The Vampire’s Quest: Book II in the Vampire Angel Series           

Join us for a reading of the most recent book by Chicago author Damian Serbu. A sequel to The Vampire’s Angel, The Vampire’s Quest (Quest Books) marks the return of beloved heroes Xavier and Thomas. When Archangel St. Michel orders Xavier to go on a quest to America, he is forced to violate Vampire Council laws and abandon his lover, Thomas, leading to a suspenseful race against time where the stakes are nothing short of Xavier’s soul. Called the Anne Rice of gay horror, Serbu captivates readers with this new tale of suspense, love, and the supernatural.

This month's book is Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Brad Trowbridge is running for a judicial post in the Cook County 8th Judicial Subcircuit (see a map of the subcircuit and Trowbridge’s biography at http://bradforjudge.com). His work on issues that greatly affect women and children is known and respected by many program directors and advocates in the field of domestic violence. Come by the store today to meet Trowbridge and some of his strong supporters at this special Meet the Candidate forum. Refreshments will be served.

This month's book is Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Featuring Chinelo Okparanta and Nami MunGranta,

Granta, the British publication with the impeccable literary pedigree and the envelope-pushing sensibility, celebrates its winter 2012 issue, "Exit Strategies," with a reading and conversation between writers Chinelo Okparanta and Nami Mun. Granta New Voice Chinelo Okparanta is an alumna of the renowned Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Pushcart and Whiting Award–winner Nami Mun is author of the acclaimed novel Miles from Nowhere  and faculty in the Fiction Writing Department of Columbia College Chicago.

Poetry Reading

Catherine Theis

The Fraud of Good Sleep

Jessica Savitz

Hunting is Painting           

 Join us tonight for a reading by two Chicago-area authors who are also Iowa Writers’ Workshop alums. Catherine Theis’s poems have appeared in Fence, Gulf Coast, LIT, Volt, and many other journals. Her first published collection, The Fraud of Good Sleep (Salt Modern Poets), was winner of the 2011 Cranshaw Prize. Jessica Savitz was the inaugural winner of the Madeleine P. Plonsker Emerging Writer’s Residency Prize. As part of that award, her first book of poetry, Hunting is Painting, was published by Lake Forest College Press’s imprint&NOW Books.

Sappho’s Salon Midwinter Dance Party and Mixer

$7-$10 sliding scale includes food and wine           

Come shimmy, shake, and groove off the midwinter blahs at our first-ever Sappho’s Salon dance party! Sappho’s house DJ SpinNikki will get your body moving with a funky mix of classic disco and soul, global sounds, pop, indie, and electronic dance music. Bring your pals and meet new ones at our monthly party for lesbians and their friends. Light refreshments and beverages will be provided

This month's book is Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

The annual Associated Writing Programs (AWP) conference will be taking place in Chicago this year. During this week, writers, publishers, editors, and academics will descend on Chicago to participate in hundreds of readings, panel discussions, and other literary events. In celebration of AWP, during this week Women & Children First will host back-to-back readings featuring conference participants.

The Flight of Gemma Hardy           

 In her new novel, acclaimed writer Margot Livesey reimagines the story of Jane Eyre. Set in remote Scotland in the mid-twentieth century, The Flight of Gemma Hardy  (HarperCollins), traces the misfortunes and misadventures of a strong-willed orphan girl who finally comes into her own. Livesey, author of six previous novels, including 2009 L. L. Winship/PEN New England Award–winning The House on Fortune Street, is the recipient of grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation. 

“The fabulous Margot Livesey has written a book steeped in remote landscapes, secret histories, and great love. Orphan Gemma is a modern-day Jane Eyre, thoroughly engaging and bracingly unsentimental. The prose is meticulous, the tale transporting. Trust me, you will love this book.”—Karen Joy Fowler, author of The Jane Austen Book Club

The annual Associated Writing Programs (AWP) conference will be taking place in Chicago this year. During this week, writers, publishers, editors, and academics will descend on Chicago to participate in hundreds of readings, panel discussions, and other literary events. In celebration of AWP, during this week Women & Children First will host back-to-back readings featuring conference participants.

