Gapers Block has ceased publication.
Gapers Block published from April 22, 2003 to Jan. 1, 2016. The site will remain up in archive form. Please visit Third Coast Review, a new site by several GB alumni.
✶ Thank you for your readership and contributions. ✶
TODAY
Slowdown
BY DAY
Thursday, September 09 2010
William "Upski" Wimsatt @ 57th Street Books
William "Upski" Wimsatt first got his name out in the world as a graffiti tagger on the South Side. Growing up in Hyde Park he was entranced by African-American hip hop culture from an early age. As he told the New York Times, "I saw it as my job to get white people to talk about race." In 1993 he published an influential article on "wiggers" in The Source. His books include 1994's Bomb The Suburbs and 2000's No More Prisons. Tupac Shakur declared Bomb The Suburbs "the best book I read in prison" and No More Prisons won the 2000 Firecracker Alternative Book Award for Politics. (Incidentally, "bomb" is slang for "to cover a surface with graffiti"). Wimsatt puts his activist money where his mouth is: In 2003 he founded the League of Young Voters, and he's the Chief Executive Officer of All Hands On Deck, a political, organizational and communications consulting firm designed to organize unlikely voters. His latest book, Please Don't Bomb The Suburbs, comes out this October. Tonight his book tour stops at 57th Street Books, 1301 E. 57th Street, at 6:30pm.
Story Club @ Uncommon Ground
Story Club, a monthly open mic storytelling series, combines the spontaneity of an open mic with featured readings at Uncommon Ground (3800 N. Clark). Tonight's featured readers are Kelly Anchors & Evan Clossin. Open mic sign-up at 8pm, go time at 8:30. This event is free. For more information visit Uncommon Ground or Story Club.
Sónar Chicago
Esteemed Barcelona music festival Sónar makes its first appearance in Chicago starting today. Continuing through September 11, the event brings a host of experimental electronic luminaries to Millennium Park's Pritzker Pavilion and the Chicago Cultural Center, including Oval, Ben Frost and Martyn. Today's events occur entirely in Millenium Park, starting with a lunchtime performance at noon and continuing again from 5pm. Sónar Chicago occurs in conjunction with the Empty Bottle and Wire magazine Adventures in Modern Music festival. All Sónar Chicago events downtown are free, while the Empty Bottle / Wire gigs start later in the evening and range in price from $10 to $30.
Slow Food Chicago TomatoFest Potluck Dinner @ Chicago Honey Coop
Slow Food Chicago hosts a TomatoFest Potluck Dinner tonight at Chicago Honey Coop, 3740 West Fillmore, at 5:30pm. Bring an appetizer, main course or dessert to share; they'll provide the wine (but not the designated driver, sorry). Tickets $10-15.
