C Press wants you to know how grand it was. The covers, illustrations and images are particularly worth revisiting.
"The city stands there, in all its legendary green-rivered, fire-prone glory, and that once every 100 years, when it rises out of Lake Michigan, you can visit it." Decider discusses Chicago mythology with John Hodgman, author of the book The Areas of My Expertise.
GB Transmission contributer Jason Behrends lends us his talents over at the Book Club page for an interview with Neal Pollack. Come learn more about how fatherhood has influenced Pollack's writings and how we compare to readers in L.A.
Crime novelist and lawyer Laura Caldwell was mugged while jogging in Lincoln Park last week. Her latest novel, coming out soon, just happens to feature a nearly identical scene, set in Old Town.
Nate Silver, founder of FiveThirtyEight.com (and U of C alum - go Maroons!), has reportedly signed a two-book deal with Penguin Group USA. One book will cover "the art of prediction", while the second will "be a Freakonomics-style guide to the mechanics of electoral politics."
From "50 Things You Might Not Know About The President Elect": he collects Spider-Man and Conan the Barbarian comics. I think his motto leans more towards "With great power comes great responsibility." than "By Crom...free my hands and I'll varnish this floor with your brains."
Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine is the second novel from local author Ben Tanzer. Read our review of this pop-culture-infused story of flailing relationships over at the Book Club page.
Tonight at 7pm, FoGB Anne Elizabeth Moore will be reading new work about "life among the cute and the Cambodian," based on her recent travels to the country, at The Parlor, a reading series sponsored by Bad At Sports Podcast and hosted by The Green Lantern, 1511 N. Milwaukee Ave, 2nd Floor.
The Gapers Block Book Club is ready for another year of reading as we release our 2009 book club reading list. We have another great mix of classics, new titles, award winners, bestsellers and lesser-known works — all written by local authors. So check it out, and don't forget to join us this Monday, November 10, for our last meeting of 2008 as the Book Club gets together to talk about Sin in the Second City by Karen Abbott. Details in Slowdown.
Chicago-born author Michael Crichton died today. Author of books such as Jurassic Park and The Andromeda Strain, his official site seems to be down, but here's his IMDB and Wikipedia page for easy browsing. He was 66 years old.
Joyland is a new site dedicated to the collection of short -- sometimes really short -- fiction. The site is organized by city, featuring stories by authors who live or have lived there. They've just opened up a Chicago branch, edited by local blogger Levi Stahl. The first piece is Insult, by Chicago writer, artist and musician Joseph Clayton Mills.
Hey, thinking about participating in National Novel Writing Month? You still have a couple days to prepare, and the GB Book Club has some local ways to get involved or gain local support.
Head over to the Book Club page to read Part 2 of Alissa Strother's interview with Scottish writer Irvine Welsh. Part 1 can be found here.
UIC News recently profiled reference librarian Lynn Westney, author of the ever-popular article "Dew Drop Inn and Lettuce Entertain You: Onomastic Sobriquets in the Food and Beverage Industry."
There's a "new" book in the window at the wonderful Prairie Avenue Bookshop downtown: a reprint of a book on the Fine Arts Building. See what else is new here.
GB Staffer Alissa Strother has a very thought-provoking conversation with Irvine Welsh over on the Book Club page. Check out part one now and then come back next week for the second half of Alissa's interview with the Scottish author and former Columbia College faculty member.
As we start on our last selection of the year, we want to know what you want to read next. Check out our past selections on the Book Club page and then email us your Chicago-related suggestions at bookclub[at]gapersblock[dot]com.
The Sun-Times profiled daddyblogger Matthew Miller of Maybe Baby this weekend. Miller has a book coming out based on the blog.
The discussion questions for Ayun Halliday's Dirty Sugar Cookies are now up on the Book Club page. Take a look at them now and then join us as we discuss the book at the Book Cellar on Monday, October 13.
On his latest book tour, author Neil Gaiman is reading a chapter from The Graveyard Book at each stop, and recording it. He read chapter three at Anderson's Bookshop in Downers Grove on Friday.
Open Books is a non-profit literacy center and volunteer organization planning to open a bookstore next year. Help them out Oct. 26 with a donation to the Great American Book Drive.
Transmission contributor Jason Behrends takes a literary detour for an interview with author Stephanie Kuehnert (I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone). Head on over to the Book Club page to check it out.
Head on over to the Book Club page to find out how you can get a special discount on the Chicago Shakespeare Theater's latest production, available to GB readers only.
Has Roger Ebert's site been hacked or is he really trumpeting Creationism? I'm going with hacked. Yep.
Windy City Story Slam, pet project of local writer Bill Hillmann, is looking for 5-10 minute story submissions for their next event on October 4. What makes this event extra special? October competitors will share the stage with special guest and world-famous author, Irvine Welsh (Trainspotting, Filth, Crime, etc.)
Whether you're a fan of poetry, readings, or a writer and performer yourself, you'll be glad to know that The Poetry Center of Chicago has a new online resource for local literary types. The Chicago Scene is a just launched online listing of poetry readings and events going on around town. Even better, you can promote your own events by shooting them an email.
Check out all of the local events happening over the next few months in honor of the 50th anniversary of Jack Kerouac's iconic masterpiece, On the Road. Among them, a new exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Photography and, of course, the book's original manuscript making a stop at the Columbia Book & Paper Center from October 3 through November 30.
Writer David Foster Wallace, author of Infinite Jest and Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, committed suicide Friday evening at his home in California. Wallace, 46, whose parents were professors at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Parkland College, was also a 1997 MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant recipient and a former faculty member at Illinois State University.
This month we turn to lighter fare with the food memoir Dirty Sugar Cookies by Ayun Halliday. The book is an autobiographical account of a picky young eater turned brave food adventuress and comes complete with recipes you can try. You can read the introduction on the Book Club page now, then join us on October 13 when we'll discuss it in person at the Book Cellar. New members are always welcome to join the discussion.
The Reader has a great excerpt from a book by Tim Reid and Tom Dreesen about their experiences as the first black-and-white stand-up team.
Shameless self-promotion: I interviewed rock and roll wrestler Bob Calhoun (aka Count Dante) about his new book Beer, Blood, and Cornmeal: Seven Years of Incredibly Strange Wrestling and did a little write-up for the Reader. Bob will be reading from BB&C at Quimby's tomorrow night.
Head on over to the Book Club page where you can now look over the questions we'll use to discuss Richard Wright's Native Son. We'll meet at the Book Cellar on Monday, September 8, to discuss it in person. Whether you've been participating for months or this will be your first time, we welcome everyone who wants to join us.
As Alice notes in the Book Club blog, The Guardian is serializing a new illustrated book by Audrey Niffenegger.
Transitions, a new-age bookstore that was in dire straits in 2006, closed over the weekend, possibly for good.
For September we're reading one of Chicago's classics: Native Son by Richard Wright. Not only was the book an immediate best-seller when it was published, but it also made Wright the wealthiest black writer of his time. You can read the introduction to the book on the Book Club page now and then join us on Monday, September 8th, when we discuss it in person at the Book Cellar. New members are always welcome.
Nick Osborn, the creator of the Square America vernacular photography blog, has a new book coming out next week. If you pre-order Who We Were: A Snapshot History of America by today, he'll throw a free DVD in with the book.
We're getting ready to discuss our August selection - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - over on the Book Club page and you can now get a headstart on the questions that we'll ask. See you on Monday the 11th at the Book Cellar for our discussion of this children's classic. New members are always welcome.
Palatine native and science fiction legend Frederik Pohl collaborated with fellow sci-fi grand old man Arthur C. Clarke (2001: A Space Odyssey) on a book called The Last Theorem. Written by e-mail, Clarke finished reviewing the final draft only days before he died on March 19. The book will be released August 5.
This month we take it back to the turn of the 20th century with one of the most beloved children's classics - L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It's a nice relaxing and fun read that's perfect for these languid summer days. You can read the introduction on the Book Club page now and then join us on Monday, August 11, when we discuss it in person at the Book Cellar. New members are always welcome
The Chicago Examiner introduces us to a new anthology of modern superhero stories, which gets a big boost from Chicago writers.
Here's a good place to start. The Beginning Fiction class begins Sept. 9.
Looking for a book to take on vacation with you? Is Greater Than has a good roundup of lists from local authors, publishers and booksellers — and there's always Field Tested Books from our friends at Coudal Partners.
There's a book signing next week for "Sweet Swinging" Billy Williams, a Cub legend. Read about it here.
Stepping firmly into the 21st Century, the Chicago Public Library has updated their website to allow patrons to renew and place holds on materials from the convenience of...anywhere.
Every year, NewCity publishes its Lit 50 list of the most influential people and organizations in Chicago's literary scene. This year, the Guild Complex offers an alternative list that's less book oriented. [via]
The Gapers Block Book Club is reading Free Burning by Bayo Ojikutu for July. This dark novel tells the story of Tommie Simms, who loses his job at a downtown insurance firm after 9/11 and turns to selling drugs to make ends meet. Free Burning chronicles his swift descent and profiles a neighborhood ravaged by poverty, gangs and drugs, where everyone is a hustler. Read the book, and then join on on Monday, July 14 at The Book Cellar beginning at 7:30pm for our discussion. New members are always welcome.
The GB Book Club has some suggestions for books for dad for this Father's Day.
Evanston-based science-fiction writer, editor, and teacher Algis Budrys passed away on Monday. The author of such books as Rogue Moon and Who?, Budrys wasn't a household name, but his friendship with and encouragement, critique, and mentoring of numerous sci-fi writers—many of whom have written deeply appreciative eulogies to the man—is perhaps his greatest legacy.
The 2008 edition of Field Tested Books has launched, telling the stories behind where a particular book was read by an assortment of writers, designers and others -- GB Transmission editor Anne Holub and yours truly among them. New this year is a printed book collecting the best from all three editions and a sweet poster from Spike Press.
A round-up of advance press for Neil Steinberg's new book Drunkard: A Hard-Drinking Life, courtesy of So-Called "Austin Mayor". If you've been reading GB for a while you probably have a good idea of what this new book covers.
Comic book writer Warren Ellis announced that he'll attend the WizardWorld Chicago comics convention at the end of the month, and shared some amusing comments on Rosemont, smoking, and shaking hands.
The Printers Row Book Fair is like Christmas in June for the GB Book Club. This year's fair is scheduled to include the participation of more than 200 authors and 150 booksellers, publishers and more, and its all free to attend. Once again we've put together a guide to highlight the best of the fair, including all the authors of current and past Book Club selections making appearances. Read the guide on the Book Club blog now.
The latest issue of local literary mag Please Don't is up, casting its gaze on TV and music, and featuring new short fiction by Susannah Felts.
Just in time for the Printers Row Book Fair, NewCity publishes its Lit 50 list.
The discussion questions for this month's Book Club selection, Naked by David Sedaris, are now up on the Book Club page. Take a look at them and then join us on Monday, June 9, at the Book Cellar to discuss. Hope to see you there!
David Sedaris, author of the GB Book Club's June selection, is coming to Barbara's Bookstore at UIC on June 12 to discuss and sign his latest collection of essays, When You are Engulfed in Flames, which comes out today. If you want to attend the discussion, you'll need a ticket -- learn how here -- but anyone can get in line for the signing.
This month the GB Book Club takes a turn for the witty with the much acclaimed Naked by David Sedaris. Get to know the author as a nervous young boy, a disaffected youth, and an even more nervous adult in his collection of personal essays that are part memoir and part true comedy. You can read the introduction on the Book Club page now. We'll meet on Monday, June 9, at the Book Cellar to discuss the book -- new members are always welcome.
Author and radio host Studs Terkel, the quintessential Chicagoan, turns 96 today. WFMT-FM (98.7), which hosted Terkel's interview show from 1952 to 1997, will feature special programming dedicated to the author of Working, The Good War and Division Street all day long.
A recent episode about Pulp Fiction from the Wisconsin-based show "To The Best Of Our Knowledge" has two great Chicago stories to share: a brief interview with Studs Terkel discussing Nelson Algren, along with a longer interview with Chris Ware about the history of comics. (Real Audio to listen, though they have a podcast too.)
Cory Doctorow, one of the forces behind the delightful Boing-Boing blog and prolific sci-fi author, is coming the Chicago Public Library to speak. And as we've noted in Slowdown, he's also stopping in at a Barnes & Noble while in town.
Boing Boing's Cory Doctorow is coming to town next week to kick off a tour in support of his latest book, Little Brother.
Tomorrow is Free Comic Book Day! Check the site for locations near you, or just take a look at Time Out's handy list.
The Windy City Pulp and Paper Convention starts today in Lombard. The Chicago area has an admirable pedigree in the story of pulp fiction, being the birthplace of writers like Edgar Rice Burroughs and magazines like Weird Tales. Gotta love those tawdry covers.
The GB Book Club is now reading The Grass Dancer by Susan Power for our May meeting. Find out more about the novel by checking out the introduction to the book on our blog. Then read The Grass Dancer and join us on Monday, May 19 at The Book Cellar for our discussion.
Anthropologist Jeremy Narby, author of The Cosmic Serpent, will speak at LUMA today as part of their spring exhibition, Manifest Destiny/Manifest Responsibility. BYOAyahuasca.
Congratulations to our very own GB Book Club, celebrating three years with tonight's meeting. Stop by if you can!
At least that's where I think Pam Anderson is living. Hat tip to Anne Elizabeth Moore for sending the link, and writing the book.
The discussion questions for the GB Book Club's April selection, Middlesex, are now posted over at the Book Club page. We look forward not only to discussing this rich epic with all of you, but also to celebrating three years of Book Club! Come enjoy treats with us and wish us a happy third anniversary on Monday, April 14, at the Book Cellar at 7:30pm.
Former Chicago aldermanic legend Dorothy Tillman resurfaced over the weekend at a speaking engagement in Gary, Ind. to promote her new book, Hang Onto Your Hats: A Pictorial Journey of Dorothy Wright Tillman. Yes, she was wearing a hat.
Head on over to the Book Club page for our review of Jami Attenberg's compelling second book, The Kept Man. Sure, it's a love story, but not the kind where the girl gets the guy and everything all works out in the end. Sometimes, that's just the kind of story you need.
The spring 2008 selection for One Book, One Chicago: Raymond Chandler's The Long Goodbye.
The GB Book Club's selection for April is the Pulitzer Prize winning Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. Join us as we delve into three generations of Stephanides family history that ends with Calliope, born a girl in 1960, and Cal, reborn a boy fourteen years later. It is a grand story of gender, identity and fate and what all of these mean for one person. Read the introduction on the Book Club page now and join us on April 14 for our discussion at the Book Cellar. New members are always welcome.
Looks like the Chicago Public Library redesigned their site. Searching is a lot easier than it used to be, and it does a better job of highlighting media that are not paper books.
The Morning News will soon hold its fourth annual Tournament of Books, and Coudal Partners has opened the betting window. Think you know which book will come out tops? Lay $10 on the line and you could win big -- plus, you'll be helping to buy books for children. Everybody wins!
Back in Chicago after serving time in Iraq, Jason Palmer finds himself embroiled in a different kind of war. In his homeland he encounters economic disparity, gang violence and an attempt at social justice that leaves his brother dead in the wake. Head on over to the Book Club page to read our review of Marcus Sakey's fast-paced second novel, At the City's Edge.
Wikitravel is now publishing travel guides that are updated every month, ensuring you're getting the latest info for your upcoming trip. And the project's first guidebook happens to be about Chicago.
The Gapers Block Book Club is reading Fire Sale by Sara Paretsky for our March meeting. Fire Sale is the twelfth novel in Paretsky's bestselling V.I. Warshawski mystery series, but also a great introduction to both the series and the character. For more information about the book, read the introduction on the Book Club blog. Then join us on Monday, March 10, at 7:30pm at The Book Cellar for our discussion.
Have you been reading The Enchanters Vs. Sprawlburg Springs along with us this month? If not, what are you waiting for? The February meeting of the Gapers Block Book Club is coming up this Monday, Feb. 11 at The Book Cellar, where we will be joined by Enchanters author Brian Costello. This promises to be a good time, so put your snow boots on and join us on Monday. The discussion begins at 7:30pm, and new members are always welcome.
In '06 and early '07, we featured excerpts from The Third Coast, a book about life by the Great Lakes by Ted McClelland. It's finally published, and we're celebrating tonight at the Hideout from 6 to 8:30pm. Ted will read excerpts from the book, and Marquette, MI, musician Sycamore Smith (featured in the book and in Detour) will perform. It's free!
For our February meeting, the Gapers Block Book Club is reading The Enchanters Vs. Sprawlburg Springs, the debut novel by Brian Costello. Enchanters charts the life and death of a rebel band that shakes up its Florida suburb over one frantic summer, changing everyone's lives forever. Read the introduction to The Enchanters Vs. Sprawlburg Springs on the Book Club blog, and join us on Monday, February 11 at The Book Cellar to talk about the book.
Open Books, Chicago's first nonprofit literacy bookstore, is moving to new headquarters, and it's put out the word for people to help them move 100,000+ books. They might have to make two trips. Full details at the Open Books Website.
The Short Story Reading Challenge is just beginning to hum over at this group blog. Post reviews and reading lists, share your favorite passages, get excited about bite-sized fiction.
This week the GB Book Club has its annual round-up of Chicago books published in the past year, including fiction by local authors and nonfiction books about our city. From mysteries to graphic novels, and from water tanks to horror movie TV shows, the list reveals another strong year for local talent.
