A Look Ahead at Chicago Lit: April

by Allison Manley

Were you at the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) Conference last month? I wasn’t! Although I’m jealous of everyone who enjoyed their time in LA, I attended some interesting lit events in Chicago in March. William Brashler stopped by the Music Box Theatre to introduce the movie The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings, which was based on his ‘73 classic novel. I also joined Karen Russell’s online reading and discussion of her latest novel The Antidote. At its peak, the event had 350 attendees, including big names like Kevin Brockmeier, Beth Uniz Johnson, and Kaveh Akbar (whose presence only became evident to me after he graciously answered a question I left in the Zoom comments).

This April, the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame has a few events that we hope you can attend. Join us for Travelers in the Mist: A Celebration of Poet Elise Paschen. Paschen’s new poetry collection, Blood Wolf Moon, releases on April 10. We’ll be celebrating both the book as well as her honorary membership to the Cliff Dwellers in Chicago. Learn more about the celebration here - and join us on Friday, April 11 at 6 p.m. at The Cliff Dwellers, 200 S. Michigan Ave, #1600. And on Tuesday, April 29 at 6 p.m., join us for a screening of Mary Livoni’s adaptation of Stuart Dybek’s short story “The Apprentice.” You can join us in-person at the American Writers Museum (180 N. Michigan Ave.), or watch via livestream. Register for in-person tickets here; sign up for the livestream link here.

Don’t forget that many Chicago museums have free days throughout the year. At the American Writers Museum, gain free admission on Sunday, April 20 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. While you’re there, you can check out the exhibit Level Up: Writers and Gamers (which is on view through Monday, May 5). Learn more about the free day here; learn more above Level Up here. The museum is launching a special exhibit in November called American Prophets: Writers, Religion, and Culture - but there’s plenty of programming before the exhibit opens. Join the kick-off, “Making New Gods,” on Tuesday, April 22 at 5:15 p.m. “Making New Gods” features a panel of writers: N. K. Jemisin, Matthew Kirby, Nghi Vo, and Nnedi Okorafor (who was raised in Chicago and lived in the area for years). This promises to be a fascinating series of programs that explore the complex interplay between religion and American media. (More importantly, I’m pleased to see the American Writers Museum using the Oxford Comma.)

When I think of big Chicago lit events, I think of Printer’s Row Lit Fest; I think of our annual writing conferences; and of course, I think of Chicago Literary Hall of Fame events like the induction ceremonies and the Fuller Awards. I’d also add Independent Bookstore Day (aka the Chicagoland Bookstore Crawl) to this list. On Saturday, April 26, I encourage you to visit as many independent bookstores as possible! Each bookstore has different opening hours, but many bookstores are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. that day. Not all independent bookstores in the city are participating, but there is probably a bookseller in your neighborhood taking part in this massive cross-town event. There are too many prizes, exclusives, and celebrations to list in this post, so visit the Independent Bookstore Day website for more info and to find out what time your favorite bookstores open.

Spoken word performer Faylita Hicks leads a poetry workshop at Story Studio (4043 N. Ravenswood Ave, suite #222) on April 9 at 6:30 p.m. For $10 in advance (or $15 at the door), it’s a steal: not only do you get a 2-hour workshop with the epically-talented Hicks, but you also get a slice from First Slice Pie Cafe. Poets at all levels are encouraged to attend. Learn more here.

There’s plenty of literary events in Pilsen this month. I like two of the events Pilsen Community Books has on their calendar, and I do think they pair nicely, in a way: First, on Friday, April 18, at 7 p.m., learn more about the new book The Origins of Critical Race Theory with the authors, Aja Y. Martinez and Robert O. Smith. Then on Tuesday April 22 at 7 p.m., the bookstore is hosting a talk for Persuasive: 40 Lessons in Communicating for the Common Good with Marrianne McMullen. One book focuses on Critical Race Theory, and one book helps you understand effective persuasion techniques. Both book events will take place at Pilsen Community Books, 1102 W. 18th St. 

