Friday 5/30: It’s Poetry Night at City Lit Books, and this month features a couple of heavy hitters. Diane Raptosh is promoting her newest collection, American Amnesiac, which was long listed for the National Book Award. Two-time National Poetry Slam champion Roger Bonair-Agard will read from his collection, Bury My Clothes. City Lit Books, 6:30 p.m.
Writer, painter and translator Daisy Rockwell stops in Andersonville at Women and Children First Books to talk about her new novel, Taste. This is the only Chicago appearance in her six-city national tour. 7:30 p.m.
You’re Being Ridiculous is back at Mary’s Attic, featuring Brooke Allen, Lily Be, Xavier Jordan, Ruth McCormack, Jeremy Owens, Jeremy Schaefer, and Parker Stockman. Each reader tells a funny story for about 10 minutes. 7:30 p.m.
Saturday 5/31: The Chicago Alternative Comics Expo kicks off a weekend-long celebration of Chicago’s literary underground. The Expo will feature workshops, panel discussions and comics for sale Saturday and Sunday at the Center on Halsted. 6 p.m.
Sunday 6/1: The Woman Made Gallery Literary Series presents work on the theme “The Other.” Readers include Renny Golden, Vandana Khanna, Mary McMyne, Janeen Pergrin Rastall, Yunuen Rodriguez, and Erika Sanchez. Visit the website for the audio archive of past shows. 1:30 p.m.
Monday 6/2: Swiss writer Joël Dicker comes to City Lit Books to promote his internationally-acclaimed novel, The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair, a standout title at the 2012 Frankfurt Book Fair. 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday 6/3: The Wit Rabbit Reading Series presents a multi-genre showcase of work. In any given month you may hear poetry, essay, fiction, and drama all in the same night. This month features Anne Barngrover, Philip Jenks, Gordon Sauer, Connor Stratman, and T.J. Tallie. Quencher’s Saloon, 7 p.m.
Tuesday Funk is an eclectic literary series that happens at Hopleaf, just about the best place for writers to meet and have a drink. This month features Claire Zulkey, Patricia Skalka, Sara Ross Witt, Theodore Goeglein, and Ted McLelland. Get there early as it fills up fast. 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday 6/4: Sina Queyras is downtown at the Poetry Foundation for Poetry Off the Shelf. Queyras’ latest book, Unleashed, is a collection of her best blog posts from the last four years. 7 p.m.
Reading Under the Influence is in its 10th year of presenting a unique literary series at Sheffield’s. Writers read an original work of no more than 750 words, read the work of a published author, and then present a trivia question to the audience. This month’s theme is “Well Done.” Chris Bowen, Scott Miles, A.C. Frieden, and Megan Stielstra will be featured. 7 p.m.
Danny’s Reading Series always features good poets, and it’s followed by a DJ. This month you can hear the work of Tyrone Williams, Laura Elrick, and James Shea. 7:30 p.m.
Thursday 6/5: The 24th Annual Conference on Virginia Woolf kicks off at Loyola and Northern Illinois University. This year’s focus is Virginia Woolf: Writing the World, and there are readings, seminars, museum tours, and social events focused on the Modernist literary giant. June 5-8, 8 a.m.–9:30 p.m.
If you go to one event this week, go to The Book Cellar, where Cristina Henraiquez will read from her new novel, The Book of Unknown Americans. 7 p.m.
