Become a Rumpus Member
Join NOW!Friday 12/19: Bad Grammar Theater is back at Powell’s Bookstore University Village for another evening of readings from Chicago authors of horror, fantasy, pulp fiction, and sci-fi. 6 p.m. Monday 12/22: Women and Children First hosts award-winning playwright Sarah Ruhl, who’ll read from her essay collection, 100 Essays I Don’t Have Time to Write, chosen as […]
...moreSaturday 12/13: City Lit hosts a reading and signing by Chicago teacher and writer Jessie Ann Foley, who’s promoting her first novel, The Carnival at Bray. 5 p.m. Unabridged Books invites you to its holiday party. 5 p.m. Students from the Roosevelt University M.F.A. program read their work from the fall semester at the literary jewel […]
...moreFriday 12/5: The Interview Show is back at The Hideout, featuring Jonathan Eig, among others. 6:30 p.m. Saturday 12/6: The third annual Chicago Book Expo is at Columbia College and features local authors and presses as well as panel discussions and readings. 11 a.m. Jac Jemc and Rebecca Makkai are at Open Books to talk […]
...moreSaturday 11/22: RoscoeBooks is the newest independent bookstore in the city, and its Grand Opening is today. Stop by and say hello, have some refreshments, and buy a book. 3 p.m. 2nd Story, a Chicago storytelling series, offers a free storytelling workshop where you’ll use your life experiences, those things you wrote in the Mead Composition […]
...moreFriday 11/14: Seminary Co-op Bookstore hosts two poets with collections out this year from University of Wisconsin Press. Joanne Diaz, author of My Favorite Tyrants and Angela Sorby, author of The Sleeve Waves, read and discuss their work. 6 p.m. Lynn Kanter is at Women and Children First Books to read from and sign Her […]
...moreFriday 11/7: 57th Street Books is a South Side favorite, and tonight a Cuban literary star, Yoss, is in conversation with Dominican literary star, Rey Andújar. These guys love talking craft, so if you’re into that kind of thing, get there. 6 p.m. Jac Jemc and her new collection of stories, A Different Bed Every […]
...moreFriday 10/31: Caitlin Doughty, host of the video series Ask a Mortician, is at the Packer Gallery in promotion of her memoir, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and Other Lessons from the Crematory. 6:30 p.m. Scott Kenemore is at City Lit Books to read from his latest horror novel, The Grand Hotel. 6:30 p.m. Saturday […]
...moreFriday 10/24: David Bell is at The Book Cellar to promote his novel The Forgotten Girl. 7 p.m. Saturday 10/25: The Chicago Humanities Festival kicks off today in celebration of its 25th anniversary. These are some of the best literary events you’ll attend all year. Today, Jamaica Kincaid talks to Lawrence Weschler about the breadth […]
...moreFriday 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 […]
...moreFriday 10/10: Registration for the Chicago Writers Conference is open, but ends today. Writers can attend lectures, writing workshops, and have one-on-ones with editors and agents. Special Guests include Christine Sneed, Rebbeca Makkai, Sara Paretsky, Ben Tanzer, and the Conference’s director, Mare Swallow. Events held at University Center. Naked Girls Reading is back at the […]
...moreFriday 10/3: Registration for the Chicago Writers Conference is open, but ends a week from today. Writers can attend lectures, writing workshops, and have one-on-ones with editors and agents. Special Guests include Christine Sneed, Rebbeca Makkai, Sara Paretsky, Ben Tanzer, and the Conference’s director, Mare Swallow. Events held at University Center. Saturday 10/4: Cristin O’Keefe […]
...moreFriday 9/26: It’s Banned Books Week, and City Lit Books celebrates in a big way by inviting local writers and high school students to read passages from banned masterpieces. Some of the readings will be accompanied by music. 6:30 p.m. Unabridged Books hosts “Exploring Creative Nonfiction,” an evening of reading and discussion with three practitioners […]
...moreFriday 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 […]
...moreFriday 9/12: Media powerhouse Tavis Smiley is in town to promote his newest text Death of a King: The Real Story of Dr. King Jr.’s Final Year at the Union League of Chicago. Smiley hosts a late-night program on PBS, a talk show on PRI, and a daily online show on his own network. Put […]
...moreFriday 9/5: David Tabak, author of the short story collection Lather Rinse Repeat, presents a reading of two short stories at City Lit Books. 6:30 p.m. The Naked Girls Reading is back this month to entertain on the theme “Back to School.” Come to the Everleigh Social Club to be stimulated intellectually. 7 p.m. Saturday […]
...moreFriday 8/29: After Hours is a literary magazine that publishes writing and art by Chicagoans, even ones who once lived here but then made the insane decision to move away. The magazine is celebrating issue #29 at The Book Cellar, 7 p.m. D. Bryant Simmons continues her area tour in support of her novel How […]