On Thursday April 24 at 7 p.m., stop by Pilsen Arts & Community House (1637 W. 18th St) for Latin Hip Hop as New Poetry. This is a program offered through Illinois Humanities, which offers . At the event,  music journalist Catalina Maria Johnson will make the case for why Latin hip hop performers in the U.S. and Americas are true poets, “advancing the poetic traditions of their countries in new ways.” Learn more about this interactive and fun event here. 

I’m a big fan of Illinois Humanities, as they are programming humanities-based events throughout the state. So I’m going to mention another cool event they are hosting: The Happy Invention: History and Significance of Picture Postcards. On Wednesday, April 16 1:30 p.m., join Katherine Hamilton-Smith, founding curator of the Curt Teich Postcard Archives, as she gives an overview of the history of picture postcards. It’s such a small item - a little notecard with an image on one side and a few sentences on the other - but it’s hard for me to imagine life without them. The event takes place at Augustana Lutheran Church, 5500 S. Woodlawn Ave. Learn more here.

On Friday, April 4 and Saturday, April 5 join the University of Chicago at the Reva & David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E. 60th St) for their Spring Literary Arts Lab: Internal Ecologies with writers Jericho Brown, Sigrid Nunez, and Kerry Howley. There are a handful of events taking place at different times over both evenings; learn more here. (Nunez’s National Book Award winning novel The Friend has been adapted into a film starring Naomi Watts and Bill Murray, and I’m really curious to see how the movie differs from the source material.) 

You should also stop by the University of Chicago to view A Pressing Call: 500 Years of Women in Printing. This exhibit tells the story that women uniquely played over hundreds of years of bookmaking, publishing, and printing across the world. The exhibit closes April 18, and it’s located in the Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center at 1100 E. 57th St. (Be mindful of their hours - the exhibit is closed Saturdays and Sundays.) If you can’t make it in person, check out their online exhibit resources here.  

Janice Deal will talk about her newest book, The Blue Door, with fellow Chicagoland-based writer Jeremy T. Wilson, on Tuesday, April 22, at 6:30 p.m. at the Book Cellar (4736-38 N. Lincoln Ave). I’m intrigued by the conversation, as both Deal and Wilson have published novels and short story collections. Learn more about the event here, and make sure you RSVP here.

You should check out live lit events in the city on our Live Lit page here. I'm excited that the Gumbo Fiction Salon is returning; the salon is open to all fiction genres, but they are particularly open to speculative fiction writing like science fiction and fantasy. The event is hosted by Tina Jens on the second Monday of each month at Galway Arms (2442 N. Clark St). If you’re still working on your writing, you can stop by the supportive Cunning Linguists writing group at the Loaves and Witches every second Saturday of the month at 7 p.m. Learn about the Cunning Linguists writing group here.   

Local legends Ada Palmer and Mary Ann Mohanraj will be in conversation to talk about Palmer’s new book Inventing the Renaissance: The Myth of a Golden Age. Join them Thursday, April 3 at 6:30 p.m. at Volumes Bookcafe (1373 N. Milwaukee Ave). Inventing the Renaissance argues just that - that the Renaissance was invented, in a way, and popular conceptions about this ‘golden age’ are flawed. Learn more about the event and the book here.

On a serious note - we’re saddened by the recent passing of Larry Sawyer, a Chicago-based poet and dear friend to the Chicago poetry community. He curated the Myopic Books Poetry Reading Series for 15 years; he was twice voted the best poet in Chicago in Chicago Reader polls; and he has been published widely. We hope you can join the Larry Sawyer Chicago Poetry Reading Tribute and Memorial at Myopic Books on Thursday, April 10 at 6 p.m. (1564 N. Milwaukee Ave). I encourage you to read some of his work - he was a gifted poet and has written some absolutely beautiful pieces. Read his poem "Sundial" here.

Allison Manley writes short stories and book reviews, and works at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She has been published in The Chicago Reader, Third Coast Review, the Southern Review of Books, Oyez Review, Not Deer Magazine, and The Gateway Review. She is an Associate Board member of the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame. 

If you know of any literary events you’d like us to feature for April or future months, please send a note to newswire@chicagoliteraryhof.org.