As the Gapers Block Book Club heads into its fourth year, we have a full list of books to read in 2008, starting with our January selection, Never a City So Real by Alex Kotlowitz. Read the introduction to Never a City So Real on the Book Club blog now, then read the book and join us on Monday, January 14 at The Book Cellar at 7:30pm to talk about the book.
Sarah Paretsky left behind her famed Chicago detective V.I. Warshawski for the first time in the new Bleeding Kansas. According to the Sun-Times, she should have stayed in the city.
The NY Times draws attention to Marion Mahony Griffin, the first licensed female architect in Illinois and primary illustrator of Frank Lloyd Wright's Wasmuth Portfolio, among other achievements. Visit her 1,600 page memoir for more background.
Books make great gifts. Today the GB Book Club features a few local booksellers and publishers and tells you what they are recommending this holiday season in the book club's "Last Chance Gift Guide."
Minute No. 13 of Rachael Ray's 15 minutes of fame will be spent at the Borders on State and Randolph, where the ubiquitous Food Network cook will sign copies of her new book, "Just In Time" at noon tomorrow. Wristbands are required to attend and will be handed out beginning at 8 a.m.
Alan Weisman, author of The World Without Us
Please Don't, a new Chicago-based online literary journal, has released its first issue. Contributors include Jonathan Messinger and Patrick Somerville.
The NY Times Freakonomics blog has a fascinating interview with Karen Abbott, author of Sin in the Second City.
Watching the clock, but still have no plans for the evening? Columbia College is premiering its new reading series, Silver Tongue, tonight at The Court. Playwright Idris Goodwin (whom URChicago calls one of the most influential people in Chicago under the age of 30) will perform.
As if being a well-known musician and painter weren't enough, Sam Prekop, multi-tasking frontman for The Sea and Cake, will sign copies of his new book of photography this Saturday, Nov. 17, 7 p.m., at Quimby's. Prekop's paintings have been shown in New York City, Houston, Paris and Glasgow. Sam, one word: vacation.
The StoryCorps trailer travels the country as an oral history center on wheels, allowing everyday citizens to record stories from their own lives on tape. Now StoryCorps Founder David Isay has hand-picked some favorite tales and compiled them into a book. Hear him read and discuss at Women & Children First on Sunday, Nov. 18 or in Naperville on Monday, Nov. 19.
Not quite the expose on Santiago Calatrava (also known for his work on the Milwaukee Art Museum), but Creative Review, a design magazine based in the UK, showcases the design work of Third Eye Design who did the collateral for The Chicago Spire. Even if you don't like the Spire itself, the accompanying literature praises our fair city.
Get a leg up on our November 13 meeting by checking out the discussion questions for J.M. Coetzee's Disgrace beforehand. Post any responses you have in the comments section or join us next Monday at the Book Cellar where we'll meet in person to discuss this, in my opinion, phenomenal piece of writing.
We received your suggestions and counted the votes, and now we are ready to unveil the selections for the 2008 Gapers Block Book Club. Just for starters, next year the book club will be having a fire sale, visiting Sprawlburg Springs, getting naked with a contemporary humorist and going off to see the Wizard. Check out the full list at the GB Book Club blog.
If you're like me, you've got loads of books hanging around your shelves that you're just not too attached to any more. So tonight, grab up to 15 of them in your arms, and head to the Cubby Bear in Wrigleyville for the Chicago Reader's annual book swap. It's a free (21+) event from 5:30pm-9pm, and the first 300 folks through the door get some Reader swag to boot. No magazines, technical, medical or really distressed books.
Frank Warren, the man behind the PostSecret weblog and books, will be doing two book-signings in Chicago today in support of his new book, A Lifetime of Secrets. At 12:30pm he'll be at the DePaul University Bookstore, 1 E. Jackson, with a multimedia presentation. Then at 7:30pm, he'll be at the UIC location of Barbara's Bookstore, 1218 S. Halsted.
J.M. Coetzee, author of our November selection Disgrace, is well known for his literary explorations of social relations in post-apartheid South Africa. To help you better understand the politics and social unrest driving the novel's plot, and to save yourself some research time, check out the brief history of apartheid over at the Book Club page.
In celebration of Tuesday's release of Peter Sagal's The Book of Vice, Chicago Magazine has a profile of the author and public radio persona that includes an inside look at the production of "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me."
We're at the end of our 2007 Book Club picks and we're still in the process of selecting what we'd like to read for next year. That means that this is the perfect time for you to tell us what you want to read. Send us your book club requests and recommendations at bookclub[at]gapersblock[dot]com. The only requirement is that the books be somehow related to Chicago.
The GB Book Club's November selection--the last one of the year--is Disgrace by Booker Prize winning, Nobel Prize winning author J.M. Coetzee. Though Coetzee is most known for his contributions to South African literature, he has also served as a professor on the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago, and that suits our purposes just fine. You can read the introduction to this prize-winning book now and join us at the Book Cellar on November 12 to participate in the discussion.
That Chicago produces great writers is of no question, but great books about our fair city written by hometown boys and girls are rare gems. Chicago magazine went to the experts to put together a list of great books about Chicago, most of which were authored by insiders.
Have you recently tested your nude IQ? On Oct. 11, Chicago smut slinger Mr. Skin [NSFW] will be speaking at the Barbara's Bookstore at UIC and hosting a gameshow testing your knowledge of exposed celebrity naughtiness.
There are a couple of things to note over at the Book Club page. First, the discussion questions for Barack Obama's Dreams from My Father are up and you can either start posting your answers in the comments now or wait until we meet to discuss the book on October 8. Second, we've got a review of the new local mystery/crime/noir anthology, Chicago Blues, which features the authors who work on The Outfit Collective, among others. If the book sounds interesting to you, come out to Buddy Guy's Legends next Friday to celebrate it's release and chat with the contributors.
Chicago Public Radio's "Hello Beautiful" interviews lawyer, author and MacArthur Grant recipient Stuart Dybek on this weekend's show; last week they talked with Patrick Welch, founder of the "micromentalist" art movement (whom we profiled earlier this year).
There's been buzz a-plenty over featherproof Books publisher/Time Out Chicago editor Jonathan Messinger's first book of short stories, titled Hiding Out. Head on over to the Book Club page to read a review of this little literary gem and, if you're free, make a trip to the Hideout tonight to help Messinger and friends celebrate its release.
The MacArthur Foundation just released the names of its 2007 Fellows, and Stuart Dybek earned the award (along with its $500,000). If you've never checked out the program's details, you may want to check out the FAQ.
Robert Cormier's The Chocolate War (number four on the ALA's most frequently challenged books list) has once again raised parental hackles. This time at John H. Kinzie Elementary School in Garfield Ridge. The irony of demanding the banning of a book that decries mindless conformity has, of course, been entirely missed by those wishing to protect the little ones from masturbation references and swear words. And hey! It's just in time for Banned Books Week!
If you've ever considered joining a book club, but wanted to know more about proper etiquette (Do you have to read the whole book? Who decides what to read?), the Sun-Times offers the first in a three-part series to help you out. Among those interviewed are the vice president of the Great Books Foundation and our own Book Club co-moderator, Alice Maggio. Parts two and three to be published on Wednesday and Sunday. (And don't forget, new members to the GB Book Club are always welcome.)
A footnote in Del Close's biography, Wasteland was an anthology of short comics written by Close and fellow actor (now comics writer) John Ostrander in the late '80s. Here's a sample story, a parody of both Harvey Pekar's popular American Splendor and R. Crumb's drawing style. (This thread on a comics forum includes a great anecdote about Close supposedly undergoing tests for the US space program.)
You can catch a glimpse of Bill Clinton (former President, and prospective First Husband) at the Michigan Avenue Borders today at 11:30 a.m. as he signs copies of his new book "Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World".
Whether you want to get a leg up on next week's discussion or you're just interested in following along at home, be sure to check out our discussion questions for Ana Castillo's Peel My Love Like an Onion, posted at the Book Club page. Enter your thoughts in the comments or let us know how you feel at the September 10 meeting.
The latest title in the city's "One Book, One Chicago" program was announced today: Arthur Miller's "The Crucible".
The annual conference of the Association of Literary Critics and Scholars is scheduled to take place in downtown Chicago this October. There will be readings, seminars, panels (including one called "The Culture of Cities: Revising the Chicago Story") and a keynote address by James Wood. Email ALSC about volunteer opportunities if you'd like in on the action for free.
The new U.S. Poet Laureate, Charles Simic, may currently live in New Hampshire, but he has strong Chicago roots. Amongst other connections, he spent "the most important year" of his life in Oak Park.
Movie trailer watchers and late night WBEZ listeners familiar with Ken Nordine may want to check out his website Word Jazz, which includes a blog with unusual poems starting with "Maybe the moment" and a podcast of his late night stylings.
It's been a hot, steamy summer and what better way to cap it off than read a story with a romance to match? Flamenco dancing, love triangles, betrayal and loss abound in Ana Castillo's Peel My Love Like an Onion, the September selection for the GB Book Club. Read the introduction here, then come join us on September 10 at the Book Cellar to discuss it. New members are always free to come by.
Charles Simic, the 15th Poet Laureate of the United States, started writing poetry "to impress girls" and was first published in the Chicago Review.
Chicago Republican Tom Roser announces the launch of Chicago Observer, "a 5-day-a-week commentary from the center-right-with enough Democratic and liberal opinion to give it an edge".
Dictionary editor and local blogger Erin McKean was the guest columnist for William Safire's "On Language" column in the NYTimes last weekend.
An enterprising Downers Grove teenager devised a solution to avoid hearing Harry Potter spoilers.
Tim Gunn, fabulous style mentor for Bravo TV's "Project Runway" has written a book called Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste, and Style. And he'll be coming to Chicago to sign that book at three different locations on New Year's Eve Day. I wonder where he'll be at midnight.
Nerve.com has a neat interview with Karen Abbot, author of Sin in the Second City, about the famed Everleigh Club. (Thanks, Matt!) Medill News Service offers up a record of another recent interview.
The aforementioned Printers' Ball was raided by the police last night. Reasons were not immediately clear. (More at Chicagoist.)
Not that we need more than books, but literary and non-literary types will get into The Printers' Ball tonight. In addition to an assortment of print materials and people, some swell performers and other activities will be going down. Personally, I'm hoping for a performance of "Waiting Room" (mp3). Details in Slowdown.
No, Butterbeer isn't some craze from Wisconsin, it's the beer from the book series that revolves around a scarred teenager named Harry. But, if you are a fan and wonder what in the world you're going to do after you rush to Women and Children First to pick up the copy of the book you've already paid for, then wonder no longer. This Friday, Andersonville is Potter-friendly with drink and eats specials at area businesses (if you know the passwords), there will be fan fiction readings at The NeoFuturariam, roving Ministry of Magic reps, and even a scavenger hunt.
Shameless self-promotion: I wrote a piece about Karen Abbott's new book Sin in the Second City and the infamous Everleigh Club for this week's Reader, which was slimmed down from a longer version (available here, in case you have some time to kill).
The Gapers Block Book Club is reading Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, an old-fashioned love story and captivating page-turner about an old man remembering the time he spent working with a circus in Depression-era America. Visit the book club blog and read our short introduction to the novel. Then join us on Monday, August 13, at 7:30pm at The Book Cellar to talk about the book. New faces and new voices are always welcome.
Following the lead of Gapers Block (or possibly Oprah), Barack Obama is starting a book club. Alas, it's in New Hampshire, so rid your head of the idea that you'll be hanging out on a coffeehouse sofa talking literature with the senator. The first book? Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama.
Karen Abbott's new book, Sin in the Second City comes out today. Delve into the lusty dealings of Chicago's most notorious turn of the century house of ill repute, the Everleigh Club, which sat at the center of the stormy battle between the reform movement and the denizens of Chicago's infamous Levee district.
Green Lantern is hosting a book launch/video screening/reading tonight from 7pm to 9pm at 1511 N Milwaukee, 2nd flr. Josh MacPhee will discuss his new book, Realizing the Impossible: Art Against Authority, our own Anne Elizabeth Moore will do a short reading and discuss the demise of Punk Planet, and Dara Greenwald will present her rotating collection of short videos that make you laugh and cry. It's free; BYOB.
And in more Ware news ... we'd forgotten how cool the Chris Ware-drawn cover of Voltaire's Candide from Penguin Classics truly is.
Punk Planet is ceasing publication. The 13-year-old independent magazine has fallen victim to the same distributor bankruptcy issues (though a different distributor) as McSweeney's, and find themselves with no option but to close down. PunkPlanet.com and the book publishing unit will continue on, but PP #80 will be the last.
Chris Nieratko is one of those guys who most people view with a mix of disgust and awe. He's worked with the "Jackass" folks, written for such publications as the skateboarding mag Big Brother, Vice, and Hustler, and now he's published his bizarro collection in his new book, Skinema. Get your copy signed June 26 at Quimby's.
Google and the Midwest-based Committee on Institutional Cooperation announced an agreement to digitize up to ten million volumes from member universities. Local member schools include the University of Chicago, Northwestern and UIC.
The Printers Row Book Fair is upon us once again, spreading out around Dearborn and Polk this Saturday and Sunday for some great new and used book buys in addition to wonderful author events. Over at the Book Club page we've put together a little guide to help you get through this year's fair. Whether you've been keeping up with our selections or are simply overwhemled by the jam-packed literary schedule, we hope the guide will help you decide how to spend your time. Enjoy the fair -- you'll definitely see us there.
The latest addition to Oprah's Book Club is Middlesex, by Chicago author Jeffrey Eugenides. More here.
Looking for something new to read? Well, new to you, anyway? The Reader Book Swap is tonight at Nick's Uptown. Details in Slowdown.
Bloomberg's recent review of Johan Van Overtveldt's book about the University of Chicago Department of Economics has one heck of a headline, alongside some interesting information about the department. If you like what you see, you may want to catch his upcoming speech.
Today is the 95th birthday of Chicago author, broadcaster, and historian Studs Terkel. WFMT has even arranged it so you can leave the man many happy returns of the day.
We're going sci-fi classic over at the Book Club this month, picking up one of the most widely known books in the genre. If you've seen Blade Runner then you already know what the story's about -- after all, this is the book on which it was based. I'm a big sci-fi fan myself, so I'm very excited to offer you the introduction to our June selection: Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. I hope to see you all at the meeting next month.
City bookworms have another web destination in Literago, which intends to serve as "a portal to news and information about literary goings-on in and around Chicago."
A Danish Art organization recently published a catalog of activist art projects that happened in Chicago between 2000-05 called "Trashing The Neoliberal City." The projects span from the 2001 Department of Space and Land Reclamation to the 2004 ASK ME!, the Pilot TV efforts of 2004 and the 2005 CHAos hoax on the Chicago Housing Authority. Download the free PDF here or check the event details for tonight's release party at Mess Hall as part of Version 07 on Slowdown.
Women & Children First has been a fixture in Chicago's literary and independent business community for almost 30 years, but that could change very soon without your help. We've been tracking the stories on the GB Book Club blog.
Yesterday, All Things Considered ran Edward Lifson's fine examination of the architectural preservation photography book Richard Nickel's Chicago. Bonus: the song that plays at the end of the piece is from the Rachel's album Music for Egon Schiele, which was composed for a Chicago theater production.
Novelist, essayist, playwright, artist, activist, and, yes, City News Bureau of Chicago reporter, In These Times contributor and University of Chicago graduate, Kurt Vonnegut, has died. "So it goes."
Don't let the fact that Oprah picked one of Elizabeth Berg's many pieces for her cult-like book club scare you. The Year of Pleasures is actually quite good and you'd be doing yourself a disservice to judge it beforehand. For a little taste, head over to the Book Club page for an introduction to our next selection, then join us at the Book Cellar on May 14 to discuss this story of woman's promise to the husband she lost.
Don't forget -- tonight is the GB Book Club meeting where we'll discuss A Chicago Tavern, a history of the famous Billy Goat. All of our meetings are special, but tonight's will be even moreso as author Rick Kogan joins us for what will surely be a lively and enlightening discussion. 7:30pm at the Book Cellar, 4736 N. Lincoln Ave. Hope to see you there!
From the establishment of the Hull House Theater to the World's Columbian Exposition, the Sun Times lists their take on "The 50 Greatest Chicago Moments."
It's been a rough few years for Chicago's Chagall fans. His beautiful America Windows has been off exhibit at the Art Institute because of construction on the museum's new wing (and won't be back till 2009). And in 2005 one of his paintings was sold to a private collector. However, we still have the Four Seasons, and there's a new biography. Its author, Jonathan Wilson, is discussing it tonight up in Evanston. Slowdown has you covered, or visit the Nextbook website to buy tickets.
Someone smart at the Tribune asked its arts and architecture critics what prompted them to reevaluate artists in their disciplines. Some second looks include the Trap Door Theatre, William McDonough and Walker Evans.
Alderman Edward M. Burke and co-writer Thomas J. O'Gorman are set to publish End of Watch: Chicago Police Killed in the Line of Duty 1853-2006 tomorrow. The book "examines the remarkable sacrifice of 526 sworn officers of the Chicago Police Department". Tons of chilling, detailed excerpts over at the Sun-Times, from 1919 through the 70s.
You're probably overwhelmed by articles about Barack Obama by now, but if you're still interested in learning about his local roots, you may want to check out the Hyde Park Herald's special Obama issue. The entire 24-page issue is Obama-centric, including a lengthy article about his wife, Michelle.
