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Friday, March 29

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Events Thu Jun 21 2012

House Party!!!!!!!

With such titles as "Scarface," "Some Like it Hot," Wuthering Heights," and "A Thousand and One Afternoons in Chicago," on his resume Ben Hecht is one big name. And he, like many other similarly prestigious men and women of the pen, spent much of his early career writing right here in Chicago. Ben Hecht's House Party, set to take place next week, on June 27 at 7pm, in the writer's former Hyde Park home at 5210 S. Kenwood Ave., is no doubt one of the more unique events you'll have an opportunity to attend in the foreseeable future. And perhaps the last opportunity of its kind as the house is about to return to private residence status.

The evening is presented by the professional historical reenactment group Pocket Guide to Hell, spearheaded by local historian Paul Durica, and the Op Shop. This literary salon will seem as though it's been plucked from the 1920s. From its guest list, which includes Carl Sandburg, Vachel Lindsay, and Margaret Anderson, portrayed by the likes of David Durstewitz, JC Gabel, Caroline Picard, Kathleen Rooney, and Martin Seay, to period style music performed live by Aaron Cohen (editor of Downbeat) and Curtis Meyers, it's certain to conjure the vibe of the era that inspired Hecht. Northwestern University' Bill Savage will offer a bit of insight on Hecht and the Chicago literary world of the 1920s in a brief lecture, which you can enjoy alongside period appropriate refreshments provided by Tara Lane, the chef at Hull House, formerly of Blackbird and Avec.

There will also opportunity for guests to participate in setting what promises to be a truly transporting scene. A Bohemian Costume Contest with prizes courtesy of Poetry, The Chicagoan, The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame, and Chicago Publishes will award the evening's most roaring attire.

RSVP to pocketguidetohell@gmail.com by Monday, June 25. Cost is $20 for adults and $10 for students.

 
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Book Club is the literary section of Gapers Block, covering Chicago's authors, poets and literary events. More...

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