Author Reading

In Our Prime: Empowering Essays by Women on Love, Family, Career, Aging, and Just Coping
 

Her Fearful Symmetry

We’re delighted that New York Times bestselling author and local favorite Audrey Niffenegger will be joining us to celebrate the paperback release of her latest novel. Her Fearful Symmetry shares the wonder, passion, and mystery that readers adored in The Time Traveler’s Wife. With wildly imagined settings, including London’s famous Highgate Cemetery (where both Niffenegger and one of the book’s characters are tour guides), and complete with twins, ghosts, obsessive-compulsive disorder, intricate puzzles, and several intensely compelling eccentrics, Her Fearful Symmetry confirms that Niffenegger is a talent like no other.

The Big Rewind: A Memory Brought to You by Pop Culture

This hilariously entertaining memoir by the head entertainment writer for The Onion’s A.V. Club reveals how the pop culture that native Chicagoan Rabin loved so dearly rescued him from a life of suicidal impulses, mental institutions, and the repercussions of parental abandonment. Unwitting accomplices in Rabin’s voyage include an Orthodox Jewish reggae superstar, a New Wave gay cowboy, Jean-Luc Godard, Dr. Dre, J.D. Salinger and The Simpsons’ immortal Frank “Grimey” Grimes. The memoir also features cameos by Billy Bob Thornton, a vomiting Topher Grace, and some dude named Barack Obama. 

Featuring Sabrina Chap, Megan Milks, and DJ SpinNikki
$7-10 sliding scale includes food and wine.

The latest monthly installment of our popular salon night for lesbians and their friends presents musician Sabrina Chap and writer Megan Milks. Ragtime artist Sabrina Chap’s got classical piano skills, the ballad heartbreak of Tom Waits, the onstage antics of Phyllis Diller and the voice of a whiskey angel. She’ll be celebrating the release of her acclaimed recording, Oompa! Megan Milks is a Ph. D. candidate at the Program for Writers at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her work has been anthologized in Then & Now Awards: The Best Innovative Writing; Wreckage of Reason: An Anthology of Contemporary Experimental Prose by Women Writers and Fist of the Spider Woman: Tales of Fear and Queer Desire, among other anthologies and journals. DJ SpinNikki will play us in and out of sets. Proceeds benefit the artists and the Women’s Voices Fund.

Curveball

Cold Snap: Bulgaria Stories

Place—in this case a small mountain village in Bulgaria—is at the heart of Cynthia Morrison Phoel’s debut collection of linked stories. At once quirky, remote, and agonizingly intimate, the ragged town of Old Mountain is home to a cast of Bulgarian people who do daily battle with the elements, soul-crushing poverty, and changing times.

Hannah Free: The Novel

Claudia Allen’s lesbian play, Hannah Free, is now a movie starring Sharon Gless and a novel from Bella Books. At tonight’s event, actors from the movie will read selections from the play and the novel, and Claudia Allen will be on hand to answer questions and sign books. Joining Allen will be Jorjet Harper and Tracy Baim, both of whom have written behind-the-scenes exposé’s for the book’s release. The DVD of Hannah Free will also be available for sale.

Hosted by Cin Salach and Ann Christophersen

It’s an annual Pride tradition we look forward to every year: our GLBTQ Pride open mic. Open Mic readers are invited to bring your best single page of prose or poetry to share; whether you are a seasoned reader or a novice sharing your work for the first time, you’ll find a rousing and supportive audience and a dazzling variety of GLBTQ creative expression. Open Mic participation is limited, so stop in or call the store (773-769-9299) today to sign up!

This House: The True Story of a Girl and a Ghost

This House tells the true story of Nora, a lonely fifteen-year-old who dreams of more adventure than life in suburban Maryland can offer. Fascinated by the supernatural, she begins exploring an allegedly haunted abandoned house and soon finds herself tangled in its mysteries, uncovering many secrets and befriending a shy ghost named Walter. Drawn from original documents and author notes, this book is based on real events and reveals how a girl, a house, and a ghost became entwined forever.

A Parisienne in Chicago: Impressions of the World's Columbian Exposition by Madame Léon Grandin

In 1893, French writer Madame Léon Grandin accompanied her sculptor husband to Chicago, where he worked on the World’s Columbian Exposition fountain. For the first time, translator Mary Beth Raycraft has made Grandin’s observations of life in Chicago—her awe for the city’s fast pace and architectural grandeur as well as commentary on gender roles, social norms and family life—available for an English-speaking audience to enjoy. Tonight Raycraft will be on hand to share Grandin’s impressions and discuss the translation project.

Share This! How You Will Change the World with Social Networking

Social networks such as Facebook and Twitter can be so much more than a way to find your high school friends or learn what your favorite celebrity had for breakfast – they can be powerful tools for changing the world. In Share This! media technologist Deanna Zandt covers the hows, whys, and netiquette of using social networking to create positive change and offers detailed advice for both individuals and organizations.

The Stormchasers

Blum’s first novel, Those Who Saved Us, was hailed by critics nationwide and spent nearly two years on the New York Times bestseller list. Set in the majestic far reaches of Tornado Alley, her stunning follow-up sheds light on the wrenching struggle of bipolar disorder, the mysterious bond of twin siblings, and the thrilling culture of storm chasing, painted with exhilarating details that deliver readers directly to the heart of storms both meteorological and psychological.

Sappho’s Salon Second Anniversary Extravaganza

Featuring Holly Hughes and special guests

$10 includes refreshments

Sappho’s Salon, our popular monthly salon night for lesbians and their friends, is turning 2! Join us for cake and champagne as we welcome legendary lesbian performance artist Holly Hughes. One of the original "NEA Four" (four artists whose NEA grants were rescinded when their work was deemed “obscene”), the two-time Obie Award–winning performer and playwright is author of such plays as The Well of Horniness, The Lady Dick, and Clit Notes. She is the recipient of a 2010 Guggenheim Fellowship. Hughes will be joined by guest performers Laura Pazuchowski and Deb Durham. As always, DJ SpinNikki will play us in and out of sets. Proceeds benefit the artists and the Women’s Voices Fund.

Join us as we welcome the author of the groundbreaking classic Diet for a Small Planet for an eye opening and inspiring discussion of her new book, Getting a Grip 2: Clarity, Creativity and Courage for the World We Really Want.

When the tragic January 2010 earthquake struck Haiti, the images of the disaster profoundly affected the 7th grade students of Helen C. Peirce Elementary School's Room 301. While working in collaboration with Free Street Theater and its Act/Write residency program, the students were asked to choose a topic they wanted to explore through writing. The students chose to write about the Haitian crisis and asked if they could do a fundraiser to help. Tonight we are proud to present the creative visions and voices of Room 301 for a special reading and fundraiser, benefitting continued recovery efforts in Haiti.