Several local artists contributed illustrations to the new book, Beasts!, and many of them will be at a release party/book signing at Quimby's this Friday. Read Kara Luger's preview and interview with Madison, Wisconsin's Little Friends of Printmaking over in the Book Club.
A good independent bookstore is difficult to find, especially when you're trying to shave some bucks off your literary expenditure sheet. This week the GB Book Club page introduces you to a nice little store, settled right in the middle of Lakeview, that offers not only the latest publications, but also a good number of discounted reads. Click on over the Book Club to learn more about Unabridged.
It's 1961 and the communists have overthrown the government of the United States of America. Prepare yourself for the U.S.S.A.! What is the communists' first step? Move the government to Merchandise Mart! As J. Edgar Hoover says, read this comic now in order to "help us recognize and detect communists as they attempt to infiltrate the various segments of our society."
This week the Gapers Block Book Club has a review of Big City, Bad Blood, the debut novel by local writer Sean Chercover. The title may say "bad," but this fast-paced crime drama is anything but.
New City Chicago's Indie Bookstore Guide is a fantastic reminder that there are still quite a few great local independent bookstores spread all across Chicago.
Chicago-based authors Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba are embarking on a tour in support of their new book, "Citizen Marketers: When People Are the Message", a follow-up to the influential 2002 offering, "Creating Customer Evangelists". It's also TypePad's Book of the Month for January. In classic eat-your-own-dog-food fashion, the tour was planned by their readers.
What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of good science fiction literary magazines? Not a whole lot, right? Well, all you sci-fi fans get ready because a new local venture aims to change that with their annual publication, Tales from the Dim Unknown. Get a taste of the latest local literary endeavor over at the Book Club page, where I give it my two thumbs up.
It's a new year and a new read. This month the GB Book Club picks up Elizabeth Crane's All This Heavenly Glory, a fictional memoir-type piece following an inspired Charlotte Anne Byers through several decades of her life. To find out more, head to the Book Club page to read our introduction. Hope to see you at the meeting in February.
What happens when you get together a bunch of authors, their books, a silent auction and a dinner buffet? Judging by the Holiday Book Bash 2006, not a whole lot. This week's Book Club feature offers some suggestions to better this ho-hum literary event, made even more disappointing by its ample ticket price. (Number one suggestion? Nix the Roeper invite.)
I don't know how many times I've been to the Quimby's site, but I'd never noticed the "live at quimby's" section until this morning. It has audio recordings from almost two-dozen events, although the one I really wanted to hear (Al Burian) is broken.
At the Gapers Block Book Club, we want to know, "What was your favorite book that you read this year?" Maybe you rediscovered an old classic, were introduced to a great new writer, or read the book you think should have won that fancy literary award. Whatever it was, tell us about your favorite book read in 2006. Just tell us the title, the author and why you liked it in 150 words or less, and send it to bookclub[at]gapersblock.com before December 25. Responses will be published in our December 27 book club feature.
2006 has been a properous year for fiction. With contributions from heavyweights like Ray Bradbury and George Saunders, newcomers like Todd Dills, and indies like Joe Meno and Sara Gruen, the city is certain to have produced something for everyone. To touch just the tip of Chicago's newest fiction, visit the GB Book Club page for the second half of our annual year-in-review.
YoChicago is dedicating much of this week's coverage to Pilsen, with reviews, real estate coverage, and much more. Their YouTube Pilsen playlist is especially worth checking out.
If you'd like to know more about the Chicago Public Schools than what you can discern from short, mass media pieces, check out Catalyst Chicago, the local outpost of the urban education magazine. Be certain to visit the guide to CPS and research sections, which provide original content and links to research institutions.
On the Gapers Block Book Club blog we are beginning our second annual year-end review of books published about Chicago or by local writers. This week's feature lists notable nonfiction titles published in 2006, including books by Barack Obama, Rick Kogan, Roger Ebert and many more. Then check back next week for our Chicago fiction round-up.
If you think drinking goes well with writing, just imagine how beautifuly it goes with reading. Get out your drink of choice, pour yourself a shot and prepare to get interactive with your reading. This week's Book Club feature reviews RUI: Reading Under the Influence, a monthly reading series that caters not just to serious drinkers, but serious readers, too.
A great counterpoint to the well-known Devil In The White City is the story of Chicago May, a prolific thief who robbed men worldwide but earned her name here in Chicago. The wonderful Wisconsin radio program "To The Best Of Our Knowledge" interviews the author of a new partially-fictional account of her life.
As a barometer of his popularity, Barack Obama could do worse than refer to his book sales. The senator's The Audacity of Hope, currently ranked 5th among books on Amazon and set to be no. 1 on the Times non-fiction list Sunday, has become nothing short of a best-seller. In less than a month, it has sold 182,000 copies and is in its seventh printing. By way of comparison, Trent Lott's latest has moved a mere 11,000 units since its publication in August 2005; Jesse Helms has fared even worse at 3,000.
Featherproof Books is more than a publisher of full-length novels -- they also feature individual short stories for free download. To learn more about their Light Reading Series, head on over to this week's Book Club feature.
If you enjoyed Sudhir Venkatesh's article in the Boston Globe, you may want to check out his talk on Thursday. Details in Slowdown.
Kevin Guilfoile (this month's Book Club author) is running an interesting name game with some great prizes over at The Outfit blog.
This week on the Gapers Block Book Club blog, we are celebrating Halloween by sharing a selection of books that are guaranteed to tingle your spines and chill your bones. Find out all the grisly details about the Chicago's most haunted places and well-known ghosts.
For the Lynda Barry fans out there: a chance to take a two-day writing course taught by Ms. Barry herself! Hurry up and decide soon; there's only 6 seats left in this class.
The discussion questions for Cast of Shadows are now up on the Book Club page. Use our new comments section to post your thoughts and opinions before our November 13 meeting, especially if you can't make it to the meeting. We can't wait to see what you have to say.
Tonight there are several literary events worth your while, but unfortunately they're at the same time. The Blackstone Branch Library is holding their monthly Voices from Home series, while the Harold Washington Library welcomes the famed E.L. Doctorow. The Book Cellar will be home to Joe Meno, Todd Dills and Steve Asma; meanwhile the Hideout will celebrate the Best American Comics release with series editor and local writer Anne Elizabeth Moore and guest editor Harvey Pekar. What's a book lover to do? Look to Slowdown to get all the info and make your decision.
Every year the Newberry Library holds a colloquium and this year members of the Baker Street Irregulars came together to discuss one of literature's most eminent detectives: Sherlock Holmes. This week's Book Club feature takes a look at this bit of Doyleana and the ardent fans both behind the podium and in the audience.
This Halloween season has plenty to offer the ghoul lurking inside of you. Unusual offerings include KFAR's Spookagogue Synagogue, the Apollo Theater's Haunting History, the Six Corners Monster Film Festival, and Ursula Bielski's Creepy Chicago Hauntings. Check slowdown for additional options.
Lakeview's favorite indie bookshop, Unabridged Bookstore at 3251 N. Broadway, is partying like it's 1999, and has gone live with its first store website. Woo! Check out new arrivals, sale books and much more. [via]
The Chicago Defender has a nice profile of the Afrocentric Bookstore. First "opened 16 years ago at the back of a beauty supply store" on South Wabash, the independent bookstore is now located on South King Drive near 47th Street in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood. As the Defender writes, "Afrocentric Bookstore has all the ingredients to warrant second and third helpings: friendly and knowledgeable staff, a wide selection of books and a desire to help you find what you came looking for."
Even though I rarely follow them, I love reading recipes. And reading old recipe books just makes me giddy with the occasional "ew!" thrown in. So the dramatic intro aside, Rufus Estes wrote some interesting cooking points in 1911 when he published Good Things to Eat. And as a chef on the Pullman car that carried Princess Eulalie of Spain during the World's Fair, I think he's got the credits needed to back up a cookbook. But the Sardine Rarebit recipe brings back Snappy Mackerel Pudding nightmares.
Jhumpa Lahiri's recent talk at the Chicago Public Library drew over 1,000 people, but only 700 were granted admission due to space constraints. If you missed the event you can listen and/or download it at WBEZ's Amplified page, where audio files of many of the CPL's author events are posted. Stay tuned for this Friday's David Mamet event, which is sure to draw a similarly large crowd.
Fans of the Bookslut reading series will definitely want to make an effort to catch tonight's show; there will be no readings in November and December. As a consolation prize, the site will also guest host Jordan Davis' Million Poems Show tomorrow night; details for tonight and tomorrow's events in Slowdown.
This month's Book Club selection is Cast of Shadows, the much lauded debut novel from Kevin Guilfoile. You can read the introduction here and then join us at the Book Cellar on November 13, at 7:30pm, when the author himself will sit down to discuss his work. New members are always welcome!
Want to get away and enjoy autumn in the Midwest? The Gapers Block Book Club looks at four books this week that might help. Whether you have an afternoon, a day or want to plan a trip for the whole weekend, these books will give you plenty of ideas for where to go and tips for how to get there.
We (mostly) follow AP style here at GB, but it's nice to know it's there when we need it. Alas, like many good things, it's not free.
If a Bitchfest isn't your cup of tea, how about Bookslut? Just a couple blocks south of the Bitch celebration will be the monthly Bookslut reading event at Hopleaf. Sadly, both events happen at the same time, so you can't go to both, but if you want to see Ned Vizzini (It's Kind of A Funny Story), Brian Evenson (The Open Curtain) or Cristina Henriquez (Come Together, Fall Apart), you know where you gotta be. See Slowdown for details.
Sure, Mayor Daley says you should read it, but are you still hesistant to pick it up? Perhaps today's Book Club feature can provide some motivation as we review Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies, the 11th tome chosen to be a part of One Book, One Chicago. Of course, you don't have to take our word for it.
Nation columnist Katha Pollitt is in town this week, riffing on feminism and her latest collection of essays, Virginity or Death!, and you've got two chances to hear her: tonight in Logan Square at the offices of In These Times (details in Slowdown) or tomorrow in Andersonville at Women & Children First (details at the store's site).
This week in the Book Club, we have a review of Hudson Lake, the third novel by local author Laura Mazzuca Toops. Hudson Lake takes the reader back to the summer of 1926 and shows the ways the lives of the characters at a rural Indiana resort are changed forever. Read the full review on the Book Club blog.
The GB Book Club's October selection is Sandra Cisneros's acclaimed novel The House on Mango Street. You can read the introduction on the Book Club page now and join us on Monday, October 9 at the Book Cellar to participate in the discussion.
For the Chris Ware fans in the audience: an eBay auction to get your likeness in a Chris Ware comic sometime in the next two years. Chris will also send you a signed copy of the strip, but only if the winner "doesn't get mad or otherwise grow to despise me if their likeness is construed as satirical, incorrect, unflattering or in any way unliterary."
If you are interested in Merge stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other post. If, on the other hand, you are a fan of Lemony Snicket's series of books detailing the misadventures of three very unfortunate children, and would like information on Mr. Snicket's forthcoming appearance in the Chicago suburbs (accompanied by a Mr. Stephin Merritt), then please read on.
When I think of trains, I think of the El, Metra, and Amtrak. But those aren't the only train-lines in town. Freight lines aren't commonly thought of for commuting travel and hoboes are something that kids might dress up like for Halloween, but local writer Stephanie Zinger is trying to change that with her website and upcoming book called Halfway to Hobo. Got a story about hopping lines, avoiding rail goons, or surviving a boxcar scare? She'd love to hear them.
The Reconstruction Room, the bi-weekly reading series at the Black Rock, celebrates the release of its first CD, rec poetica, tonight with a reading of "Rec Room remixes" curated by Dave Snyder. The (free) show starts at 8pm, the CD is $7 and the Black Rock is on Damen just north of Addison.
Welcome to the Book Club's new weekly feature, where we'll offer more than just introductions to our latest selections. Today we present a review of Todd Dills's debut novel, Sons of the Rapture. Check back every Wednesday for something new in the Chicago literary scene.
NPR's Present at the Creation provides unique insight to some Chicago-related icons. Our fair city pops up in some obvious place like Animal House, A Raisin in the Sun , and Nighthawks, but it's also there for Cracker Jacks!
The new One Book, One Chicago pick: Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri. You can find copies of the book at all Chicago Public Library branches.
Former head of the Chicago Reader's personals department, Michael Beaumier, has published a memoir -- I Know You're out There: Private Longings, Public Humiliations, and Other Tales from the Personals. Yes, in the days of yore -- not so long ago, before the paradox called online dating came about, souls relied on the personal ads to find their match. No e-mail, photos or IM -- just 25 words or less. Sounds poetic, doesn't it?
You've been writing that article about wine and trust and deception for a few weeks now, but it's missing that certain something. Could it be a quote from a local expert?
After he published Heat Wave in 2002, sociologist Eric Klinenberg became a lot of people's go-to guy on the subject (the GB Book Club read the book last year). So much so that he was called to give testimony to the California State Senate about prevention of heat-related disaster earlier this month. Although he'd like to speak to the Chicago City Council, given his critique of the local response to the heat wave of 1995, Klinenberg says, "I doubt Mayor Daley's going to have me over for tea any time soon." [via]
Thanks to suggestions from mailing list subscribers and other book club members, the Gapers Block Book Club has just revealed the updated list of books the club will be reading through March 2007. Vist the book club blog for the complete list, which includes selections from Sandra Cisneros, Mike Royko, Kevin Guilfoile and Elizabeth Crane. Plus, don't forget the August book club meeting is this Monday, August 14. We will be discussing Coffee WIll Make You Black by April Sinclair. See Slowdown for details.
It's that time of the year again — time to run, not walk, to the Newberry Library Book Fair. The fair has thousands and thousands of books, organized by category, and spread over the entire main floor. Most of the books are only $2 or less — including hardcover books in near mint condition! Admission to the book fair is free, and it runs today from noon to 8pm and Saturday and Sunday from 10am-6pm. Also, on Sunday all the remaining books are half-price. Visit the Newberry website for more information. [via the Book Club]
Edward Lifson interviews author and Northwestern professor Joseph Epstein about his new book, Friendship, on Hello Beautiful Sunday morning at 10am on WBEZ. Apparently Epstein is a blast to talk to, doing accents and telling funny stories. Worth tuning in.
This week's Crain's applauds the Book Cellar for finding a new way to bring authors to their readers - by using the phone and internet. Two such events have been held, one with Ray Bradbury and one with Susan Vreeland, and there are hopes for more meetings like it. Having listened in on Bradbury's conference call I can say they've definitely got something good going on here.
We all know how great and fun a good book club can be, so it's exciting that 826CHI has started their own. Called "Globiblio," their club focuses on reading authors from all over the world. The meetings will be on the first Tuesday of the month and participants are encouraged to BYOB and BYODIBTCWETMIYSD (Bring Your Own Dish Inspired by the Country We Explored that Month If You So Desire). Upcoming reads include JM Coetzee of South Africa, Michael Crummey of Canada and Jaroslav Haske of Czechoslovakia. Room is limited, so sign up if you're interested by emailing info[at]826chi[dot]org.
As it celebrates its 100th year of publication, the Chicago Manual of Style will also celebrate a new birth, this one of the digital variety. Scheduled for release in September, the Chicago Manual of Style Online will feature a fully searchable version of the 15th edition along with added tools for editors, writers and publishers. The only drawback is that it'll cost you $25 for one year of use, but if you register as a member you'll be notified of the release and be offered a free 30-day trial. It could really be worth it.
New blog alert! Local writers Sean Chercover, Barbara D'Amato, Michael Allen Dymmoch, Kevin Guilfoile, Libby Hellmann, Sara Paretsky and Marcus Sakey have teamed up to form The Outfit: A Collective of Chicago Crime Writers. This new group blog launches this week and promises to feature stories by these award-winning authors about the city, the "highs and lows of writing for a living" and "crime and justice and revenge." I can't wait.
For all of you folk fanatics and alt country fans, new at Quimby's this week is Pioneers of Country Music, a set of 40 trading cards illustrated by R. Crumb. Brief bios on the back of each card give the histories of Gid Tanner and his Skillet Lickers, Uncle Dan Macon and His Fruit-Jar Drinkers, Al Hopkins and his Buckle Busters and other whimsically named bands. Two earlier series, Early Jazz Greats and Heroes of the Blues, also feature art by R. Crumb.
At last night's kick-off of the Neo-Futurists' film fest, they mentioned that former Neo and solo performer David Kodeski is currently working on an online project related to his stage play (and radio story) "Another Lousy Day", the story of a single working woman living on the South Side in the 1960s told through her diaries. Mr. Kodeski is recording female voices reading entries of the diaries that inspired his show and posting the sound files on his True Life Tales Website in podcast form. The project, which has been going on since January, is expected to total 730 audio files, one for each entry in the diaries. If you are interested in recording one of the entries, you may contact Mr. Kodeski at david [at] truelifetales [dot] com.
Since you're heading to the Hyde Park Art Center to check out all of their cool exhibits, why not make a day of it? After taking in Africa Speaks, an exhibit of African art and artifacts at the DuSable Museum, cross the quads and grab a latte at the Smart Museum's sleek cafe. If you like contemporary art, a side trip to the Renaissance Society might be nice. Otherwise, a stop at 57th Street Books for some leisurely browsing, and lunch at neighboring Medici, will refresh you in between museum visits.
