Friday 3/13: Naked Girls Reading Chicago celebrates their sixth anniversary of nude performance with Girls Gone Wilde. Studio L’Amour (BYO), 7 p.m. Purchase your $20 tickets here!
Saturday 3/14: The Poetry Foundation’s Forms and Features: Ekphrastic Poetry workshop is currently full, but you can still take advantage of Special Saturday Hours from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Sunday 3/15: Hosted by Young Chicago Authors (YCA), Louder Than a Bomb is the largest youth poetry festival in the world. This Sunday, sixteen individual poets and sixteen high school poetry teams compete in the Louder Than a Bomb semi-finals at the Metro, 10 a.m. Tickets range from $5-10, and are available here.
Once I Was Cool author Megan Stielstra and Columbia College faculty member Bobby Biedrzycki host 2nd Story at Martyrs’ to kick off Columbia College’s Story Week Festival of Writers. Readers include Eric Hazen, Deb R. Lewis, Alexis Pride, and Wyl Villacres. 6 p.m., free.
Discover a Pot of Gold—singer Megon McDonough and story artist Susan O’Halloran honor St. Patrick’s Day with classic Irish songs and stories as well as original compositions. Tickets range from $17-35. 7 p.m., SPACE.
Monday 3/16: Patricia Ann McNair leads a reading and conversation on memoir and fiction with Garnett Kilberg Cohen, Amina Gautier, and Megan Stielstra. Harold Washington Library’s Cindy Pritzker Auditorium, 2 p.m.
Stick around for Edwidge Denticat’s reading and discussion of her most recently published work, Claire of the Sea of Light. 6 p.m., Harold Washington Library’s Cindy Pritzker Pavilion.
The second installment of Fresh Ayers features Bill Ayers in conversation with Crystal Laura, author of Being Bad: My Baby Brother and the School-to-Prison Pipeline. Seminary Co-op, 6 p.m.
The Book Cellar’s monthly night of live lit parties continues! Essay Fiesta, 7 p.m.
Tuesday 3/17: 999: a History of Chicago in Ten Stories author Richard Fizdale and Chicago by Day and Night: The Pleasure Seeker’s Guide to the Paris of America editor Paul Durica discuss Fizdale’s book at The Newberry Library for a Meet the Author Event. 6 p.m., free.
University of Illinois at Chicago’s Andrea Witzke Slot reads with student Eric McClure alongside Columbia College’s David Trinidad with student Katherine Goldstein for The Open Door Readings: March. The Poetry Foundation, 7 p.m.
Wednesday 3/18: Hey, you (aspiring writers)! Curbside Splendor managing editor Naomi Huffman leads a publishing bootcamp offered by Columbia College’s Story Week. Harold Washington Library, 9 a.m.
Hang tight for the panel discussion to follow, entitled “From Writing to Publishing.” 11 a.m.
Columbia College Story Week hosts Fighting Violence: The Power of Words at Harold Washington Library’s Cindy Pritzker Auditorium. 2 p.m., free.
The Chicago Humanities Festival presents Cristina Henríquez (The Book of Unknown Americans) at Instituto Cervantes for an evening of conversation with Free Street Theater artistic director Coya Paz. Poet Javon J. Smith will perform. Tickets to this notable event have already sold out, but you can call 312-494-9509 to add your name to the waiting list. $15, 6 p.m.
Literary Rock & Roll boasts readings by Chris Abani, Garnett Kilberg Cohen, Samantha Irby, and Marlon James. The Metro, 6 p.m.
Tom Gradel and Dick Simpson head to the Book Cellar’s Local Author Night to discuss their new book, Corrupt Illinois: Patronage, Cronyism, and Criminality. 7 p.m., free.
Thursday 3/19: Columbia College Story week presents Young Adult Fiction: Into Darkness and Back Again at Harold Washington Library’s Cindy Pritzker Auditorium. 2 p.m.
Joshua Ferris discusses To Rise Again at a Decent Hour, winner of the International Dylan Thomas Award and finalist for the Man Booker Prize. The Book Cellar, 7 p.m.