...moreFriday 8/22: City Lit Books hosts a reading, signing, and conversation with two novelists with recent releases. Josh Weil, author of The Great Glass Sea (Grove Press) and Mike Harvkey, author of In the Course of Human Events (Soft Skull Press), will appear. 6:30 p.m. The TallGrass Writers Guild is at The Book Cellar in […]
...moreFriday 8/15: Quimby’s celebrates the second printing of Jeff Zwirek’s self-published graphic novel, Burning Building Comix. Slate called it “the most inventively made comic of the year.” 7 p.m. Saturday 8/16: Lauren Francis-Sharma is at 57th Street Books to promote her first novel, ‘Til the Well Runs Dry, featuring a 16-year-old single mother of two […]
...moreFriday 8/8: Quimby’s hosts the “Breakup Party,” an evening of lectures and zine readings presented by Vice Versa Press. Julia Arredondo, Melissa Smith, and Vanessa Viruet read. 7 p.m. Saturday 8/9: The Chicago Publishers Resource Center hosts a three-hour writing workshop by Jac Jemc, a regular in the Dazanc Books catalogue. The workshop, “Fooling Ourselves […]
...moreFriday 8/1: Start your weekend at Women and Children First Books for the BYOB event “Written in Chicago,” in celebration of the Northwestern Summer Writers’ Conference. Faculty Peggy Shiner and Christine Sneed are joined by Simone Muench and Sarah Hollenbeck. 7 p.m. Saturday 8/2: Paper Machete is a live magazine every Saturday at The Green […]
...moreFriday 7/25: The Newberry Library celebrates its 30th annual Book Fair today through Sunday. Highlights of the sale items include a swath of 17th and 18th century French literature, in French; Civil-War-era Harper’s magazines; and many selections of Chinese and Japanese poetry (translated). Tons of other titles available, most under 2 bucks. 12 p.m. – […]
...moreFriday 7/18: Palabra Pura is a bilingual poetry reading presented by the Guild Literary Complex, held upstairs at La Bruquena in Humboldt Park. This month features readings by Erika L. Sánchez and Richard Blanco. 7:30 p.m. Saturday 7/19: Lori Rader-Day comes to The Book Cellar to launch her new book The Black Hour. 7 p.m. […]
...moreFriday 7/11: Naked Girls Reading is a “group of beautiful ladies who love to read naked.” They have chapters in 23 cities across the globe. Chicago’s is at the Everleigh Social Club in the West Loop, 7 p.m. Loose Chicks presents an hour-long performance of monologues, stories, and theater pieces from some of the most […]
...moreFriday 7/4: Happy 4th of July! Saturday 7/5: The Paper Machete is a live weekly magazine where comedians, journalists, and other performers deliver commentary on current events and American culture. This week features Ryan Duke, Dina Facklis, Jo Feldman, Thom Gaughan & Andrew Knox, Drew Michael, Lily Sullivan, and Sean White. It’s hosted by Christopher Piatt. […]
...moreFriday 6/27: Women and Children First Books kicks off a big weekend in Chicago with a panel discussion, “Writing and Editing Noir,” moderated by the award-winning journalist, Mei-Ling Hopgood. She’ll be joined by Cheryl Lu-Lien, Joe Meno, Richard Thomas and Ben Tanzer. Refreshments and intellect served. 7 p.m. Saturday 6/28: Printers Ball celebrates its 10th […]
...moreFriday 6/20: Maria Venegas stops into Women and Children First Books to read from and discuss her memoir, Bulletproof Vest: The Ballad of an Outlaw and His Daughter. Where just named the bookstore one of the best independent booksellers in the country, and events like this one validate the honor. 7:30 p.m. Saturday 6/21: Rosalind Cummings-Yeates is at […]
...moreFriday 6/13: New York Times bestselling nonfiction author Susan Jane Gilman stops by Andersonville to read from and talk about her debut novel, The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street. Women and Children First Books, 7:30 p.m. Saturday 6/14: Go to Quimby’s for the release of Mike McPadden’s Heavy Metal Movies, an illustrated reference guide […]
...moreSaturday 6/7: The 30th annual Printers Row Literary Festival kicks off in the South Loop with readings, workshops, and a massive book fair. Highlights include: Alexai Galaviz-Budziszewski and Bill Hillman in conversation with Billy Lombardo at 10:30 a.m.; a panel on short fiction with Kodi Sheer, Donald Lystra, and Andy Mozina at 11:45 a.m.; and […]
...moreFriday 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 […]
...moreFriday 5/23: James Fearnley is in Lincoln Square to promote his music memoir Here Comes Everybody: The Story of the Pogues. He’ll also talk about his new literary and music projects. The Book Cellar, 7 p.m. You’re Being Ridiculous is a live lit performance in the bar above Hamburger Mary’s in Andersonville. Six readers take the […]
...more