Last week Illinois-native Jami Attenberg put on a great show at the Hideout with fellow local authors Hana Schank, Emily Flake, Wendy McClure and Claire Zulkey. Over at her journal, Jami recounts the show, complete with pictures of the lovely ladies, and later gives a nice little shout-out to the Book Cellar.
Ever wanted to have an academic library of your own? This is your chance to start cheap as the University of Chicago's Regenstein Library sells hundreds of their old volumes for mere bucks a piece. From history to political science to South Asian studies and god knows what else, the sale runs through the entire summer so you'll have plenty of chances to pick up another copy of Marx. (The U of C-inclined can never have too much Marx.) Monday-Friday, 9am-12:30pm and 1:30pm-4:45pm.
Alpana Singh, master sommelier and host of "Check Please!," emcees an unusual event at the Heartland Cafe, 7000 N. Glenwood, tomorrow night: Wine and Words: a Benefit for 826CHI. Listen to three authors -- Charles Blackstone, Gina Frangello and Cris Mazza -- read from their latest books while you enjoy South American artisinal wines chosen by Singh. Starting at 7pm, all for a suggested donation of $20! You'll probably want to make a reservation: 773-465-8005.
The 14th meeting of the Gapers Block Book Club takes place tonight at The Book Cellar bookshop in Lincoln Square, where we will be talking about Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. See Slowdown for details!
Recent Gapers Block Book Club author, Saul Bellow, died last year, and many wondered if his notebooks and manuscripts would be scattered to the winds. Fortunately for everyone, they'll have a safe home, all in one place -- the Regenstein Library at the University of Chicago. It's good to see him back.
Reader Greg writes, "After 48 years, Skokie's annual Brandeis Book Sale is pulling up its tent stakes. The organizers say there are few new volunteers to replace the current graying crop. The final sale kicks off Saturday in the Old Orchard parking lot (northwest corner). Opening night is $5, where you can jostle with buyers who've had chairs holding their places in line for a week. Admission is free the rest of the week, including the final Bargain Weekend, when everything's 50 cents."
Planning your vacation yet? You might want to keep an eye on Coudal Partners' Field Tested Books feature. Slowly doled out over the next few days will be dozens of book reviews by writers, designers, bloggers and more from Chicago and beyond. You might even want to purchase the PDF book (or the commemorative poster) to help guide your summer reading list.
The June meeting of the Gapers Block Book Club is one week away. This month we are meeting to discuss Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. If you missed Veronica's review of the memoir, you can read it here. Then join us next Monday, June 12, for wine, food and discussion at The Book Cellar in Lincoln Square at 4736-8 N. Lincoln Ave. The meeting will begin at 7:30pm, and new members are always welcome. And, it's not too late to post your own encyclopedia entry on the book club forum.
GB friend Wendy McClure has a story coming out this Sunday in the New York Times Magazine. But since you're on the web right now and all, you can read it today right here.
In case you needed any more reasons to go, a few friends of the Gapers Block Book Club are also participating in this year's Printer's Row Book Fair. First, stop by and say 'hello' to the folks at The Book Cellar at Booth FF3 on Polk Street. Then visit everyone from the Poetry Center of Chicago at area 138 on the sidewalk along Dearborn Avenue. Finally, don't miss local publisher Lake Claremont Press at Booth CC1 because they have a full line-up of authors appearing at their tent during the book fair. For the complete schedule of writers stopping by the LCP booth, click "More" to keep reading.
Yes, in case you haven't heard it enough yet, the Printer's Row Book Fair takes place this weekend. And, if you've been participating in the Gapers Block Book Club this past year, you're in luck because many of the authors the book club has featured this past year will be appearing at the fair. So, if you've never met them or heard them speak before, this is your weekend. Keep reading after the break for the schedule of book club authors appearing at Printer's Row. Or, visit the official Printer's Row website for complete fair information.
Author Kevin Guilfoile is everywhere at the moment. He'll be reading with Rick Kogan and James McManus at the Printers Row Book Fair this Saturday at 2:30 in Grace Place, doing a book signing for the paperback edition of Cast of Shadows next Thursday, June 8, at the Webster Place Barnes & Noble, and he got mentioned in New City's Lit 50 list this week. And he contributed a playlist on the musicblog Large Hearted Boy.
A writer for the student newspaper at DePaul University, The DePaulia, takes Barnes and Noble to task for the store's policy of discarding books that cannot be resold rather than recycling them. Barnes and Noble manages the DePaul University Bookstore.
Got a stack of books waiting to go to the used bookstore? Take'em to the Hideout tomorrow night instead, where from 5:30pm to 8:30pm, the Reader is holding its first-ever BookSwap. More details in Slowdown.
Moleskine freaks, take note: next year, you'll be able to create your own personal guide to Chicago with the new Departure city notebook. Photos of a prototype here, and more details at Moleskinerie. [via]
This morning the Township High School District 214 board voted to approve a required readling list which includes nine books that one board member felt were inappropriate for the classroom. That means that many suburban Chicago high schoolers will soon be reading such titles as Beloved by Toni Morrison; Slaughter-House Five by Kurt Vonnegut; and Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner.
You probably know about the Printers Row Book Fair (June 3 to 4), a late spring festival that abounds with free author appearances. To see some of those authors (Studs Terkel and John Updike, for two), though, you need a ticket, albeit a free one. Take your pick here, while they last.
Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the publication of GB Book Club 2005 pick The Jungle, Sunday's Tribune Magazine took a look at the rising popularity of meat, asked what Chicago is, now that it's no longer "hog butcher to the world," and offered a short history of muckraking.
Here's another resource if you need a deadline to get creative: the Guild Complex is looking for fiction and nonfiction for its 2006 reading series and there are submissions deadlines every month except July and December. As an added incentive, the work selected for readings will be entered into a competition for a $500 prize, with winners to be announced next January. See the website for complete details and guidelines.
Are you feeling guilty about that half-finished manuscript in your bottom desk drawer? Do you work better when you have a deadline? Well, then you're in luck. The Chicago Writers Association is sponsoring an event for all Chicago area writers who need some encouragement--and a deadline--to meet their goals. Deadline Day, or D-Day, is August 12, 2006, when participants will meet for a special D-Day event in Evanston. Anyone may participate in this event. All you need to do to get started is visit the official Deadline Day blog and register by declaring your personal D-Day writing goal in the comments. Good luck!
Somehow it escaped our calendar's attention, but The Literary Gangs of Chicago series at the MCA is throwing a blowout party tonight from 6pm to 8pm at Puck's Cafe and/or the Japanese Garden behind the museum. The theme is "Michigan!" for some reason -- not that there's anything wrong with that. And since today's free day, you can wander into the exhibits, too. Check here for details.
Reader Pete points out another option for aspiring writers in the summertime: the Northwestern Summer Writers' Conference which takes place in late July. If you're aching for more of a college-type setting for your creative learning, than this is a good way to fit in a slew of workshops, manuscript review, and author interaction (for a fee, of course) in one three-day weekend. Any other great writing workshops you'd like to tell us about? Write us at inbox{at}gapersblock{dot}com. [Thanks, Pete!]
School's almost out, but if you're looking to put some words down on paper, there are some serious summer writing classes to be had around town. There's a huge variety of workshops available at StoryStudio Chicago, regular meetings at The Writer's Loft, and even online classes open through UIC's Writers Series. Lots of the classes get started in the next two weeks, so sharpen those #2's and get writing already.
Former Gapers Block staff member Alex Golub embraces digital resources. But, in a thoughtful essay on Inside Higher Ed, he writes about why he still prefers the tangibility of paper. He states, "Amazon may have a bintillion books for sale out in the ether of the ethernet, but there is no better place to take the pulse of academic publishing that a good used book store near a university. Bookstores mark the life cycle and disposition of the community where they are physically located...And of course just being in a good bookshop can be therapeutic." I couldn't agree more.
As previously mentioned on Gapers Block, Transitions Bookplace at 1000 W. North Avenue was in serious financial trouble, and the owners had put out a cry for help to save the 16-year-old business. The day before the owners were about close the store for good, an anonymous benefactor contacted the couple and gave them a check for $75,000, no strings attached, with promises of additional help. Publisher's Weekly has the full story.
Don't forget the 13th meeting of the Gapers Block Book Club is this Monday, May 8, at The Book Cellar in Lincoln Square. Author Carolyn Eastwood will be joining us to talk about her book, Near West Side Stories: Struggles for Community in Chicago's Maxwell Street Neighborhood. If you missed the introduction to the book, you can read it here. And, you can find out more about the meeting in Slowdown. This event promises to be a great discussion about the past, present and future of the Halsted-Roosevelt neighborhood. New members are always welcome! I hope to see you there.
The latest book by local author and friend of GB Wendy McClure was released yesterday. The Amazing Mackerel Pudding Plan collects more than 100 of the 1970s Weight Watchers recipe cards Wendy first made famous online. And, Wendy notes that people have been having a little too much fun recreating the recipes and posting the results on Flickr.
Chicago author and artist Daniel Raeburn will appear next week at the MCA to discuss his book Chris Ware: Monographics; Acme and Imp fans will no doubt want to be there. More pressing, however, is getting your hands on the May 1 New Yorker, in which Raeburn published a heartbreaking work of staggering sadness: a tribute to his stillborn daughter, Irene. (The article didn't appear online, but it's worth seeking out -- provided there's tissue close at hand.)
...besides taking up room in your wallet: You can download audiobooks from the Chicago Public Library's website! Here's how! UPDATE: Unfortunately, it's Windows only. [via]
We're more than halfway through April, but have you celebrated National Poetry Month yet? If you're just too busy to sit down and read some great poetry, you can keep it between your ears with the Chicago-based Poetry Foundation's new set of poetry podcasts. This week's fresh 'casts include a Marilyn Nelson reading, an audio documentary on poet Linda Bierds, a translation of Stephane Mallarme's "The Tomb of Edgar Poe" read by the winner of this year's Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, Richard Wilbur and a reading of Robert Browning's "Fra Lippo Lippi" by Oscar-nominated actor Paul Giamatti (you know, the guy from Sideways).
Publisher's Weekly has more on the call for help from the owners of Transitions Bookplace. Transitions is truly one of the great independent bookstores in Chicago, and it would be a huge loss to the community if they are forced to close their doors. Please consider helping out.
It took this article in the Hartford Courant for me to find out about the Abraham Lincoln Book Shop, apparently the center of Lincolniana. Check out the reproduction photographs.
Although this season's One Book, One Chicago selection was announced in February, a cluster of related (and free!) events are scheduled this week, including a lecture by James Fallows, a film screening, and a reading of excerpts from One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich in English and Russian. Slowdown has the details.
It may be on April 1, but it's no fooling: Columbia College Center for Book & Paper Arts holds its 7th annual Edible Book Show and Tea this Saturday. Come check out books so good you could eat them up — and then do so! RSVP required; details in Slowdown. Bad at Sports has a preview in this week's podcast (mp3).
The Chicago Writers Association is a community of writers from around the Chicago area that meet and communicate to network, share resources and support each others' writing goals. Now they have a new website, ChicagoWrites.org, which was launched just days ago. Read an interview with Lake Claremont Press founder Sharon Woodhouse, or check out the growing list of members. Then, find out how to join. Membership is free, but active participation in the group is strongly encouraged.
Paper Mustache is on a mission: "to visit every single independent bookstore in the Chicago-land-area and tell you about it."
Let's say you didn't follow up on our mention of opportunities to help out with the Louder Than a Bomb festival. Not to worry...you can hear the finalists, all the same.
Mystery lovers are excited about this weekend's book sale at the Newberry Library, which always promises many treasures. If you can't wait that long, then don't forget about Centuries and Sleuths, a bookstore in Forest Park that specializes in mysteries. The setting is so much more noir than shopping mall, and that makes it an even better place to buy books.
If you couldn't make it through I Sailed with Magellan in time for the GB Book Club discussion tonight, you can always fill your evening with a visit to the Harold Washington Library to hear Stuart Dybek speak with Studs Terkel. And if you've got nothing for tomorrow, Terkel will be at Borders Michigan Ave. for a discussion on spirituality with Cathleen Falsani. More on the Book Club authors over in Slowdown.
The true story of the "Haymarket Affair" is one we'll probably never know, but Caleb Crain does a good job chronicling the apparent facts and fiction surrounding it in his review of the historical literature. Crain's impetus is James Green's Death in Haymarket, a book that bears the pithy but evocative subtitle "A Story of Chicago, the First Labor Movement, and the Bombing That Divided Gilded Age America."
Columbia College's StoryWeek rolls around once again, wielding some pretty big names in tow. This year's week-long literary festival -- Fighting Words: Stories of Risk and Rebellion -- features such acts as Studs Terkel, Edward P. Jones and Audrey Niffenegger. Go here for a full schedule of events, starting March 11, but check back with Slowdown for highlights during the week.
The Tournament of Books is here and books, judges and brackets have all been set. Pitting 16 highly lauded books against each other, not in search of the best book of the year, but because they really, really like books, The Morning News will award the Rooster to the tome that's left standing at the end. Locals and past GB authors discussion panelists Kevin Guilfoile and Jessa Crispin act as commissioner and judge, respectively. The tournament officially starts on March 20, so if you want to keep up you have your reading cut out for you.
Did you see that great profile (PDF) of Devil's Due Publishing in the Reader?
There are dozens of libraries in Chicago. Need to know which is closest to you?
Here's an opportunity to be a judge and "no experience is needed. All you have to be interested in hearing the stories and poems of young people." The Young Chicago Authors organization is looking for around 180 people to be judges in its upcoming Louder Than a Bomb Teen Poetry Festival at HotHouse and Columbia College Chicago, March 3-6. If you're interested, check out Slowdown, then call Kevin Coval at 773-278-2716.
The spring 2006 title in the One Book, One Chicago program is One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. In an interesting addition to the city-wide book club program, Chicago will join with Moscow to create an international book club to discuss this title. (The book marks the first selection for One Book, One Moscow.)
Four years ago Women and Children First launched the Young Feminist Book Club. Tonight the book club members decided to expand the name to be the Inter-Generational Feminist Book Club. Feminists from the third wave are happy to share great books with second wavers and fourth-wavers. Oh and boys can totally be feminists, too, you know.
Join the Guild Complex and Institute for Latino Studies at the University of Notre Dame tonight for the launch of PALABRA PURA, a bilingual reading series. Mike Puican, Guild board member, says, "With the third largest Latino population in the United States, we want to create ongoing dialogue between the sponsoring organizations, the artists involved, and the community at large."
Nice profile of friends of GB Lake Claremont Press in today's Sun-Times.
The University of Chicago Press gets online with the debut of their "The Chicago Blog" (a less mundane title might help them in the long run though). In their words: "Publicity news from the University of Chicago Press including news tips, press releases, reviews, and intelligent commentary." But thus far, there seem to be a few reviews and some opinion on books as well — actual content! Should be worth keeping an eye on.
Writer Arnie Bernstein is penning a new history of film in Chicago as a follow-up to his Hollywood on Lake Michigan, which was published in 1998. To promote the new book, Bernstein and local publisher Lake Claremont Press are holding a contest to name the new book. Read the full rules and details on the publisher's weblog.
The current Atlantic Monthly runs a glowing review of the second edition of Jay Pridmore and George A. Larson's Chicago Architecture and Design, calling it "thoroughly revised and greatly expanded" and "by far the best introduction for the general reader." (For more Chicago-related non-fiction, check out GB librarian Alice Maggio's year in review.)
As we all know by now, James Frey 'fessed up yesterday about stretching the truth in his "memoir." Among other fabrications, Oprah got him to admit that his supposed girlfriend did not hang herself as he'd written. Instead, he claimed, she slit her wrists. Steven Levitt of Freakonomics fame did some Smoking Gun work of his own; unsurprisingly, Chicago mortality records beg to differ with Frey's amended account.
Have you yearned to see a book-length Pitchfork album review? Well, you're now one step closer to realizing that dream. The excellent 33 1/3 book series , which features book-length ruminations on albums, just announced the titles that will be coming out in 2007 and 2008. Three P-fork writers (Managing Editor Scott Plagenhoef, Amanda Petrusich, and Drew Daniels, aka "that guy from Matmos") made the list.
Poet Cassie Sparkman hosts the reading series, Literary Gangs of Chicago, every third Tuesday. During the daytime, Sparkman teaches weekly poetry classes through The Poetry Center of Chicago's Hands on Stanzas program to over 170 students at Christian Ebinger School in Edison Park. Last week, Sparkman installed her students' "Poetry + Photos Project" featuring student poems in response to images by photographers Krista Peel and Johnny Knight.
Thanks to Oprah's book club, it's been next to impossible to go out in recent months and not see James Frey's A Million Little Pieces just about everywhere. But what if the Smoking Gun is right and Ms. Winfrey's "been had"? Would that give her first dibs on the tell-all confession interview?
If you're like me, you're nowhere near finishing our January Book Club selection of The Adventures of Augie March (post your thoughts on the book here). Golden Rule Jones points us to an Augie-inspired comic in the Reader's special comics issue and reprints the entirety of the influential "paragraph" for all to read. In case, you know, you never make it that far in the book.
Via The Millions: Davy Rothbart of FOUND fame spent last week blogging for Powell's. He's working on the second book and keeping some late (and occasionally drunken) hours. Relive the hilarity. (For something a bit more serious, there's our interview with Rothbart from earlier this year.)
