A Look Ahead at Chicago Lit: October

by Kayleigh McNamara

"There between the curtains was the October night, calm and lovely, with a star or two caught in the yellowing trees.” 

—Virginia Woolf

The air is growing crisp and, in the words of Nelson Algren, “Chicago is an October sort of city.” October will be treating Chicago to another brilliant month of literary events. If you’d like to get in the Halloween spirit, check out the Newberry Library’s six session course titled Witches in Contemporary Literature. Alix Anne Shaw will teach virtually on Tuesdays from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m., investigating the cultural fascination with witchcraft and what it often represents about our cultural anxieties. Space is limited. Learn more and register here. 

Fight against censorship with Banned Books Week. City Lit Theater will give a performance of Books on the Chopping Block at Women & Children First on Thursday, October 8 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Celebrate the freedom to read and hear excerpts of books that have been banned within the United States. See more here. 

Sunday, October 11, Hernan Diaz will be at the Studebaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building to discuss his new novel Ply with Greta Johnsen. The Chicago Review of Books said “Ply reads like a dystopian noir; it’s part crime novel, part coming-of-age story, and part treatise on existence itself, and fully unique.” Tickets include a signed copy of the novel from Exile in Bookville, available for pickup the day of the event. Learn more and buy your ticket here. 

2026 marks the 40th anniversary of the Chicago Public Library Foundation. This year’s awards will take place October 13 at the UIC Dorin Forum and honor Mo Willems with the Carl Sandburg Literary Award, Gabriel Bump with the 21st Century Award, and Helen Zell with the Cindy Pritzker Civic Award. Support the foundation’s efforts to advance literacy and purchase tickets here. 

Wednesday, October 14, the Harold Washington Library Center will host the launch event of the Pulitzer on the Road exhibition featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning authors across genres. Percival Everett, Daniel Kraus, Amanda Vaill, and Jon Cherry will be in conversation with Jelani Cobb to discuss storytelling in America. The event will take place in the Winter Garden, but will also be streaming live on YouTube and Facebook. Doors open at 5:00 p.m. and seating is first come, first served. Learn more here. 

Tuesday, October 20, Meghana Mysore will be at Call & Response Books to discuss her new short story collection Let All Our Ghosts Depart with Puloma Ghosh. She bends genres to explore the intergenerational haunting she has experienced as a woman of the South Asian diaspora. Purchase tickets to the event and get a copy of the book here. 

Friday, October 23, the Poetry Foundation will be hosting their 2026 Pegasus Awards Reading. The event features Meg Day, Nikki Grimes, Luis J. Rodriguez, Jason Schneiderman, and a video presentation from Robert Pinsky. The event is free and open to the public but advanced registration is encouraged. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. RSVP here. 

The Arts in the Dark parade is back October 24! Find a spot to watch on Columbus Drive between Balbo and Jackson and celebrate Halloween as “the artist’s holiday.” Participants in the parade represent a broad range of our city’s cultural diversity and remind us that we are all connected through our creative spirit. This is a family-friendly event and will go on rain or shine. Learn more here. 

For those looking to be scared, Thursday, October 29, Caitlin Starling will be at Bucket O’ Blood Books and Records to discuss her novel Milkteeth in conversation with Lee Mandelo. Milkteeth is a horror story about vampires and motherhood that Publisher’s Weekly called “delightfully ruthless and unsparing.” Be sure to preorder a copy of the book for signing. Due to a printing delay, there will not be copies available at the event. Find more information here. 

End your month at Glessner House to hear actors from Lifeline Theatre give a reading of Edgar Allen Poe’s spookiest work on Halloween night. Tickets can be reserved for the 5:00 or 8:00 showing. Reserve your spot here before the event sells out. And remember, “Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality.”