Featuring: Kathryn Kysar, Patricia Smith, Martha Collins, Cynthia Hogue, Lois Roma-Deeley, and Keli Stewart           

At tonight’s event, poets from the AWP Women’s Caucus will read from their work. Kathryn Kysar is the author of two books of poetry, Dark Lake and Pretend the World, and editor of Riding Shotgun: Women Write About Their Mothers. Patricia Smith is author of six poetry volumes, including Blood Dazzler, a finalist for the 2008 National Book Award, and Teahouse of the Almighty, a National Poetry Series selection. Her latest book, Shoulda Been Jimi Savannah, debuts at AWP. Also author of six volumes of poetry, most recently, White Papers, and a book-length poem, Blue Font, Martha Collins has also co-published two collections of co-translated Vietnamese poetry. Cynthia Hogue has published seven volumes of poetry, most recently The Incongnito Body (2006) and Or Consequence and When the Water Came: Evacuees of Hurricane Katrina (co-authored with photographer Rebecca Ross), both published in 2010.  Lois Roma-Deeley’s most recent book of poetry is High Notes, which was a finalist for the 2011 Paterson Poetry Prize. Keli Stewart’s stories, plays, and poems have appeared or are forthcoming in numerous literary journals. In 2010, she received the first place Gwendolyn Brooks poetry award, chosen by the Illinois poet laureate. She has recently completed her debut poetry collection.

The annual Associated Writing Programs (AWP) conference will be taking place in Chicago this year. During this week, writers, publishers, editors, and academics will descend on Chicago to participate in hundreds of readings, panel discussions, and other literary events. In celebration of AWP, during this week Women & Children First will host back-to-back readings featuring conference participants.

The Rules of Inheritance: A Memoir           

As a 14-year-old only child, Claire Bidwell Smith was hurtled toward loss when both of her parents were diagnosed with cancer within months of each other. Defying a conventional framework, The Rules of Inheritance (Hudson Street Press) is told in a non-linear fashion, using the five stages of grief as a window into Claire’s experience. The result is a powerful, honest, and completely engaging journey, combining the eloquence of The Long Goodbye with the raw power of Girl, Interrupted.

The annual Associated Writing Programs (AWP) conference will be taking place in Chicago this year. During this week, writers, publishers, editors, and academics will descend on Chicago to participate in hundreds of readings, panel discussions, and other literary events. In celebration of AWP, during this week Women & Children First will host back-to-back readings featuring conference participants.

Engine Book Authors

Patricia Henley

Other Heartbreaks: Stories

Myfawny Collins

Echolocations: A Novel           

Patricia Henley’s first novel, Hummingbird House, was a finalist for the National Book Award in 1999, and her subsequent novel, In the River Sweet, was a BookSense pick and named one of the best books of 2002 by the Chicago Tribune. In her new collection of elegant, moving stories, Henley explores the many bonds and betrayals among women: mothers, daughters, lovers, and friends.  Myfanwy Collins was born in Montreal but currently calls Boston home. Her work has appeared in The Kenyon Review, AGNI, Cream City Review, and others. Her debut novel, Echolocations, will debut at AWP. A collection of short stories, I am Holding Your Hand, is forthcoming from PANK Little Books.

The annual Associated Writing Programs (AWP) conference will be taking place in Chicago this year. During this week, writers, publishers, editors, and academics will descend on Chicago to participate in hundreds of readings, panel discussions, and other literary events. In celebration of AWP, during this week Women & Children First will host back-to-back readings featuring conference participants.

The annual Associated Writing Programs (AWP) conference will be taking place in Chicago this year. During this week, writers, publishers, editors, and academics will descend on Chicago to participate in hundreds of readings, panel discussions, and other literary events. In celebration of AWP, during this week Women & Children First will host back-to-back readings featuring conference participants.

Shannon Cain

The Necessity of Certain Behaviors           

Shannon Cain is the recipient of a Pushcart Prize and O. Henry Award and a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Of her new story collection, The Necessity of Certain Behaviors (University of Pittsburgh Press), Publishers Weekly said, “Cain’s debut collection of nine short stories adroitly navigates the tenuous waters of human relationships. Her quietly august characters struggle to come to terms with the unpredictable nuances of tradition, sexuality, and happiness