Joe Meno, whose Hairstyles of the Damned kicked off the GB book club earlier this year, has a new book out: Bluebirds Used to Croon in the Choir. He talked about it with the Sun-Times in an interview published over the weekend, and he'll read from the short story collection Wednesday night at the Hideout. (As you'll see in Slowdown, Meno will be accompanied by Jay Ryan of the Bird Machine. Ryan's also celebrating the release of a book, the amazing 100 Posters, 134 Squirrels.)
Brian Costello, an instructor at Columbia College Chicago, is celebrating the release of his debut novel, The Enchanters vs. Sprawlburg Springs, with an all-star party at the Empty Bottle tonight. Writers Elizabeth Crane and Jonathan Messinger are scheduled to do readings, and the event will also feature performances by Human Eye, The Mistreaters and The Krunchies. Admission is $7, and the party starts at 9pm. See the Empty Bottle website for more information. And, check out the short interview with Costello in this week's New City.
In the current issue of Bookforum, Hazel Rowley has an in-depth essay about the years writer Richard Wright spent in Paris in the 1950s. She writes, "Wright died on alien soil, but it was not France that was his 'exile.' His exile, just as it was for many of his friends who remained in America, was disillusionment." Wright lived in Chicago between 1927 and 1937 and is best-known for his novel Native Son, which tells the story of Bigger Thomas, a young African American man struggling against the social conditions in Chicago in the 1930s.
Penguin Books is coming out with a new line of classic books with covers done by comic artists. Voltaire's Candide is the first to get the treatment, with a shiny new cover inked by our city's own Chris Ware. Maybe, just this one time, it's okay to judge a book by its cover. [via]
This week offers not one, but two chances to see local legend Studs Terkel promoting his latest book, And they All Sang: Adventures of an Eclectic Disc Jockey. Tonight you can catch him at the Seminary Co-op Bookstore and on Thursday he'll be at the Book Cellar. And if you've never read Studs, January is the perfect time as the GB Book Club dives into Divison Street: America.
If you missed Dennis Rodman's signing this afternoon at the Michigan Ave. Borders, Oh No They Didn't! has some pictures. Rodman's on the road supporting his new memoir (which makes what? three? four?), and authors appearing in Elvira drag is apparently the latest in book marketing. Or something.
Former Detroit Piston and Chicago Bulls bad boy Dennis Rodman will be at Borders on Michigan this Saturday (that's tomorrow, 830 N. Michigan Ave., 312-573-0564) to sign his new book, I Should Be Dead By Now. According to the press release, we should "not miss his one-of-a-kind entrance."
The Austin Mayor alerted us to a somewhat bizarre comic strip by Ted Rall, simultaneously mocking and giving "apologies to" local favorite Chris Ware. Perhaps Rall's mad his book about beating back a bully hasn't done as well as Ware's works? UPDATE: Rall addresses the cartoon in his blog (although he still doesn't explain its biting tone).
GB alumnus Gordon McAlpin has posted the first portion of a three-part "pictorial adapatation of an actual event," a panel discussion between comic artists (graphic novelists?) Ivan Brunetti, Seth and Chris Ware. So it's a comic in progress on the process of drawing comics. Very meta.
A friendly reminder that our own Anne Holub will be moderating a panel discussion on the Chick Lit phenomenon tonight at Women & Children First. She'll be joined by an academic and an author, a blogger and a bookseller. All the details are here; as for the the most important among them: the event is free and starts at 7:30pm.
As the winter holiday season gets in full, post-Thanksgiving swing, gift buying becomes an ever-pressing issue. While we can't do the shopping for you, if you're looking on behalf of a book lover (or are one yourself), just ask Alice. Our librarian has compiled two extensive lists of locally connnected work published this year; amongst the non-fiction, which ranges from memoir to photography, and the fiction, there's bound to be something for everyone.
Aleksandar Hemon has a new, laugh-out-loud funny short story in the New Yorker entitled "Love and Obstacles." Required reading.
Richard Lloyd's new book, "Neo-Bohemia: Art and Commerce in the Postindustrial City," is a study of "neo-bohemian" neighborhoods and their place in the post-industrial economy, focused primarily on Wicker Park. Salon is running an excellent review of it that makes some interesting observations of its own, particularly about the myths of gentrification.
A new book looks at our city's history from a cartographic perspective. Chicago in Maps : 1612-2002 includes 74 "powerful and evocative documents [offering] an unprecedented avenue to the city's past — a fascinating collective portrait of the evolution of one of America's great towns." (Thanks, Atul)
I support my independents whole-heartedly, but here's the thing about Borders -- sometimes they have really good guests. Thursday night they host none other than President Jimmy Carter who will discuss his book, Our Endangered Values. And on Tuesday they'll set a place for Oprah favorite Nate Berkus, whose book Home Rules features gorgeous pictures of his gorgeous, um, interior decorating projects. (Did I mention the gorgeous?) Both at Borders Michigan Ave. and both can be found on Slowdown.
You know what goes great with reading? Drinking, of course! If you're interested in either (or both), you may want to head to Sheffield's tonight for RUI: Reading Under the Influence. Tonight's theme is banned books. If your weekend's looking a little slim, why not trek to the Hideout on Friday for the Dollar Store's Very Special Anniversary Show? You can come help the Dollar Store kids celebrate their first year of readings. Slowdown is all you need.
Cartoonist extraordinaire and Oak Park resident Chris Ware is interviewed in the Guardian today. In it he talks about his work, his life and the graphic novel form.
Lauded by Cory Doctorow of BoingBoing, Counting Heads is supposed to be an entirely swell science fiction novel. It arrives in bookstores sometime in November. What makes this important to Gapers Block readers, however, is the cover art. Is that a futuristic Chicago with the "antique" Hancock and Water Tower Place buildings in the background? I daresay it is.
Forthcoming from Punk Planet Books, 100 Posters, 134 Squirrels is a "greatest-hits collection of the last decade of Jay Ryan's groundbreaking work." The book will also feature an interview with Ryan and essays from notable names in the music, poster and design worlds, including Art Chantry. Sales don't start until November 15, but you can preorder it now from Punk Planet and The Bird Machine (details here). Any pre-orders from The Bird Machine come with a special screen printed book "belt" that you won't be able to get at your local Borders.
The Special Collections Research Center at the University of Chicago's Regenstein Library is currently exhibiting "From Poetry to Verse: The Making of Modern Poetry." Go to check out the archives of Poetry, Chicago Review, Big Table, Verse, LVNG, and the papers of The Poetry Center of Chicago. At the exhibit's opening on September 19, John Barr, the current President of The Poetry Foundation, will speak on "The Importance of Being Wrong: American Poetry in the New Century." The University's mighty Poetics Program hosts a reading by poet Kenneth Fields the following day at 5:30 in the Special Collections Research Center.
I'll be the first to admit that I don't understand contemporary art and, thus, rarely visit the Museum of Contemporary Art. However, since the announcement of the Literary Gangs of Chicago, that may have to change. Presented by Weep and Chicagolit.org, the series kicks off on Tuesday with a special Dollar Store and runs through May, featuring Funny Ha-Ha, 826CHI and more. Look to Slowdown for reminders of events as they approach.
It is time for the annual write-a-thon that is National Novel Writer's Month. This organization calls for all procrastinating writers to get out their laptops, lose all semblance of human niceties, and write an entire novel during the month of November. Founder Chris Baty believes that the first step to actually writing that book you always wanted to write, is actually writing. Don't figure out the story, just write. Edit later. The "winners" are those that get to the designated word count by the end of the month.
Get excited for the weekend of October 21 to 23. Nicole Hollander and Paula Gilovich present All the Women you Want: a weekend marathon of female performers, monologists, comedians, burlesquers and more will benefit BEYONDMEDIA EDUCATION. Weekend passes are available for $20. Gapers Block loves any event which involves Las Manos Gallery and Women and Children First Bookstore (the 2 co-sponsors of this weekend marathon).
Turns out Dave Eggers won't be able to make the 826CHI open house tonight, as planned. Not that that will dissuade me from attending, but if you find yourself looking to get your literary fill elsewhere, you can always head to Borders Lincoln Park for a chick lit book signing and panel discussion. And on Saturday, two GB favorites, Kevin Guilfoile and Joe Meno, will do their thing at Barnes and Noble while Chris Ware will make an appearance at Quimby's. All this -- and more! -- on Slowdown.
Hot on the heels of his first published novel, FOUND magazine creator Davy Rothbart reads from The Lone Surfer of Montana, Kansas at the Neo-Futurarium. The reading is tonight, Wednesday, at 8pm, 5153 N. Ashland, and includes some music from Davy's brother, Peter. (Don't be surprised if you see some of your favorite GB-staffers there!) Slowdown likes FOUND, too.
Audrey Niffenegger, Chicagoan and author of past GB Book Club selection The Time Traveler's Wife, gets the interview treatment in today's Guardian. (Don't forget: the group meets tonight to discuss Aleksandar Hemon's Nowhere Man.)
Antoinette Giancana, daughter of famed Chicago ganster Sam (and source of a favorite recipe of mine), has a new book out in which she claims the mob assassinated President Kennedy. Uh, OK.
The Gapers Block book club will be discussing Nowhere Man by Aleksandar Hemon this coming Monday at The Book Cellar in Lincoln Square. Then, Tuesday night, go see Hemon at a special reading event at The Poetry Center of Chicago. As always, Slowdown has all the details on both events.
Those who tried to buy a ticket to see Salman Rushdie at the Humanities Festival on 13 November, but got turned away because the event was sold out, may still get lucky. The festival is making a block of upper balcony tickets available on the day of the lecture. For more information, click here.
Much of author Stuart Dybek's work bears the mark of his local roots, and his latest collection of poems, Streets in Their Own Ink, includes such pieces as "Autobiographies" and "Windy City." The poet and short-story writer was tapped last year for the One Book, One Chicago program, and today the Morning News presents an extensive interview with him. Its author shares Dybek's local heritage, and the whole conversation made him a bit nostalgic: "It is clear how much Chicago means to Stuart Dybek — I hadn’t realized how much it meant to me."
This month hosts the annual Chicago Book Festival, which is to say, there are a whole lot of literary things happening over the next few weeks. From author readings to signings to panel dicussions, and even a Rock for Reading live musical event, it's an awesome time to be a booklover in Chicago. Individual events, as always, are posted in Slowdown.
On October 6, The Guild Complex will host the Iron Poet Competition (inspired of course by "Iron Chef"). Iron Poet [see Slowdown] will pit teams of poets against each other in a head-to-head creative combat to write poetry live in front of an audience. The secret ingredient here: words. A silent auction at the event will feature some fabulous items including a one hour poetry manuscript consultation with Reginald Gibbons. Wondering if you're an Iron Poet? This might tell you.
Jonathan Messinger, proprietor of This Is Grand and The Dollar Store, has yet another project: Featherproof Books, an indie publishing house. They've got a line of PDF fold'em-yourself short stories called Light Reading that are the perfect size for the commute home.
When I first moved to Chicago the Not For Tourists map and cityguide helped me to quickly understand the neighborhood divisions, where the El passed through them, what kind of amenities were contained within them, and the general vibe of each 'hood-- it was like Cliffs Notes for living in Chicago! Turns out the folks at NFT have been busy: last week they released their 2006 Chicago guide, relaunched their website, put up all of their maps as free PDF downloads, and are throwing a free launch party at the Darkroom. Don't say they never gave you anything.
Those of us who can’t get enough of seeing in person (and listening to) the writers we admire really appreciated last year’s nextbook lineup, which offered free opportunities to hear the likes of Tony Kushner, David Rakoff, and Judy Budnitz at assorted venues around town. nextbook, a Jewish cultural organization, is presenting even more readings and talks this year, including programs with NPR’s Susan Stamberg, novelist Jonathan Lethem, and poet Robert Pinsky. Visit the website for series schedules and tickets (which, sadly, are no longer free).
Nabokov's Lolita turns 50 this year, and New City and Vintage Books are throwing a party Thursday night at the Darkroom, 2210 W. Chicago. "Coming of Age: Lolita at 50" is a multimedia extravaganza, with talks from author Carol Anshaw and free speech activist Burt Joseph, music from DJs Tobias and Brock as well as a live set by My Where They, and a "reinterpreting Lolita" costume contest (extra points for not going with the schoolgirl cliché). The book itself will be available for purchase, as will $3 Goose Island beer. Doors open at 7:30pm, with a $3 cover after 10pm. Ironically, the event is 21 and over.
That's apparently what Jeffrey Eugenides claimed yesterday evening, and, boy, howdy, has he got some 'splainin' to do. Jessa Crispin attended last night's Picador Party at the Harold Washington library, and she left steamed. Here's hoping the readers at Crispin's Bookslut event later this month are less "disappointing."
Former GB-staffer Gordon McAlpin has posted his latest installment of his Stripped Books series, this time covering 57th Street Book's Harry Potter release party. Taking place in July for the sixth book's release, the comic features a number of the HP characters as played by bookstore employees and volunteers. Take a peek to find out how students did on the OWL exams and if they unearthed the secret recipe for butterbeer.
If you're part of the GB Book Club, our lovely moderator Alice has already notified you of the release of Adam Langer's follow up to Crossing California. If not, you can check out the Trib's review of Washington Story, named for Mayor Harold Washington. An interview with Langer was published on Sunday. Both pieces show the book in a favorable light, so it's going to take some restraint for me to not run to the bookstore right now.
Bucktown's Danny's Tavern is more than the place where "The Muffin Lady" sold her goods. The Tavern is home to one of Chicago's favorite reading series. That reading series will celebrate a fourth anniversary on Wednesday, August 24 at 7:30 pm sharp. What better way to celebrate than a poetry reading? Matthias Regan and Eric Elshtain, the two Chicago poets who inaugurated the series, will read alongside Kerri Sonnenberg, Matt Miller and Lisa Janssen. Animators Joel Craig and John Beer haven't said a cake will be part of the celebration, but drinks are always a-plenty at Danny's.
Google Print wants to make searching book content as easy as surfing for the latest photos of TomKat. And they're doing it the Google way: a keyword or phrase now returns book content in your search results. These searchable books come from two other Google projects: the Publisher Program and the Library Project. Google Print is still a beta project, so don't be sad that He's Just Not That Into You returns no snippets of dating advice. But search for Chicago and you'll find
As its first season wrapped up earlier this year, host Victoria Lautman expressed concerns that 98.7WFMT's Writers on the Record would not find the funding necessary for a second. Fortunately, the monthly series, which brings major contemporary authors to the Lookingglass Theatre's space to be interviewed live on air, has been revived for another go, and in exceedingly fine form, at that. Bret Easton Ellis will appear in September, followed by Louise Erdrich and Frank McCourt in subsequent months. The tapings are free and followed by book signings; all you have to do is ring 312/832-6789 to reserve tickets.
We ran a summer reading poll in Fuel last month, and, although there were many responses, no one mentioned Courtroom 302. As fall approaches, maybe you're in the mood for something a bit weightier than typical beach fare, and this book is certainly that. Written by Steve Bogira of the Chicago Reader, it carries the subtitle "A Year Behind The Scenes In An American Criminal Courthouse"; Tom Robbins calls it a "compelling dissection," and he's not alone in his respect. Critical consensus suggests the book bears the mark of becoming a classic examination of the modern US justice system, and it's set right here in Cook County. (Read an excerpt.)
If you're more interested in textual compilations than audio/visual ones, the Sun-Times brings news of something potentially up your alley: Chicago Noir, a mystery anthology edited by Neal Pollack and published by indie outfit Akashic. The book features several authors who participated in our roundtable last month, and some of those very folks will be celebrating its release with local appearances throughout September and October. Mark your calendars.
The new Powell's North reading series pairs an established writer with one or two scribes on the brink. Next up is poet/farmer Lisa Fishman, author of The Deep Heart's Core Is a Suitcase and Dear, Read. Paired with Fishman are poets Andrea Rexilius and Bobby Fiesler. At Powell's Bookstore, 2850 N. Lincoln on Thursday, August 18th, 7:00pm.
Jessa Crispin of Bookslut has an axe to grind with the publishing industry. In a commentary in trade mag The Book Standard, she "tells what's wrong with Chicago." In her view, it's the dearth of opportunities for folks to make a living in the "lit field" -- despite our city's passion for reading. (Be a part of the Chicago's reading community tonight at Funny Ha-Ha 4-Ever; details in Slowdown.)
[Update: Crispin wants to clarify About That Title.]
The Chicago Tribune announced its winners of the 2005 Chicago Tribune Heartland prizes this week, a prize given to one fiction and one nonfiction book that, in the Tribune's words, embody "the spirit of the nation's Heartland." This year's winners: "Gilead" by Marilynne Robinson (fiction); and "Arc of Justice: A Saga of Race, Civil Rights and Murder in the Jazz Age" by Kevin Boyle (nonfiction). Both authors will be honored at the Chicago Humanities Festival, which will be held in October and November. (Tip, of course, from Bookslut.)
Here's a book review method we can all agree on: is a book potty-reading worthy and if so, how good (as judged by rolls of toilet paper)? Mundelein-based blogger Stacey reviews ChickLit from the throne.
Dandelion Wine is one of my most favorite reads ever, so expect to see me tonight at the Book Cellar as their in-store club discusses the book. Special guest Sam Weller will also be there to lend insight to the author's life and work. Can't make it tonight? Join us in September when we do the same. Slowdown likes Ray Bradbury, too.
