A Look Ahead at Chicago Lit: March by Allison Manley February was busy, both for me as well as the broader lit community in Chicago. We saw not one, not two, but THREE Chicagoans whose short story collections were longlisted for the Story Prize (Amina Gautier for The Best That You Can Do, Abby Geni…

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by Michael Antman Why live in only one world — a difficult and disappointing one at that — when we can live in two, especially when that parallel world is better, or more illuminating, or at least more transfixing, than our dull quotidian existence? That’s the question posed by the…

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By Jasminum McMullen Writuals explores how our city’s rich literary heritage, cultural diversity, and iconic spaces inspire routines that fuel local authors’ work.   K E Garland is an award-winning creative nonfiction writer and blogger. She writes to demarginalize women's…

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Theatre Review by Jasminum McMullen All Photos Credit: Michael Brosilow It was a brisk Saturday evening in Chiberia when I arrived at Court Theatre to see Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, a play my English teachers brought into my life over the years that still sticks with me because…

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by Donald G. Evans When you observe the Harold Washington Library’s monstrous dome from street level, or even above, it strikes you, in the context of all those green Great Horned Owls, as a bit odd. Standing in the Winter Garden, where the dome serves as a glass ceiling, you understand. The…

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by Allison Manley I’m writing this post in January on one of those days when it’s colder in Chicago than in Antarctica. But the frost hasn’t deterred me, or our local lit lovers, from enjoying the events our city has to offer. In January, I stopped by the Feminists Creatives…

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By Jasminum McMullen From shaping young minds as a teacher in Chicago Public Schools to authoring 12 books across seven genres and founding Pretty Nerd Publishing, Dr. Ariel Sylvester is a creative force who seamlessly blends education, artistry, and entrepreneurship. In this interview, she…

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by Michael Antman The Chicago Writers Association (CWA) Book of the Year awards ceremony, held on January 18 at the Warwick Allerton Hotel’s Tip Top Tap Ballroom, honored a highly eclectic group of books, ranging widely in subject matter and setting from a remote farm in rural Illinois to the…

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by Allison Manley One of my personal goals for 2025 is to attend more lit events. I usually only attend a handful a year, but that’s not for lack of opportunity. Each month in Chicago, there are dozens of events, including author events and book launches, literary lectures, live lit and…

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