Friday 10/17: The inaugural Lit & Luz Festival is underway at the School of the Art Institute, featuring authors and visual artists exploring the historical contexts of both Mexico City and Chicago and how one documents lives and culture in these cities. Writers today include Brenda Lozano, Luis Felipe Fabre, and Aguillón-Mata. Brought to you by Make literary magazine. 4:15 p.m.
Heather A. Slomski won the prestigious Iowa Short Fiction Award this year, and she appears at one of the best bookstores on the North Side, City Lit Books, to talk about her work with the lovely Rebecca Makkai. 6:30 p.m.
Ursula Bielski, author of Creepy Chicago and the Chicago Haunts series, is at The Book Cellar to scare you with her ghost stories. 7 p.m.
Saturday 10/18: Leslie S. Klinger will read excerpts from and sign copies of his latest book, The New Annotated H.P. Lovecraft, at Sulzer Regional Library. 1:30 p.m.
City Lit Books welcomes you back for Chicago Poets Night, featuring the verse of Heather Cox, Virginia Bell, Sarah Carson, Ladan Osman, and Angela Narciso Torres. 5 p.m.
Sunday 10/19: Jamaal May is this week’s special guest at the legendary Uptown Poetry Slam, hosted by J.W. Basilo. Jazz and open mic will follow. Go off book, please. Don’t risk ridicule by reading from a Moleskine. The Green Mill, 7 p.m.
Monday 10/20: The International House at the University of Chicago presents another installment of Global Voices Author Night with Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, Clarence Page. Come see a legend talk about his craft. 6 p.m.
Poetry Foundation offers a free workshop on writing the sonnet. It’s free but preregistration is required and there’s only room for 15 of you. 6 p.m.
Between Bites is the convergence of eating and storytelling, and it features Kevin Boehm, Ina Pinkney, Matt Lynch, Lauren Viera, Chuck Sudo, and Liz Grossman. Frontier, 6:30 p.m.
This month’s Essay Fiesta is dedicated to the great Bela Lugosi and features live readings from Diana Slickman, Scott Stealey, M. Molly Backes, David Boyle, and Virginia Fox. Benefits 826CHI. The Book Cellar, 7 p.m.
Tuesday 10/21: Write Club is one of the best literary events in Chicago, and it’s back at The Hideout for Chapter 63: Field of Screams. Dana Norris takes on Carolyn Hoerdemann, Casey Brazeal does battle with Jeff Miller, and Carly Oishi squares off against Brendan Gardiner. Hosted by Ian Belknap. No blood capsules needed here. This is the real thing. 7 p.m.
South Side Story Club is about Zombies tonight and features Kelsie Huff, Denise Santomauro, and Kenneth Hite. Co-Prosperity Sphere, 7:30 p.m.
Chicago’s new and emerging poets read regularly at Poetry Foundation’s Open Door Readings. This month come hear Tony Trigilio, Natalia Kennedy, Calvin Forbes, and Valerie Wallace. 7 p.m.
Wednesday 10/22: The Newberry Library presents a lecture on the history of typography. The museum’s long time curator of typography, Paul F. Gehl traces the history on one of the more influential typefaces. 6 p.m.
Thursday 10/23: Hannah Pittard stops by Barnes & Noble, DePaul Center to read from her second novel, Reunion. 6 p.m.
City Lit Books celebrates Ian Morris’s latest book, When Bad Things Happen to Rich People. Morris teaching publishing at Columbia College and he’s the managing editor of South Loop Review. 6:30 p.m.