The folks at Lake Claremont Press, one of my favorite local publishers, have a fun, newish weblog appropriately titled Lake Claremont Press's Chicago. Check it out.
One more post about the Authors' Roundtable: In addition to making toys and jewelry at Loosetooth.com, Brandy Agerbeck is a graphic facilitator. She came to the roundtable on Monday and put her skills to work on the discussion, resulting in this amazing diagram. See more examples of her work here.
The Authors' Roundtable went very well last night; thanks to all who attended. We've got some photos up in our Flickr account, Chicagoist has some reflections and more photos, and Matt has yet more photos.
Columbia College's Center for Book & Paper Arts is holding their 4th International Book & Paper Arts Triennial. The exhibition features 71 works produced over the last three years, including everything from letterpress printed books, pulp painting and "altered books." If the cover gets you just as excited as what's inside, this might be for you. Running through August 27.
Authors Roundtable tonight. Put on by us, moderated by Andrew. Sulzer Library in Lincoln Square. Come, listen, talk. (And tomorrow night, the Bookslut Reading Series!)
Think NaNoWriMo is just too easy? Want a greater challenge? The 2005 3-Day Novel Contest is now accepting applications for their 72 hour September writing spree. Grand prize is publication. For a preview of the contest's results, head to Quimby's in August for a reading of last year's Chicago-based winners. Better start sharpening your pencils now.
Wondering what's up with blogs becoming books? How the literary landscape is changing in the digital age? What Kevin Guilfoile sounds like? You might be interested in this Authors' Roundtable that GB is sponsoring. It's July 25 at Sulzer Library, 7-9pm. More details here.
This just sounds like an all around good time. Northwestern is sponsoring their first Summer Writers' Conference, a three day affair on July 22-24. The programs and readings include such names as Joe Meno, Audrey Niffenegger, Kevin Guilfoile and Elizabeth Crane. Although the conference isn't free, the readings and performances are, so it's worth checking out the program schedule to see your favorite local writers. The always lovely Slowdown has all the details.
The Chicago-based literary website Bookslut.com is launching a monthly reading series featuring local and national authors. These live events will take place at the Hopleaf bar located at 5148 N. Clark St., also a favorite Gapers Block staff hang-out. On July 26, the first reading is scheduled to include writers Shalom Auslander, Daphne Kalotay and Andrew Winston. So go and see them, sluts. The fun starts at 7:30pm.
Hot on Spielberg's tail, New York Review of Books has released a new edition of H.G. Wells's War of the Worlds, complete with illustrations from Chicago native, and sometime School of the Art Institute student, Edward Gorey. The Tribune's cultural critic gives the pairing a positive, if somewhat geeky, review.
Earlier in the month, Newcity posted their annual list of the top 50 Chicago literati -- some expected (Studs Terkel), some new (Steven Levitt), and, surprisingly, Oprah. Golden Rule Jones did a little analysis of this year's selection, tracking who's in and who's out and who's moved up or down from the previous year. A glaring ommission noted in the comments: Kevin Guilfoile, whose debut Jones calls "definitely the kind of 'mover' the list purports to show."
Chicago in the Fifties is all about "remembering life in the Loop and the neighborhoods." Neal Samors and Michael Williams appeared on Eight Forty-Eight this morning, talking about their book, which prompted a strikingly personal response in the Sun-Times and gave the Trib reason to call the authors the "kings of Chicago nostalgia." Hey, look: online photo gallery!
The Chicago Tribune has a story on the Union Stockyards Gate, which was declared a literary landmark in a ceremony yesterday. The gate, which is the last surviving reminder of Chicago's notorious stockyards, was so honored because of the role the area played in Upton Sinclair's classic book The Jungle. Some history of the novel is discussed in the article, but little of it will be new to Gapers Block Book Club members who read the novel a couple of months ago.
If you're uber-geeky and you have cable it's possible that you've watched BookTV on CSPAN on occasion. If so, you'll be delighted to know that Women & Children First will be the location for the filming of Zsa Zsa Gershick as she reads from Secret Service: Untold Stories of Lesbians in the Military Thursday night at 6:30 pm. It's the first time BookTV has filmed at Women and Children First, so make Chicago look smart by showing up to the reading and having a packed house.
Maybe you're already going to the Printers Row Bookfair, but are you going to the Other Book Fair? Sponsored by Another Chicago Magazine and New City, it features a wide range of alt publishers as well as panel discussions and readings by local authors. It's at the Hothouse from 3pm to 8pm Sunday; details in Slowdown. And speaking of New City, this week's issue features the annual Lit 50 round-up of local literati.
Long-time Chicago resident Saul Bellow died earlier this year. Had he lived, this would have been his 90th birthday. Bellow's son, Adam, remembers his father's presence, and his absence, in today's New York Times.
With Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim now in paperback, David Sedaris will be floating around Chicago's periphery this weekend, reading at Barnes & Noble in Skokie and Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville. If you're looking for inspiration to make the trek (and the fact that the events are free isn't enough), New City has an interview as enticement.
After a storied career in local politics, Leon Despres is still going strong at age 97, having just released his memoir, Challenging the Daley Machine, published by Northwestern Univ. Press. He is profiled in the New York Times today, in a piece that highlights various seemingly incredible events from his life and also recounts his opinions on Daley the father and Daley the son. You can hear Despres read and speak for himself at various events in the future, including stops at U of C and the Printers Row Book Fair.
Continuum Books has a new series of music related books called Thirty-Three and a Third. They're short books about the past 40 years most seminal albums, everything from The Beatles to The Velvet Underground. Chicago author J. Niimi writes on R.E.M.'s Murmur.
Two authors with Chicago connections are reading tonight at two different bookstores. Choice one: NPR host and former Chicago bureau chief Scott Simon, appearing at the Borders on Michigan Avenue at 7:00 to promote his new novel Pretty Birds. Choice two: Chicago blogger and GB contributor Wendy McClure, appearing at the Barnes & Noble at Webster Place at 7:30 to promote her book I'm Not The New Me. Choose wisely! (If you're fans of both, you should see Wendy tonight, and then catch Scott on Sunday, when he does another reading. See Slowdown.)
Chicagoist has a brief interview with Erin Shea, another local blogger turned author (and also a Chicagoist contributor), about her book, Tales from the Scale. She'll be reading from it tomorrow night at 7pm at Transitions, 1000 W. North, and Friday at 12:30 at the downtown Borders.
What day isn't a good day to snag some books? If you're in the area, head over to the University of Chicago's Regenstein Library, 1100 E. 57th St., to pick up some decently priced used books. The sale runs through May 13, 9:30am-4:30pm, with prices dropping each day. Lovely.
This week the Art Institute opened Fantasy, Facts, and Furry Friends, an exhibition of forty Caldecott Medal and Honor Award books from the past four years. Panels from the distinguished picture books are on display in the lower level where you can also purchase the books to take home. (Whatever you do, don't let the pigeon drive the bus!) The exhibition runs through October 30.
This just in: the Chicago Historical Society is planning on releasing an electronic copy of the Encyclopedia of Chicago on May 11th. All the Daley quotes I can eat!
The annual 2005 Nebula Awards are hosted in Chicago this upcoming weekend. And for those of you who don't want to pony up the bucks to see your favorite SF authors at the Hotel Allegro, there are going to be two events that you'll probably want to attend; two massive multi-author book signings have been scheduled for the Borders bookstore on State Street. If the thought of meeting such luminaries as Anne McCaffrey, Ellen Datlow, Joe Haldeman, and Cory Doctorow makes you excited, see the listings in Slowdown for more details.
Tonight, the renowned and award-winning poet and civil rights activist Nikki Giovanni will appear at the University of Chicago to deliver the annual George E. Kent lecture. Presented by U of C's Organization of Black Students, the lecture begins at 7pm, at International House, 1414 E. 59th St. A book signing follows at the university's Barnes & Noble; the lecture is free and open to the public.
Kevin Guilfoile is writing a diary of sorts for The Morning News about his book tour in support of Cast of Shadows
Mayor Daley has proclaimed today Ray Bradbury Day in Chicago, and to celebrate the Waukegan, IL writer's career there will be a program this evening at the Harold Washington Library featuring an interview with Sam Weller, author of the new biography The Bradbury Chronicles, as well as a Q&A session with Bradbury via telephone. See Slowdown for details.
Ray Bradbury has been publishing his sci-fi and fantasy stories since the early 1940s, but only now has an official biography been written. The Bradbury Chronicles was written by Chicago journalist Sam Weller, and Bradbury himself gives the book a thumbs-up in this week's Newcity. Weller celebrates the publishing of the book with a release party and reading tonight at Sonotheque; see Slowdown for details.
Acclaimed author Saul Bellow has passed away at the age of 89. Bellow was a longtime Chicago resident, remembered for his lengthy tenure at the University of Chicago. Read the obituaries at the Chicago Tribune, Sun-Times, New York Times and Boston Globe.
Alex Kotlowitz, author of There Are No Children Here and Never a City So Real, is the latest person to answer "Slightly Less Than Twenty Questions" at Zulkey.com.
Today, tickets went on sale for Neil Gaiman's upcoming appearance at the University of Chicago in their Presidential Fellows in the Arts series. There will be a discussion and a book signing and those with tickets will be able to purchase the author's books as well as meet him. Tickets are $15 for general, $5 with valid U of C ID and can be obtained by phone (773-702-8080), email (concert-office[at]uchicago.edu), or at 5720 S. Woodlawn Ave. Check out Slowdown for more info. Get your tickets early because this promises to be an all out geek fest. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
I'm completely biased when it comes to Women & Children First. I love the bookstore, the location, their bookclubs, their activism, their buyers. But sometimes I don't get to visit as often as I'd like. Now, in a virtual kinda way, I can peek in on them even when I'm at work (not that I would *ahem* surf on company time). They now have a blog and it seems like everyone on staff can post on it.
Whether you're in Chicago and wondering when Wendy will start giving readings in the city, or you're an ersatz Chicagoan/fan of Wendy who's looking to see her in a bookstore near you, the author of I'm Not the New Me has posted preliminary dates for her upcoming book tour. Stay tuned for more details as they appear.
This week the Trib published its review of Kevin Guilfoile's Cast of Shadows, calling it "the abortion debate turned on its head." Eh...that's part of it, but I wouldn't say that's the only focus of the novel. The review is a bit ADD, but it ends up giving the book a big, well deserved plus.
This week's Ask the Librarian introduces the first selection of the Gapers Block Book Club, Hairstyles of the Damned by Joe Meno. But, if you want to sample the novel first, one of our readers reminds me you can download a 25-page excerpt of Hairstyles of the Damned, in .pdf format, from the Punk Planet Books website. Sweet. (Thanks, Pete!)
I'm much more likely to hit, say, Bookslut for my literary news, but there are still a good number of people who turn to the book review section of the newspaper when looking for something to read. But how apt are those printed reviews? Golden Rule Jones does his own review of the Tribune's Books section and comes to the conclusion that while we have great literature, our city needs to do more to tout it.
Kevin Guilfoile's debut novel, Cast of Shadows, was reviewed in the New York Times on Sunday. The book gets a thumbs up, with the reviewer writing, "What's most appealing here, and most promising for Guilfoile's future as a novelist, is that he wields the bylaws of his chosen genre to undercut its central premise." Guilfoile appears at the Book Stall at Chestnut Court today to sign copies of Cast of Shadows.
Wow, I am a bad feminist. I didn't even know that March is Women's History Month. Good thing I have the Seminary Co-op Bookstore to keep me aprised of such things and to point me toward titles that'll beef up my knowledge of all things feminist. Throughout the month, the store's site will post lists of books related to the topic. The first is Women in Antiquity.
We are pleased to announce the launch of the Gapers Block Book Club, run by our resident librarian, Alice Maggio. Our first book is Hairstyles of the Damned by Joe Meno, which will be discussed at The Book Cellar in Lincoln Square on April 11. Read today's Ask the Librarian for more details.
If you are planning to read the latest One Book, One Chicago selection, the Chicago Tribune notes that four Starbucks locations will be giving away a limited number of free copies on Friday. The stores at 180 N. LaSalle St., 40 N. Clinton St., 210 W. North Ave. and 1070 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. will all be participating, beginning at 8am.
The new "One Book, One Chicago" book title has been announced: The Ox-Bow Incident, by Walter Van Tilburg Clark. Over the next few weeks there will be public readings, book club discussions and film screenings of the story; check the Chicago Public Library site for details.
If you've considered attending the Young Feminist Bookclub at Women & Children First but haven't made it, I've got an incentive. The book choice for March 21st (7:30 pm to 9 pm) is Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism, and the Future. The kicker is that instead of sitting in a circle and just talking about the book with other young feminists, you'll get to talk about this book and their new book Grassroots: A Field Guide for Feminist Activism with the authors themselves. Amy Richards and Jennifer Baumgardner will hang out and discuss feminsm and activism and other cool things. You get 10% off either of these two books if you mention you'll be at the book club, you have a month to read at least one of them, so what are you waiting for?
Tonight, Andrew Winston will make an appearance at 57th St. Books, 1301 E. 57th St., to read from his debut novel Looped. From the website: "Looped tells the separate stories of a diverse group of Chicagoans - black, brown, and white, gay, straight, and bi - as their lives unfold in diverging and (occasionally) converging ways over the course of the year 2000." The book is getting some good press, so I'd head out early to the 7pm event to get good seats.
Local auothor Aleksandar Hemon has a short story titled "The Conductor" in the new issue of the New Yorker. Hemon teaches writing in the Masters of Creative Writing program at Northwestern University and is the author of the critically acclaimed novel, Nowhere Man, and a collection of short stories, The Question of Bruno.
I read Alex Kotlowitz's new book Never A City So Real. It struck me that most every story (except for one about the Cook County Courthouse) either was about food or had food as a central theme. But his simple writing style and deep connections throughout the city exposes corners of our burgh you wouldn't see. Well worth the short amount of time it takes to read, almost like reading "This American Life".
The Virtual Book Tour makes its rounds this week with Tom Dolby's The Trouble Boy as its focus. The tour, which consists of an author making stops at websites and blogs much like they would at bookstores except, you know, online, stopped on Tuesday at Zulkey.com. (No, not that Tom Dolby. This one.)
Tomorrow night at MoJoe's Cafe Lounge in Roscoe Village, there's going to be a zine reading featuring many authors from the local zine community ... including GB's very own Andrew Huff! See the Slowdown entry for the full details. There are sure to be plenty of GB staffers in attendance, so don't forget to look for the cool kids wearing their GB T-shirts...
If you've ever harbored the notion of becoming a book critic, Claire Zulkey at MBToolBox lets you know that it's not as difficult as you think. She talked to several literary reviewers, including Bookslut's Jessa Crispin, on breaking into the book reviewing business. Guess what their biggest piece of advice is? Read. A lot. Oh, and you might want to start a blog, too. (Hey, I did.)
The superhuge and superfantastic February edition of the Chicago-based Bookslut is up, and with it comes interviews with Dennis Cooper, Brian Evenson and Bill Knott; a profile of the poetry mag 32 Poems; a Valentine's Day-themed installment of Sharon Adarlo's "Judging a Book by Its Cover" a new, extra-long installment of "Stripped Books" on Stephen Mitchell's new version of the Gilgamesh epic (by me); lucid reviews; snarky columns; and much much more. Read it.
Yet another Chicago blogger has landed a book deal: Jennsylvania's memoir, Bitter Is the New Black: Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self Centered Smartass, Or Why You Should Never Carry a Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office, will be published next spring by Penguin. A quick synopsis is available here. (Thanks to another blogger-author {blauthor?}, Wendy.)
Golden Rule Jones has a month-by-month round up of 2004's Chicago-related fiction. His list shows that almost every month had a new book with a Chicago author, a Chicago setting, or both.
Don't worry if you missed Amy Krouse Rosenthal at the Hideout last night - there are plenty more chances to see her in the coming month as she reads from her book Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life. Trust me, it's worth it. (And I totally want to find one of her books!)
Pulled over from Slowdown: Come hear some of Chicago's funniest writers tonight at the Hideout. The event is being hosted by Claire Zulkey and features readings from many friends of Gapers Block including Wendy McClure, Steve Delahoyde, Mark Bazer, Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Nathan Rabin and many more. Check out the Hideout website for the complete lineup. The event starts at 8pm, donations will be accepted at the door.
The Chicago-based MacArthur Foundation's "genius grants" don't pay off when it comes to literature, according to Crain's Chicago Business. A study of the 31 authors receiving the award since 1981 found that most --88 percent -- had hit their artistic peak well before they received the money. A handy PDF charts the authors and their output before and after the grant. (Wonder if Crain's will examine artists and musicians next?)
Every bibliophile loves a good book about books, especially when it's written by one of your favorite authors. Nick Hornby recently compiled his reading related Believer columns into The Polysyllabic Spree, making all us book lovers and Hornby fans squeal in delight. Tom Lynch shares an e-mail conversation with the author at Newcity.
Next Tuesday, 1/25, copies of the book The Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life will be scattered throughout the city (as well as in New York and San Francisco) with notes from the author, Amy Krause Rosenthal. According to the book site, "the finder is encouraged to report back to this very spot and share with us when and where he found the book." A test run earlier this month yeilded some interesting results and a short video clip.
Jessa Crispin, editor of Bookslut, got a nice write-up in the Tribune today. "The best part is the free books and the worst part is the free books," she says.
