A Look Ahead at Chicago Lit: January

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 readings, conferences, and more. We couldn’t possibly list them all, but each month, we’ll share a few promising events scheduled throughout the city. (And of course, don’t forget to read the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame’s Events page).  

If your New Year's resolution is to write more, Chicago has a handful of open writing groups that can help you stay accountable. The Feminist Creative Society, a weekly creative group, is a welcoming offshoot of Rebellious Magazine and is open to all types of creative practice. Rebellious Editor-in-Chief, Karen Hawkins, started the group in early 2024 (albeit under a slightly different name, the Feminist Writers Society), but the group has been on a brief hiatus. The online meet-ups resume on Thursday, January 2 at 6 p.m. Sign up for the community.

The Speculative Literature Foundation also hosts supportive co-writing sessions on Saturdays - sign up for more info and read more here.

Hear Chicagoans share their stories and creative work at events like Tuesday Funk at Hopleaf on Sunday, January 5 at 7:30 p.m.; the Test Literary Series at The Whistler on Wednesday, January 8 at 6:30 p.m.; and Tenx9 Chicago at Kibbitznest on Saturday, January 25 at 7 p.m. (Tenx9 Chicago recently celebrated its 100th show). These are just a handful of live lit events taking place this month, though; you can learn more about the dozens of live lit programs in Chicago on our Live Lit page.

Volumes Bookcafe is hosting writer Robert Kloss for the release of his novel The Genocide House on Saturday, January 11 at 6:30 p.m. Kloss will be joined by authors Philip Sorenson, Martin Seay,  Kathleen Rooney, Meghan Lamb, and Olivia Cronk, who writes that The Genocide House is "(s)sometimes an alternative history, sometimes an exploration of a substructure--American historical fiction is simply and always horror, because American history is just a genocidal machine--sometimes an experimental novel that close-reads formal instability and its relationship to Early "America" and TV's ever-shifting montages." 

I’m also looking forward to reading Homeseeking, Karissa Chen’s debut novel about love, family, home, and the Chinese diaspora. Chen will be at Women and Children First on Wednesday, January 15 at 7 p.m., joined by Dragonfish author Vu Tran. The event is free, but please register ahead of time.

Poet Ananda Lima has been popping up at literary events all over the country since the release of her short story collection Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil. On Thursday, January 23 at 6 p.m., Lima joins the Pulitzer-Prize winning author Hernan Diaz in a Writers on Writing conversation at the Newberry Library (and in Zoom). Registration for the free event, offered in partnership with StoryStudio Chicago, opened on December 1, and will likely sell out.

Lima will also stop by Seminary Co-op to chat with Controlled Conversations author Karol Lagodzki on Saturday, January 25 at 3 p.m. Don’t forget to RSVP!

(Volumes, Women and Children First, Seminary Co-op, and other bookstores in Chicago regularly host other author events as well. Check out our Bookstore page to find other bookstores.

After a years-long search, the Artists Book House has finally found a home in Irving Park. Its next major event, Treewhispers, opens Saturday, January 18 at 2 p.m. Part exhibition, part lit event, Treewhispers is an international collaboration that celebrates the art and importance of trees and paper arts.

The Chicago Writers Association (CWA) celebrates both traditionally published books as well as indie fiction and nonfiction in its annual Book of the Year Awards. The awards ceremony and party will be held Saturday, January 18 at 7 p.m. in the Warwick Allerton Hotel. Mingle with the Chicago literary community, eat some good food, and celebrate some of 2024’s best books in the elegant Chicago hotel. Registration for the event is $9.99 for Chicago Writers Association members, $19.99 for non-members.  

Algonquin Round Table co-founder Dorothy Parker is the focus of Gail Crowther’s new book Dorothy Parker in Hollywood. Crowther - a writer, researcher, and academic - has also written about Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, and the Golden Age of Hollywood. The American Writers Museum is hosting an online conversation with Crowther, “Lunch with Dorothy Parker,” so you can avoid the ice, snuggle up with a certain dog, and grab lunch while learning about one of America’s wittiest writers. Tuesday, January 21 at 12 p.m; tickets are $5 and must be purchased in advance.

The Court Theatre is putting on the classic play A Raisin in the Sun, written by legendary Chicago-born playwright (and 2010 Chicago Literary Hall of Fame inductee) Lorraine Hansberry. The play runs from January 31 – March 2. Tickets are on sale now.

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

Do you have an event taking place next month? Should we feature your organization on our Live Lit or Bookstore pages? Let us know at newswire@chicagoliteraryhof.org.