Past Events

Registration just opened for a creative writing workshop will focus on stories set in Chicago. Students will create and develop their own manuscripts at the same time they explore the greatest Chicago literature. In the first third of each workshop, we'll discuss a published story, with an emphasis on craft features. In the second two parts of…

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A robust audience of more than 70 people showed up to our Zoom conversation with Glennette Tilley Turner on Saturday, February 22. Glennette discussed her new book, as well as her other work as an author, historian, and educator. The prolific and distinguished author is our foremost authority on the Illinois Underground Railroad. During…

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For the fifth straight year, the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame hosted a cocktail fundraiser. We returned to the Colvin House, where we split time between the opulent art deco upstairs and decadent speakeasy downstairs. This year’s theme was based on Nelson Algren's classic novel, The Man with the Golden Arm, which won the first…

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On September 24, Alex Kotlowitz became the 17th recipient of the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame’s Fuller Award for his lifetime achievements. Ben Austen led a speaking lineup that included Stuart Dybek, Julie Justicz, Meribah Knight, Mary Rowland and Ricardo “Cobe” Williams. The Chopin Theatre ceremony…

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Come to the Hyde Park house where Edgar Lee Masters wrote the classic Spoon River Anthology. Three shows take place in a two-weekend festival celebrating this iconic work from the 1910s. Let the ghost of Edgar Lee Masters take you on an imagined journey to Spoon River, Illinois! Limited tickets are now on sale for each show.  Spoon River…

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Printers Row Lit Fest returns for its 39th year. Chicago Literary Hall of Fame will once again host a tent with partners After Hours, Chicago Poetry Center, Chicago Quarterly Review, Contratiempo, Guild Literary Complex, Rhino, and Stories Matter Foundation. The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame will host an open mic for young writers at some point…

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As part of the Printers Row Lit Fest's action-packed schedule, the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame will host an open mic reading for young writers. Poets Billy Tuggle and Marty McConnell will emcee the open mic, which is open to all high school-aged students. Billy is a South Side Chicago native; a writer, vocalist, performance poet and…

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Come witness the final development reading of Dooley's Place at Chief O'Neill's, where the staged production will take place in the near future.  After successfully introducing Martin J. Dooley back to Chicago audiences in two  development readings, Poet Ape Productions is excited to showcase its final script. Come…

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On July 11, Patricia Smith received the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame's Fuller Award for her lifetime achievements. The ceremony, co-presented with our host the Poetry Foundation, as well as American Writers Museum, Shipman Agency, Inc., Chicago Poetry Center, Guild Literary Complex, Third World Press, and Lee & Low Books was free…

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At the second American Writers Festival on Sunday, May 19, Jane Hseu led a discussion with authors Ugochi Nwaogwugwu, Nestor Gomez, and Lani T. Montreal. These artists came to Chicago from Guatemala, Nigeria, and the Philippines. Each has explored the immigration experience in a variety of ways, including spoken work, memoir, poetry,…

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