Still not sure where to focus your resolve this year? The Seminary Co-op Bookstore offers five places to start. From children's books to graphic novels, you're sure to find at least one resolution you'll be able to keep. (What? Read even more is a great resolution.)
Chicago blogger and friend of GB Wendy McClure's forthcoming book I'm Not the New Me, based partly on her web journal, has a brand new promo site of its own. And she got blurbed by Jennifer Weiner! The book arrives April 26.
Golden Rule Jones is still my favorite resource for upcoming poetry/ literary events and news; however, Letter eX: Chicago Poetry is also a good resource. The Poetry Events dropdown on the left top corner has a comprehensive list of ongoing weekly open mics, as well as special events. The site also has a Chicago Poetry Blog and a lot of useful links to resources, including a the Chicago poetry scene's Top 50.
Barack Obama will be the next celebrity type to pen a children's book. Part of a $1.9 million, three book deal, the book will be co-authored by Obama's wife and two daughters and will feature a boy who grows up to be senator. This could be cute, but man - first Madonna and now Obama. What's next? Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel churn out pamphlets for the fifth grade?
Ronne's Hartfield's book Another Way Home receives two extolling reviews in the Tribune. Part personal memoir and part Chicago history, the book centers on Hartfield's mother and her life as a mixed race American living in the city.
Author and historian, and beloved Chicago personality, Studs Terkel, was recently profiled in the Guardian. Still recovering from his "wild, jazzy, tumble", a fall that was mere inches from breaking his neck, the indestructible Studs talks with Martin Kettle. They discuss his most recent book, Hope Dies Last, his upcoming work, and the current political climate, "We're at a moment of unashamenedness. I call it the evil of banality."
The Illinois poet laureate site has audio and video of Illinois poets reading their work at a 2002 conference at Bradley University. It also has a Featured Illinois poet section; currently featured is Li-Young Lee, who recently read some of his amazing work at a Guild Complex event.
Amazon now has a page set up for Wendy McClure's forthcoming book, I'm Not the New Me. Pre-order it now!
The November edition of Bookslut is out and has a brand new "Stripped Books" on a store appearance by children's book creators Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith from a few weeks back. (Yeah, it's by me -- sorry about the blatant self-promotion.) The new edition also features interviews with Caitlin R. Kiernan, Jennifer Weiner, Amy Sohn and Arthur Phillips, as well as a new installment of Sharon Adarlo's "Judging a Book By Its Cover" feature and reviews galore.
Vic Sage leads a double life. As a reporter, he prowls the stockyards in the tradition of Upton Sinclair, as a hero, he walks the streets; a faceless defender of justice known only as The Question. Meanwhile, things are getting ugly in Metropolis. Unable to manage on his own, Superman calls for help. The Question hops a train, bringing his brand of justice to that "other" city. Check it out at Chicago Comics.
Former Smashing Pumpkins star Billy Corgan is reading from his new book of poetry, Blinking with First, at Borders, 830 N. Michigan, tomorrow night at 7pm. The line starts forming at 5pm, though if you want to get close you should arrive at, say, 8am. Check Slowdown for more info. If you don't get in, don't worry: this description of his reading in Vancouver [via BookSlut] will fill you in on the likely scene.
The West Chicago Public Library just received a copy of the book "Bhutan: A Visual Odyssey Across The Last Himalayan Kingdom". Measuring 5 feet by 7 feet, this is the world's largest book, and they're going to put it on display this Sunday. You can attend the opening reception (see the library's site for info) or, if you've got $10,000 burning a hole in your pocket, you can even buy a copy of your own from, yes, Amazon.com.
Prickly Paradigm Press, a pamphlet-publishing press distributed by the University of Chicago Press, has released much of its back catalog for PDF download under a Creative Commons license. Check out the list here.
As far as literary blogs go, Chicago has the widely-read Bookslut, but did you know about Golden Rule Jones? If you're interested in readings, check out the site's right frame, which contains a vast list linking to every upcoming poetry, fiction, and criticism reading in Chicago.
I've considered joining a book club in the past, but never really knew where to go to get started. Turns out that I should have at least considered the local library first: libraries across the city have book club discussions once a month. This month is dedicated to "One Book, One Chicago" -- a novel titled In The Time Of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez.
Chicago Public Radio has announced the winners of the 2004 Stories On Stage "Now Hear This" short story competition. J. Adams Oaks, Dana Wood and L.C. Fiore will see their pieces performed November 7 at the MCA. You can read one of Oaks's other works in The Tap.
When Chicago-based Poetry Magazine, the longest running poetry journal in the country, received a $100 million donation from Ruth Lilly two years ago, they seemed unsure of how to handle the windfall. However, at a kickoff banquet last night at the Gehry bandshell in Millennium Park, The Poetry Foundation displayed and announced some of they ways they will be using the money: to make poetry more mainstream. Besides awarding two five-figure cash prizes to lesser-known poets, they outlined plans for a national recitation contest and "the biggest and baddest Web site for poetry out there." Via Bookslut.
David Rees, creator of "My New Fighting Technique Is Unstoppable," is on tour to promote his second book, Get Your War On 2. He'll be at Columbia College next Thursday, Oct. 14. The event is free and takes place at 6pm in Hokin Hall, Room 109, 623 S. Wabash. Call 312/344-8181 for more info. (Thanks, Kyle!)
The Chicago Center for Book & Paper Arts at Columbia College has posted a gallery of creations from its 5th annual Edible Book show. My favorite: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Cheeseness. For more, check out the International Edible Book Festival.
The king of ladmags has recognized Dr. Rachel Shteir's upcoming book Grit, Glamour, and the Grind: A History of Striptease with three-and-a-half bunnies! Shteir is head of Dramaturgy at DePaul University. Look for her book in stores soon.
Unfortunately, you're not very good at it. Which is why you should head to FLIRT, 3449 N. Southport, this Thursday 7-9pm to see Jill Spiegel, author and self-proclaimed "flirtologist." She'll be giving a talk on flirting, and if you're lucky she'll also give you some one-on-one advice.
The new "One Book, One Chicago" title was announced today. It's the Julia Alvarez novel "In the Time of the Butterflies," the first selection by a Latina author chosen for the citywide reading program. Start looking for displays of the title at your local bookstore and/or your local library.
Jiminy! This Acme Novelty Archive v2.0 contains everything you could possibly want to know about local illustrated novelist Chris Ware, his art and products, and even fakes! And it's much"1.0" version! [via list.]
Jason Pettus writes a lot of things, including travel books. He has a novel way of paying for the trips these books are based on: donate cash for the trip, and you also reserve a copy of the book. $5 gets you on a mailing list to receive trip updates, $10 gets you an electronic version of the book, and $20 gets you a hard copy. He has some interesting "corporate sponsorship" ideas for those who donate $50 or more. His next trip is to England and Ireland in October, and he's a little under half-way to his goal of $1000; care to contribute?
Australia is abuzz about Norma Khouri's best-selling book, Forbidden Love, and not in a good way. The tale of an "honor killing" in Jordan when a muslim father finds his daughter has fallen in love with a Christian was revealed to be a fraud and pulled from shelves; it seems Khouri lived in Chicago in the 1990s, not in Jordan as she claimed. Her ex-roommate tells the Sydney Morning Herald, "Norma left Chicago on the Labor Day weekend in [August] 1999. I had been her best friend for five years. We were inseparable."
NewPages.com, the online portal to "alternatives in print & media," has an index to indie bookshops across the country. Check out their list of Illinois bookstores, most of which are located in and around Chicago. Although not comprehensive, you will find some old favorites here and maybe a few stores you didn't know about.
Danny's Reading Series is mixing it up a bit tonight with a "Comedy/Monologue Night" instead of the standard poetry and short stories. Come see the improv stylings of Bare (Fuzzy Gerdes and Shaun Himmerick), the confusing words of Mike Olson and the bizarre characters of Liz Poirier. Fun! Excitement! Air conditioning! Starting at 7:30pm sharp. It's free, but you have to be 21 to get in. (Thanks, Jessa.)
Claire Zulkey interviews local book maven Jessa Crispin of Bookslut about Chicago's amazing poetry reading scene, blogging, favorite critics and the potential for a Bookslut Magazine in her most recent edition of Just Under Twenty Questions.
Love David Sedaris? Love Hawaii or would like to go? Chicago Public Radio is combining the two together as the grand prize (125 in all) if you pledge by Aug 31. Support the airwaves!
July 3 is Free Comic Book Day at participating comic book shops across the country. Participating Chicago locations include Chicago Comics at 3244 N. Clark and Graham Crackers Comics at 69 E. Madison. Enter your zipcode at the Free Comic Book Day website to find the participating comic book store nearest you.
Who likes books? I bet you do. This weekend, you're in luck in Lakeview, as you'll find a used book sale going on at the Second Unitarian Church at 656 W. Barry. 10:00 to 4:30 Saturday, Noon to 4:30 Sunday. Go find some bargains!
As you probably know if you looked at Google's header graphic today, today's the 100th anniversary of Leopold Bloom's ramble around Dublin, as chronicled in James Joyce's "Ulysses". Celebrate Bloomsday tonight at the Red Lion Pub (2446 N. Lincoln, across from the Biograph) with a "do-it-yourself Bloomsday reading" performed open-mike style in three-minute increments. The fun goes from 7:00 to 9:00 tonight, admission is $3, and it's 21+. So even if you can't completely follow Joyce's text, you can still drink.
Intrigued by U of I's possible mascot change, you can read more about Native American history in the Chicago area, and beyond, at UIC's library. A new collection, possibly the largest in the world, of Native American literary works, audio recordings, and other materials, is now on display. The collection includes work by Potawatomi Chief Simon Pokagon, whose father, Leopold, sold what is now Chicago to the U.S. government for 3 cents an acre in 1833. It also includes work by contemporary Native American writers, such as Cherokee poet John Rollin Ridge, Sherman Alexie, Louise Erdrich, Martin Cruz Smith, and Gerald Vizenor.
Just in case there weren't enough book related events to keep you busy this weekend. The publishing industry's three day extravaganza, The Book Expo, is being held at Mccormick Place over the next few days. The event kicks off tonight with a keynote address from former President Bill Clinton. There will be more than 2,000 exhibitors, 500 authors and over 100 conference sessions. Some of the highlights include appearances by Art Speigelman, Amy Tan and David Sedaris. Unfortunately the event is open only to industry professionals. Call 1-800-840-5614 if you have any questions or need additional information.
NewCity Chicago announced its list of the top 50 movers-and-shakers in Chicago's vibrant literary scene. Included are newcomers like Audrey Niffenegger and mainstays like Studs Terkel, in addition to organizers of book fairs, readings, and more. Check out the complete Lit 50.
Admit it: you love romance novels. There's a box of Harlequins in your closet, and you pick up a new Regency Romance every Wednesday in the lobby bookstore. Well, as long as you're reading that stuff, you might as well read local. The Windy City chapter of the Romance Writers of America provides a convenient list of local amateur and professional authors for you to look for.
The Chicago Quill is an independent, nonpartisan magazine of politics, culture and the arts, run by students at the University of Chicago.
Tim Russert, NBC news anchor (and moderator for many of the 2000 presidential debates) will be at the Borders Bookstore at 150 N. State at 12:30 today signing copies of his new book, Big Russ & Me: Father and Son: Lessons of Life. Even if you're not interested in the book, it might be fun to go down and watch the political freaks argue in line.
David Sedaris is coming out with a new book and is coming to Barbara's in Oak Park to pimp it on June 4 and 5. (Early warning: he's also coming on Halloween to the Chicago Theatre.) See how small he really is and laugh and laugh and then laugh some more.
We're all familiar with the concept of self-publishing, right? Well, the folks at Apex Press WebComics are taking it to new heights. This diverse group of formed in 1998 and finally has a web presence. Their first book won't be out until September, but they have sketches of characters and scenes up now. They'll also be at Wizard World in August. Good luck!
The Chicago Tribune today takes a look at Chicago's zine scene. The article lists some of the best bookstores for locating zines and small-press magazines and reviews several of the city's best zines including WhiteWalls and Bridge Magazine.
Bruce Sterling, author (and blogger) of note, speaks at Barbara's Bookstore in Oak Park tonight at 7:30 PM.
As commented in our Ask the Librarian column, our friend in yours, Ian Olsen-Clark has improved and created a bookmarklet (?) that will allow one to access the Chicago Public Library's system. It's amazingly nifty. Here's an endorsement and further explanation of what you can do with it.
The Sun-Times reports that the best-selling travel book "1,000 Places to See Before You Die" has a number of Chicago locations in its list, alongside such exotic destinations as the Taj Mahal, the Pyramids of Egypt, and the North Pole. Among the Chicago locations mentioned in the book: the Art Institute, Charlie Trotter's, the Chicago Blues Festival, the Frank Lloyd Wright home in Oak Park .... and, yes, Superdawg.
The New York Times today has a profile of the new president of the Poetry Foundation, John W. Barr, and his thoughts on managing the foundation's famously large gift from Ruth Lilly.
The new issue of Bookslut is up and includes a profile of the Comix Revolution bookstore in Evanston.
The tenth annual Guild Complex Women Writers Conference this weekend focuses on women and new media, complete with workshops on blogging and "electronically enhanced storytelling." Friday night, see keynote speakers Larissa Lai, Alexis O'Hara and Krista Franklin perform their work at Catalyst Ranch, 656 W. Randolph St. Saturday features two sets of workshops followed by a campus tour of Illinois Institute of Technology, 35 W. 33rd St. Check the site or call 773-227-6117 for schedule and price information.
This week's Newcity reports that the Barbara's Bookstore on Wells Street in Old Town is closing this week. The store has been experiencing flagging sales since the Borders on North and Halsted opened. The Barbara's chain has been part of Chicago's history for decades; in 1968, some of the Yippies (including Abbie Hoffman) hid out in the Wells Street store during the Democratic convention. If you live nearby (1350 N. Wells), stop in and pay your respects to another disappearing piece of Chicago history.
Author Aldo Alvarez is currently residing in Chicago and is the executive editor and publisher of the Blithe House Quarterly, an online literary magazine of short fiction by gay, lesbian and bisexual authors. Started in 1997, the Quarterly just released their Spring Issue featuring stories by Patrick Roscoe, Trebor Healey and Dawn Paul to name a few. Definitely worth checking out.
AWP (the Association of Writers and Writing Programs) brings its annual writing conference to Chicago this year which means hordes (literally!) of writers young and old will be descending on Chicago starting Wednesday. Look for plenty of action in the Loop, where the four-day event gets going at the Palmer House Hilton (if you want to attend, check their website for registration details). But do not despair if you can't attend because there's going to be plenty of writer spillover into area bookstores, bars, clubs, and coffeehouses (psst...check out our Slowdown section) as writers from far and near get their word on through Saturday.
David Kodeski isn't the only local author who's turning found diaries into new literary work. This month, author and independent scholar Ellen FitzSimmons Steinberg publishes her new book Irma: A Chicago Woman's Story, 1871-1966. A look at Chicago life over a century ago, the book was pieced together from a number of diaries Steinberg stumbled across in a Chicago used bookstore. They told the story of Irma Rosenthal Frankenstein, a struggling author who was keeping notes and writing for a book which she eventually hoped to publish. While Irma's final project was not realized during her lifetime, Steinberg has fashioned a biography for her that documents a distinctive woman's life in turn-of-the-century Chicago.
Finally, the Chicago Public Library's choice for the One Book, One Chicago program -- you know, where we all read the same book? -- is actually related to the city: The Coast of Chicago, by Stuart Dybek. (Actually, last year's A Raisin in the Sun was set here, too.) A list of activities here. [Thanks Jamie]
The Chicago Public Library has named its new "One Book, One Chicago" selection: The Coast of Chicago, by Stuart Dybek. The sixth annual citywide book club will culminate during National Library Week, April 18-24, with a free public program by the author at the Harold Washington Library.
Chicago author and historian Studs Terkel was awarded a lifetime achievement award by the National Book Critics Circle yesterday. Terkel is also to appear in a performance of the play "Trumbo" at Steppenwolf on March 29th, where he will also talk about his own experiences with the play's subject, Dalton Trumbo.
WBEZ 848's List of Essential Reading about Chicago. Time to settle in.
Well lookee here! Quimby's has a brand new website and an online store so you no longer have to be embarassed to walk out with your 3-foot pile of comics, your mini-shrine to McSweeney's or that pile of fetish and erotica books. A new notable section is Live at Quimby's, a selection of audio recordings of speakers and readers such as Al Burian, Chip Kidd and Amy Fusselman. The downside is that you have to use crappy Real Player (I'm not even going to link that!).
If you haven't heard of Craig Thompson or Blankets, his acclaimed graphic novel, then you should read the interview with him over at Bookslut.
A new book out by Jean Thompson, City Boy, uses Chicago as its setting. Not much really comes of this fact, aside from the mention of some street names and of Lake Michigan, but sometimes that's enough. Both SFGate.com and the Baltimore Sun recently reviewed this novel, each with a different take on the story. It's a story of two twenty-somethings trying to find their way in this city; sound familiar?
If you've said to yourself recently, "I'd love to get The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, but it is too cold to go shopping," then Women and Children First has a solution. If you buy the hardcover version from them online, they'll ship it for free. They'll also ship you hardcover versions of It's Not the End of the World by Kate Atkinson or The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler for free. It's the first time they've offered this, so make it a huge success so they'll keep doing it. Winter doesn't end till April or so anyway.
