Friday, March 12

7:30 p.m.

Staceyann Chin

The Other Side of Paradise            We are thrilled to once again be hosting the electrifying spoken word artist Staceyann Chin, this time to celebrate the paperback release of her searing and groundbreaking memoir, The Other Side of Paradise. Following a tradition of fierce Caribbean lesbian writers that includes Audre Lorde and Michelle Cliff, Chin’s narrative charts her course from the heartbreak and tragedy of her Jamaican childhood, to her thriving adult like in New York City. Dorothy Allison raves, “[Chin] shows me a culture I knew far too little about – the everyday life of young people in Jamaica and the threat of violence over anyone who might be too independent or queer or outrageous. How wonderful that this outrageous, talented, determined woman has given us her story.”

Saturday, March 13

6:00 p.m.

Cynthia Kraack

Minnesota Cold

            Writer Cynthia Kraack’s book, Minnesota Cold, has been called a lovely, haunting tale, firmly grounded in the ways of the heart. Set in 2035, this is the story of Sallie Dodge, a 70-something woman living within the sociological results of the aggressive merger of government and big business, where it’s considered frugal policy to dictate the lifespan of citizens. When Dodge chooses to defy her turn to “pass,” she embarks, instead, on the journey of a lifetime. Guests are invited to join Kraack for a reception at In Fine Spirits at 5420 N Clark directly following this reading.  

This month's book is What Would Jane Say? by Janice Metzger

Chicago Area Women’s History Council

Women and Children First: Memories and Archives

Relive the excitement of W&CF’s 30th Anniversary Celebration last October as the Chicago Area Women’s History Council presents a premiere showing of the videotaped interviews conducted at the event. CAWHC members will discuss how you can participate in their larger project “Documenting the Women’s Movement in Chicago, 1960s – 1980s,” while Beth Myers from the Women and Leadership Archive at Loyola will share information about this important repository and the W&CF collection there. If you have memories or documents about W&CF, don’t miss this event.  If you were part of the feminist movement in Chicago, CAWHC needs your help!

Saturday, March 20

7:30 p.m.

Sappho’s Salon: A Provocative Night of Lesbian Diversions

Featuring Jennie Brier and Elana Dykewomon, with special guest host Chelsey Clammer and guest DJ Chandra. Co-sponsored by the Lesbian Leadership Council, Chicago Foundation for Women

$7-$10 sliding fee scale includes food and wine

            The latest monthly installment of our popular salon night for lesbians and their friends features writers Jennie Brier and Elana Dykewomon. In her book Infectuous Ideas: U.S. Political Response to the AIDS Crisis, UIC Professor Jennie Brier charts the complex social and political climate of the 1980s and ‘90s through the lens of the AIDS crisis. Elana Dykewomon, formerly editor of the journal Sinister Wisdom, is the author of the Lambda Literary Award-winning brilliant lesbian classic, Beyond the Pale. Her new novel, Risk, examines the life of Carol Schwartz, a community activist and idealist who routinely puts it all on the line; but when the stakes become too high, will she gamble more than she can afford to lose? This event is co-sponsored by the Lesbian Leadership Council of the Chicago Foundation for Women. Proceeds benefit the artists and the Women’s Voices Fund.

This month's book is Exile & Pride: Disability, Queerness & Liberation by Eli Clare.

Wednesday, March 24

7:30 p.m.

Lisa Lutz

The Spellmans Strike Again

In the fourth and final volume of her New York Times’ bestselling and addictively entertaining comic mystery series, Lisa Lutz unravels another irresistible caper featuring the irrepressible Isabel Spellman and her off-kilter family of private investigators. In this installment, Rae, Izzy’s ingenious of a little sister, gets involved in the Innocence Project and won’t stop until the rest of the family is equally committed. We’ll be raffling off “Free Schmidt” t-shirts provided by Lutz. The third volume, Revenge of the Spellmans, is now available in paperback, and a film version of The Spellman Files is currently in development with Paramount Pictures. Please join us in what is sure to be a very special evening of laughter and intrigue.

Duality in the Buffyverse
Xander: Hey, wait till you have an evil twin. See how you handle it.
Willow: I handled it fine.

Episodes to Watch:
Wish- Buffy season 3 episode 9
Doppelgangland - Buffy season 3 episode 16
The Replacement- Buffy season 5 episode 3
Intervention- Buffy season 5 episode 18
Normal Again- Buffy season 6 episode 17

Essays to Read:
“ 'Where’s the fun?': The Comic Apocalypse in “The Wish” by David
Kociemba. Found at: http://slayageonline.com/essays/slayage23/Kociemba.htm

"Going Through the Motions: Reading Simulacra in Buffy the Vampire
Slayer" by Bronwen Calvert. Found at: http://slayageonline.com/essays/slayage15/Calvert.htm

Peeling, Caitlin and Scanlon, Meaghan. “‘What’s More Real? a Sick Girl
in an Institution… or Some Kind of Supergirl?’: The Question of Madness
in ‘Normal Again,’ a Feminist Reading.” Paper presented at the Slayage
Conference on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Nashville, May 2004. Found at:
http://www.alysa316.com/Buffyology/#pub_b

Loyalty, loss, and the ties that bind – these are the ingredients of The Recipe Club, a new novel that combines the story of a friendship told via e-mails, childhood letters, third-person narration, photos, illustrations and more than 80 recipes, to keep the plot cooking. Join co-author Nancy Garfinkel as we share food, recipes, and fun, celebrating the tale of the lifelong friendship of Lilly and Val, and the Recipe Club that united them. Feel free to being your own family recipes and stories to share!

Stand-up comedian, talk show host, and best-selling author Chelsea Handler will be at Women & Children First this Sunday, April 11th from

5-6:15pm.

We will have  her new book for sale so you can get it signed! Don't miss out on this opportunity to meet one of the funniest women on air and in print today!

***The fine and VERY IMPORTANT print: Handler can only sign a limited number of her new book, Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang, which needs to be purchased before or on the day of the event at Women & Children First. Upon purchasing the book you will receive a number that represents your place in line to keep the signing orderly. Handler will personalize your books, although she cannot write messages. Handler will also not be able to take posed pictures, but you may take pictures of her while in line.***

Complimentary mini-martinis while you wait in line!