by Ana Carolina Jorge

According to the Lake Geneva Visitor Center, other than the requirement to wear masks, it is basically business as usual around town. That’s great news for those of us tempted to bid on the Lake Geneva Getaway that will be auctioned off live at the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame’s Virtual Fundraiser Auction this Thursday, Dec. 10, from 7-8…

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by Donald G. Evans

On Thursday, Dec. 10 of this year, the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame will host a virtual auction—our only major fundraiser of 2020. It is, at once, a tried-and-true little road trip, and a drive into completely unknown terrain. Since 2010, our first year, CLHOF has hosted six or seven silent auctions, depending on how you do the math. This will…

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By Kelci Dean

Friday, November 20 at 6:30 p.m. Big Shoulders Books will be hosting an official launch party for their recently published poem American Gun. No registration is necessary; the event will be held online over Zoom meetings. The Zoom link and meeting ID can be found at the bottom of the blog, and more specific details on the party will be discussed…

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By Donald G. Evans

It was in March that the emails starting trickling in: from Shakespeare Theatre Company, Oak Park Festival Theatre, First Folio, and others from whom I’d purchased tickets and eagerly awaited the scheduled live performances. The news was bad: there would be no live performances for the foreseeable future. I most regretted that some of the performances, such as Emma, would not…

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Wednesday, October 14, 2020
6-7 p.m.

Via YouTube Live
Sponsored by the Chicago Public Library

Chicago author Michele Morano, whose new "memoir in essays" Like Love was recently released, will join a discussion on the essay via the Chicago Public Library's YouTube Live channel. Moderator Karen Babine (Assay Journal editor) will faciliate a conversation about the storytelling form…

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The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park has started a fundraiser to help keep the famous author's Oak Park birthplace open to the public.

https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/keep-the-hemingway-birthplace-doors-open

www.savehemingway.com

By Donald G. Evans

By the time Ernest Hemingway killed himself in Ketcham, Idaho on July 2, 1961, he had secured his legacy as one of the 20th century's best and most fascinating…

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By Della Leavitt

StoryStudio Chicago's three-day Writers Festival moved this year to a covid-necessary virtual format. I was pleased to participate Oct. 1-4 as a guest of the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame. While “In-a-Year” StoryStudio students had the opportunity to meet individually with editors and agents, there were many interesting options for a general attendee like me.

I must confess I am…

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On Monday, Oct. 5, beginning at 7 p.m., Rachel Swearingen will read from her debut story, How to Walk on Water, and discuss it with author Kate Wisel, whose own short story collection Driving in Cars with Homeless Men just came out in paperback. Host The Book Cellar requires pre-registration for this virtual event.

by Donald G. Evans

The short story,…

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by Patty Kelsey

The murder of George Floyd on May 25th of this year was, sadly, nothing new. American history before and since reflects the systematic and consistent social injustices waged against powerless people, particularly, as in this case, People of Color. This murder did not happen in Chicago, but Chicago reacted, as did the rest of the country, with various protests across the city and…

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