Friday 9/19: Claire Zulkey’s getting the original lineup of Funny Ha-Ha back together at The Hideout for an evening of storytelling, reminiscing, and hilarity. Mark Bazer, Kevin Guilfoile, John Green, Nathan Rabin, and Amy Krouse Rosenthal join Zulkey. 6:30 p.m.
Beatriz Badikian-Gartler stops by Women and Children First to read from her new collection of poetry, Unveiling the Mind. She’s joined by poets Mike Puican, Yvonne Zipter, and Natalia Taylor. 7:30 p.m.
Curbside Splendor is on a hot streak of publishing great indie-lit books, and that streak continues at the Empty Bottle, where they’ll celebrate the release of Losing in Gainsville, Brian Costello’s second novel. There’ll be a bunch of bands to back him up. 9 p.m.
Saturday 9/20: Mike Birbiglia tells jokes through storytelling. He’s been on This American Life, starred in the film Sleepwalk With Me, and this week, he’ll stop at the Chicago Theatre on his “Thank God for Jokes” tour. 8 p.m.
Sunday 9/21: Jesmyn Ward is at Women and Children First to promote her forthcoming memoir, Men We Reaped. Ward, assistant professor at the University of South Alabama, lost five young men in her life, and this book attempts to answer why our country is losing so many young black men so soon. Ward has earned national recognition for her work. Go see her. 4:30 p.m.
Monday 9/22: Nancy Horan is on tour with her latest novel, Under the Wide and Starry Sky, and she stops at the Harold Washington Library for a reading and a book signing. 6 p.m.
The live lit series, Louder Than a Mom, comes to Martyr’s in North Center to opine on the theme “The Truth Hurts.” Come hear Mary Terese Corzzola, Natalie Sullivan Shipman, Stacy Snyder, Austin Tichenor, Cheryl Trykv, Natasha Tsoutsouris, and Christine Wolf. 8 p.m.
Tuesday 9/23: The Poetry Foundation’s series “Poetry Off the Shelf” features two notable British poets. This week, Todd Swift and John Wilkinson read from their latest collections. 7 p.m.
Wednesday 9/24: Iranian-American writer Shermin Kruse stops at City Lit Books to read from her first novel, Butterfly Stitching, inspired by her personal experiences and those of other Iranian women. 6:30 p.m.
The next Miss Spoken live lit show is on the theme “College Years” and features Erin Watson, Genny Ramos, Dana Norris, JH Palmer, and Brandy Agerbeck. The Gallery Caberet, 7 p.m.
Angela Pneuman followed up her acclaimed short story collection, Home Remedies, with the novel, Lay It on My Heart, in July. She comes from Albany, NY to read at Women and Children First. 7:30 p.m.
Thursday 9/25: Wendy Ortiz reads and talks about her compelling memoir Excavation at Harold Washington Library, 6 p.m.