Combining more than 100 duotone images with stories from over 125 Chicagoans, "The Old Chicago Neighborhood: Remembering Life in the 1940s" looks back fondly at daily life, the war years, sports and recreation, and entertainment in Chicago’s neighborhoods. Over the last year, Neal Samors and fellow author, Michael Williams, have sold over $200,000 worth of copies. Visit www.chicagosneighborhoods.com to read more and order online. [Trib. login: gapers/gapers]
The National Book Critics Circle will be giving its lifetime achievement award this year to Chicago's favorite oral historian and national treasure Studs Terkel. [Trib login: gapers/gapers]
Don Norman will discuss his new book, Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things, at 7pm tonight at Evanston's Main Library, 1703 Orrington. According to Norman, a well-rounded product will "enhance the heart as well as the mind, being a joy to behold, to use, and to own." Free. For information, call 847/866-0300.
As a follow-up to an earlier post, the Sun-Times has a brief commentary about the governor's plan to distribute books to infants while cutting library funding. Chicago's own Shifted Librarian also looks at the issue and urges library supporters to contact the governor about his "boneheaded idea." She writes, "Let's support our existing libraries and provide our children with more than just one book a month. We can do better than that, and guess what? Libraries already do better than that. Keep funding them."
Robert Birnbaum interviews Neal Pollack, who discusses his Chicago influences and the lessons he learned as a staff writer at the Reader.
Local author Audrey Niffenegger will read from (and sign) her best-selling book, The Time Traveler's Wife, at Women & Children First, 5233 N. Clark St., Thursday night at 7:30pm. Call 773/769-9299 or check here for more information. To bone up beforehand, read this Bookslut interview with Niffenegger.
WBBM reporter Jim Benes has written a book, Chicago Christmas: 100 Years of Christmas Memories. The AM station runs excerpts from the book during the holiday season; today's edition is a story from 1933.
Paul Hornschemeier's comic goodness, Forlon Funnies, offers a beautiful view into a lonely world. The Chicago transplant finds the city the perfect working environment; the grey days offer plenty of introspection which is evident in the pages of his comics. He has received much praise for his work, including a nomination from the Harveys for best new talent and two nominations from the Eisners for best coloring and best new series. In addition to all the good vibes, Dark Horse Comics is releasing his graphic novel, Mother, Come Home on December 31st. The novel is based on a story from issues two through four of Forlon Funnies. You can orderMother, Come Home online or find it locally at Chicago Comics or Quimby's.
"John burned. They were going to see. They were going to see that the long years of wrongs done him had created a tremendous backlog of owed good luck, which was going to surge forward now, holy and personal." Gambling, losing and being a white roofer on the South Side: George Saunders remembers "Chicago Christmas, 1984." Related: Saunders discusses writing the story: "I think the main influence was the extreme Chicago version of satire. The way that all emotion was communicated through irony, punching in the ribs, insults to one’s mother, etc. And the way that all of this teasing masked deep, Eastern European levels of pathos, love for life, friend loyalty, etc."
Kevin Stein, a professor at Bradley University in Peoria, becomes the new Illinois Poet Laureate today, succeeding Gwendolyn Brooks who died in 2000. Stein will serve a four-year term, and is required to perform four public readings each year. He most recently edited a book, "Illinois Voices," an anthology of 20th century poetry from the Lincoln state. (Those who wish to depose him in 2007, take note: the position is unpaid.)
The new issue of Bookslut features an interview with Chicago writer and artist Audrey Niffenegger, author of the well-reviewed novel, The Time Traveler's Wife.
Wilmette resident Alex Ross paints comic-book characters so lifelike that they look like your next-door neighbor—if your neighbor wore spandex and had heat vision. Ross and graphic designer/author Chip Kidd will be signing their new book, Mythology: The DC Comics Art of Alex Ross, this Saturday at Chicago Comics from 3 to 6 pm.
The Daily Herald writes that far from becoming obsolete, the demand for public library services is on the rise. Suburban libraries, such as the Round Lake Area Library, have seen 20-25% increases in their circulation every year for the past 3 years -- a trend echoed by libraries across the country.
Things are not good at Poetry
After inheriting Ruth Lilly's money tree.
For all this confusion
I have a solution:
Just give that $100 million to me!
Pick up this Sunday's Chicago Tribune for their annual best books of the year list. (Or just look at their site on Sunday, because the list will also be online.)
Chicago author and historian Studs Terkel is getting some good press on the heels of his new book, Hope Dies Last: Keeping the Faith in Difficult Times. He's the subject of an interview at Salon.com (Salon registration required, or you can get a free day pass for the article), and Hope Dies Last is reviewed favorably in this week's AV Club section in the Onion. If you haven't picked up your copy yet, you might want to stop by the Barnes & Noble at 1441 W. Webster on Sunday, November 30; Studs will be doing a discussion and booksigning at 3:00.
Want to be up on the city's literary scene? Subscribe to the chicagolit.org email list, whose "announcements are for readings, signings, journal or magazine releases, discussions, lectures, symposia, special events and other activities in Chicago relating to books, authors and literature." It is, of course, free.
For those of you who think National Novel Writing Month is more than you can handle, you may find National Drunken Writing Night more up your alley. One drink an hour, one story an hour, until there's only one writer left standing - and it's tonight. So grab some candy and get writing!
IIT's Shlomo Argamon helped write the algorithm behind the Gender Genie, this week's blog meme. Enter a passage of text and the Genie predicts the author's gender. I entered several days of Merge, the Proprietors page and the current installments of Detour, Airbags and Fuel, and the results were unanimous: Gapers Block is a boy!
Stitch-n-Bitch isn't just the name of a group of knitters who get together once a week. Its now the title of a knitting book written by Debbie Stoller, the co-founder and editorial director of Bust magazine. While Debbie founded the New York knitting group, Brenda Janish (whose knitted catbed pattern appears on page 228) founded the Chicago chapter. There are more than 500 members on the list-serv, the group just celebrated its third anniversary and it's outgrown several coffee shops. (They're together every Tuesday night from 7-9 at the Art Gallery Kafe.) Jennifer Mindel, a Chicago graphic designer and s-n-b member, designed the "Windy City Scarf," which appears on page 159 and seems perfect for the weather headed our way.
Only 10 days to go until National Novel Writing Month, where the goal is to write a 50,000-word novel by midnight, Nov. 30. Chicago participants will be having a kick-off party at 6 p.m. at the Ten Cat, 3931 N. Ashland.
Studs Terkel has a new volume of oral history, "Hope Dies Last." Here's a fantastic Onion interview: "Hope is very personal. What's the alternative to hope? Despair. Well, if you despair, then put your head in the oven. What's the point? Am I sanguine about the future? Hell, no, I'm worried stiff. But I think the American people basically are decent. This I know."
Michael Anania and Haki Madhubuti, two of five finalists for the vacant position of Illinois Poet Laureate, are reading tonight in the Ballroom of the School of the Art Institute, 112 S. Michigan Ave, 6:30 p.m.
Former Reader and McSweeney's writer Neal Pollack returns to town to promote his latest book, "Never Mind the Pollacks." Thursday, Oct. 16, there will be a free reading at Quimby's (1854 W. North) at 7:30, followed by a 9:30 show at the Subterranean (2011 W. North) with his band, The Neal Pollack Invasion ($8). Friday at 12:30 he'll read at Borders (150 N. State), then at 9 open for comedy troupe Schadenfreude at the Athenaeum (2936 N. Southport; $20).
Congratulations to South African writer J.M. Coetzee, who has won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Mr. Coetzee is currently teaching at the University of Chicago, also home to a series of Nobel-winning economists. The moral here: if you want a shot at a Nobel, try teaching at the U of C. [Trib. login: gapers/gapers]
Since you're reading this, I'm going to assume that you can read and that you like to read. Based on these assumptions, you are a perfect candidate for a Read-A-Thon to support the Blue Gargoyle Adult and Family Learning Programs.
Anyone want to bring Davis Rees to Chicago? The creator of Get your war on is on tour, and willing to add additional stops. All that's needed is space and an overhead transparency projector.
Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House, will be signing his book "Gettysburg, a Novel of the Civil War" at the Borders at 150 N. State St. today starting at 12:30 pm -- just in time for some lunchtime entertainment.
What a great resource
is Chicago Poetry
dot com? Take a look.
That Wild Chicago book we were just talking about? Host Will Clinger will be signing books tonight at the Barnes & Noble located at the corner of Clark and Diversey, beginning at 7:30. There will also be a group of Stitch'n'Bitchers knitting live in case you'd like to meet them.
This is unfortunately the last season for Channel 11's wonderful Wild Chicago -- financial problems at WTTW and the hosts' interests in moving on have cut the show down in the prime of its life. However, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, a companion book has just been published, so you can follow along during the no-doubt endless reruns to come.
Pistil Magazine is still accepting submissions for its fall issue. The theme is public/private, their premiere issue may still be on magazine racks and is dedicated to Chicago. If you're interested in expanding your writing horizons, give these people a submission. We creative folks gotta stick together if we're going to outshine the coasts, y'know.
BookPage profiles Neil Gaiman in the August issue, looking at his new forthcoming children's book, The Wolves in the Walls. A few lucky Chicagoans, myself included, heard Gaiman read this book when he appeared at the Printer's Row Book Fair in June.
Anne, from Bells and Whistles writes a wonderful review of Norbert Blei's Chi Town. It is the final book in a trilogy about the city of Chicago and would be a good place for new Chicago residents to read.
Another book which will serve new city residents, or people looking for a new neighborhood, is the Not For Tourists Guide to Chicago. It breaks the city down into regions and provides info on everything from liquor stores to hardware stores, restaraunts, and brief mentions of neighborhood feel. Cover price is $16.95.
The 3:15 experiment is a collective writing project where participants write at 3:15am (in a specified time zone) every day for the month of August. Originally conceived at Naropa, it's intended to be an exercise on "states of consciousness and the writing process...to discover what connections would be made while writing separately, but together." The next 3:15 is coming up, and they're looking for more participants.
For those of you with a soft spot for ragtime music, The Ragtime Ephemeralist may be of keen interest. The publication digs deep into the history of the genre, and the site offers additional resources, including some sample recordings. First rate!
Pomposity!, a "lit rag for the computing set," is a product of a couple students in the Interactive Multimedia Program at Columbia College. The html version is dead, but the Flash site boasts a nice mix of high- and low-brow writing.
The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th Edition, has been released to much fanfare. The Chronicle of Higher Education has a review.
Porno galore tonight when Irvine Welsh reads from his latest book. At the Metro so don't forget, and yes it's free!
Tickets for the 14th National Poetry Slam go on sale today at noon via the evil that is Ticketmaster. Three-day passes will be sold by the Chopin Theater beginning August 5th, and cover can be paid at any of the individual venues the throughout the event.
Marc Smith, a construction worker in Chicago, started an audience-participated open mike poetry slam at the Green Mill in 1986. The format spread throughout the world. Now, all the top winners are going to be descending on Chicago beginning the first full week in Chicago to see who can give the best...um...oral slam down.
They're also looking for volunteers.
Does anything rock more than big sales at cool bookstores? Women and Children First's annual blowout runs July 19-27 -- 20% (or more) off every book in the store! Wow.
Yo! You know that dude that wrote that hipster book man, that everyone and their soccer moms I know seems to have read? Yeah! That McSweeney's dude! Dave Scrambled Eggs or sumthin? Yeah! He's gonna be reading from his latest book, "You Shall Know Our Velocity" down at the Ballroom at 112 S. Michigan on the AIC grounds. Man, that sounds like some religious thing. Nah man, that cool hipster bookstore that everyone and their soccer moms I know seems to go to is putting it on. Quincy? No man, that's a show about a doctor or sumthin, Quimby's man, Quimby's. Word up.
Are you a young feminist who likes to read? Then venture to Women & Children First on the third Monday of every month for the Young Feminist Book Club. The group votes on which titles will be read and focuses mostly on non-fiction. The next book is Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson. She also wrote Sexing the Cherry and Passion, so you can guess that this is a quite sexy, yet gender-ambiguous novel. If you purchase the book at the store, you get a 10% discount.
Books have been picked through next January and will be available on the calendar portion of this site. Or, you can get more information by calling 773/769-9299.
Author Sheila Seclearr will discuss her book "A Tree on Turtle Island" at Women and Children First Bookstore. The reading will take place on June 26 at 7:30 p.m. at 5233 N Clark.
Love Harry Potter but hate The Man? In addition to Barnes & Noble as Alex mentions below, many local independent booksellers will also be hosting Potter parties Friday night, including Seminary Co-op in Hyde Park, Women and Children First in Andersonville, and the web-impaired Unabridged Books in Lake View.
The latest installment in the Harry Potter chronicles, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" will go on sale Saturday, June 21st. Many Barnes and Noble Book Sellers will host release parties on Friday. Check with your local store for more information.
Heard on WBEZ this morning that Hilary Rodham Clinton is coming to the Women and Children First bookstore June 28th at 10:30am to sign copies of her book. Wonder if she's going to travel along or will be coming with her husband too?
The Discrete Series is an event of poetry/music/performance/etc. on the second Friday of each month at Elastic Revolution. Tomorrow's performance features poetry by Mark Nowak, Drew Kunz & Greg Purcell. For more information, see the event listing. 3030 W. Cortland, 9pm, $5 donation.
"Like Hollywood's best film noir, these clubs are in the business of producing middle-class fantasies of urban life, thrilling and dark. But in reality, most of these places feel more like Disneyland with booze." In an interview for U. Chicago Press, Blue Chicago author David Grazian skewers the crass commericalism of the city's blues clubs -- and expectations that blues musicians must be black.
The position of Illinois Poet Laureate was created in 1936; since then, it has been held by three people: Howard B. Austin, Carl Sandburg, and Gwendolyn Brooks. The position has been vacant since Brooks's death in 2000. Recently, a lobbying process was begun to find a new laureate, and to impose term limits on the position. The lobbying was successful: what was once a lifetime appointment will be a four-year renewable term. Nominations are now being accepted.
Margaret Atwood is this year's recipient of the Harold Washington Literary Award for her creative use of the written word. Her most recent book, Oryx and Crake was published last month. She will be accepting her award at the Harold Washington Library on Sunday, June 8th at 1:30 pm as part of the Chicago Tribune Printer's Row Book Fair. If you're wondering why you haven't read anything about this in the Chicago Tribune it could have something to do with the fact that her books often end up on Banned Book lists. Or I could be beating them to it.
Check out the program for more activities.
Chicago-based writer Elizabeth Crane, of "The Messenger is Hot", a book which by now you've seen in that you should read section of your local Borders or B&N (it has quite a nice design), lists her Top 10 Reading List, subtitled "An Antidote to Bestselleritis". Undoubtedly, most intellectual and "hipster types" will find this list familiar.
DePaul professor Maria de los Angeles Torres will be reading from her book "By Heart/De Memoria" tonight, June 4, at 7:30 p.m. The book chronicles Torres' journey (and that of 10 other essayists) from Cuba to Miami, during the Bay of Pigs invasion. The reading will take place at Women and Children First bookstore located at 5233 N. Clark. For more information, call 773.769.9299.
The 19th annual Printer's Row Book Fair (June 7 & 8, 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. at Dearborn & Polk, free admission) will feature a panel on Chicago's independent publishers.
Author Mat Johnson, will be doing a reading to promote his new book "Hunting in Harlem" on June 3 at Barbara's Books located at 1350 N. Wells at 7:30. Walter Mosley says of the book, "Mat Johnson's breathless thriller cuts to the heart of gentrification. Hunting in Harlem shakes up the issues of urban blight and asks, How far do you go to set it right? Implausibly humorous, righteously terrifying, (it is) a cautionary tale for our time."
Eric Schlosser is going to be at Barbara's Bookstore (no website?!?) in downtown Oak Park at 7:30 on Thursday. Fast Food Nation was one of my favorite books last year, and his new one, Reefer Madness, is surely just as good. Call 708.848.9140 for details.
Right Field Sucks is an Onion-esque look at Cubs fandom. It recently spawned a print newspaper, The Heckler, distributed at bars and restaurants around Wrigley Field. (Written up in last week's Hot Type column in The Reader.)
The latest issue of Roosevelt University's award-winning literary magazine, Oyez Review is now on sale. Issue 30 which features work by poets Saul Bennett, Robert E. Haynes and Don Winter can be purchased for $4 at the Roosevelt book store (at both Chicago and Schamburg campuses) or by calling Professor Janet Wondra at 312.341.3770.
As always, working with new writers and promoting local talent Tia Chucha Press is now accepting submissions of chapbooks from Illinois poets. Full details are available at their website. The deadline, June 30, is rapidly approaching so apply today.
Speakeasy Magazine is hosting a forum to discuss the relationship between readers and writers, how politics does and should affect how readers read, and how writers write. Women & Children First will be sponsoring the discussion on Wednesday, May 7 at 7:30 in the store. The panelists, Sara Paretsky, Carol Anshaw, Rosellen Brown, and Aleksandar Hemon., will discuss whether writing should address political realities, how politics affect what people read, and what it means to be a literary citizen.
The bi-monthly Speakeasy Magazine was launched in September 2002 by the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis.
The Guild Complex is now accepting submissions for their 10th annual "Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Awards." All entries must be received by May 30th. Sadly though, if accepted you'll have to leave your rubber chickens and kazoos at home -- no musical accompaniment or props allowed.
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