Friday, March 29, 2024
7:30 p.m.
Mrs. Murphy & Sons (2nd Floor)
3905 N. Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL
A nice crowd celebrated a brand new season of baseball and the betting that attends it at the second annual Opening Day themefest last Friday night, March 29, upstairs at Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro. This free themefest featured live music and spoken word presentations on the themes of baseball and betting, along with comic relief and a raffle of prizes. Peanuts and Cracker Jacks were on the house.
Thursday, March 7, 2024
6:30 PM
Colvin House
5940 N. Sheridan Road
Chicago, IL
Join literary organizations from around the city to discuss what it means to build literary community in Chicago. Panelists include DL Moore (Semicolon Bookstore), Carey Cranston (American Writers Museum, Chris Aldana (Luya Poetry), and Mike Zapata (MAKE Literary Productions). Audrey Niffenegger (Artists Book House) will moderate the conversation.
Meet representatives from:
826CHI | American Writers Museum | Big Shoulders Books | Chicago Literary Hall of Fame | Guild Literary Complex | Luya Poetry | MAKE Literary Magazine | Off Campus Writers Workshop | Printers Row Lit Fest |Ragdale Foundation | RHINO Poetry | Northwestern MFA in Prose & Poetry| Northwestern Summer Writers Conference | Northwestern University Press | Semicolon Bookstore...and more.
Colvin House is located in Edgewater. Red line to Thorndale | Buses 201, 206. Limited free parking available in the Swift School lot. Pull into the Colvin House entrance on Thorndale to receive a pass (first come, first served). Free street parking is findable for the perseverant.
Suggested Donation: $15
Thursday, February 29, 2024
6 p.m. Central Time
Independence Branch, Chicago Public Library
Meeting Room
4024 N. Elston Ave.
Chicago, IL 60618
Chicago writer, educator, and abolitionist Diego Báez will launch his debut poetry collection, Yaguareté White, with a reading that includes fellow poets Jacob Saenz and Pablo E. Ramirez. In Yaguareté White (University of Arizona Press), English, Spanish, and Guaraní encounter each other with humor and insight through the elusive yet potent figure of the jaguar.
Báez was a finalist for The Georgia Poetry Prize and a semi-finalist for the Berkshire Prize for Poetry. A recipient of fellowships from CantoMundo, the Surge Institute, the Poetry Foundation Incubator for Community-Engaged Poets, and DreamYard’s Rad(ical) Poetry Consortium, Diego has served on the boards of the National Book Critics Circle, the International David Foster Wallace Society, and Families Together Cooperative Nursery School. His poems have previously appeared or are forthcoming in Freeman's, Poetry Northwest, and Latino Poetry: A New Anthology. Essays and other non-fiction have been published in The Georgia Review, Spoon River Poetry Review, and Los Angeles Review of Books. Diego teaches poetry, English composition, and first-year seminars at the City Colleges, where he is an Assistant Professor of Multidisciplinary Studies.
Jacob was born in Chicago and raised in Cicero, Illinois. He earned a BA in creative writing from Columbia College in Chicago. His first collection of poetry, Throwing the Crown (Copper Canyon Press, 2018), was awarded the 2018 American Poetry Review/Honickman First Book Prize. He has been an editor at Columbia Poetry Review and an associate editor at RHINO. He works as an acquisitions assistant at the Columbia College library and has read his poetry at a number of Chicago venues. A CantoMundo fellow, Jacob has also been the recipient of a Letras Latinas Residency Fellowship and a Ruth Lilly Poetry Fellowship.
Pablo shares his poetic exploration of 21st century Chicago's ethnic and working-class heritage neighborhood of Pilsen. Pocho Love: Pilsen Heart Beats To Chicago Streets is soaked in colorful imagery forming a powerful collage of tattoo, wall murals, pop culture and Chicano graphics. This debut collection is written in English and some Spanish.In addition to being a visual artist and poet, Pablo is an activist and curator for cultural events in the Pilsen community.
The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame is an official partner in this exciting event. The reading is free and open to the public. Guests will have an opportunity to read their own poems in a short open mic reading at the conclusion of the featured program.
Tuesday, February 27, 2024
3:30-5:30 p.m.
Dominican University
Martin Recital Hall (located in the Fine Arts Building)
7900 W. Division
River Forest, IL 60305
Rana Segal has been filming Chicago Literary Hall of Fame events for nearly a decade, and in that time her substantial body of work has increased steadily. Her latest project is a documentary called Light of Truth: Richard Hunt's Monument for Ida B. Wells. The film weaves together the stories of Richard Hunt’s life, his fabrication of the Light of Truth monument, and Ida B. Wells’ heroic fight for justice, as told by her great-granddaughter, Michelle Duster. On Tuesday, Feb. 27, Dominican University hosted a screening of Rana's 60-minute documentary, as well as a panel presentation with Rana, Michelle, and filmmaker Laurie Little. This program was free and open to the public. The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame was a sponsoring partner in this event. Wells was inducted into the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame as part of its second class, in 2011. Hunt, the highly celebrated sculptor who died last December 16 at the age of 88, presented Leon Forrest’s induction into the CLHOF, in 2013. Duster serves on CLHOF’s Advisory Council.
Event recording.
Saturday, February 24, 2024
7-9 p.m.
Colvin House
5940 N. Sheridan Road
Chicago, IL 60660
For the fourth straight year, the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame hosted a literary cocktail party. This year the fabulous Colvin House welcomed about 60 guests for The Great Gimlet. Proceeds helped CLHOF fund upcoming programs, such as our induction ceremony and two Fuller Award ceremonies. Mixologist Ryan Prindle made drinks based on Chicago's connection to The Great Gatsby. Scholar Michelle Moore told us how Chicago socialite Ginevra King became the model for F. Scott Fitzgerald's character, Daisy Buchanan. Rita Dragonette helped host; Mike Burke and Robert Charles again served as our impressarios; Robert also performed an incredible magic trick.
Some guests dressed in their finest Jazz Age attire. Colvin House provided delicious appetizers and desserts throughout the evening. We played period jazz and blues songs with connections to Chicago.
Built in 1909, Colvin House was designated as a Chicago landmark in 1994. The house was built in the Prairie Style, by architect George Maher, then the house interior was mostly renovated in the 1920s.
Saturday, December 2, 2023
1:30-3:30 p.m.
Beat Kitchen in Roscoe Village
2100 West Belmont Avenue
Chicago, IL
Cover: $20
The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame will again host its end-of-the-year Fundraiser Party on Saturday, December 2, from 1:30-3:30 p.m., at Roscoe Village’s Beat Kitchen, “home to every genre of music, hosting some of the biggest names in live music & comedy.” Registration is NOW OPEN.
The Fundraiser Party is a perfect opportunity to celebrate the season while supporting an organization that organizes events and programming to honor, preserve, and celebrate Chicago's great literary heritage, as well as to help foster new voices.
There will be light appetizers, a cash bar, lots of mingling and throughout the afternoon, as well as many chances to win prizes. The event will culminate with a LIVE AUCTION. There is a $20 admission fee.
Leading up to the event, the CLHOF will host an ONLINE SILENT AUCTION. Bidding on the silent auction will go through the end of The Beat Kitchen Party. Get your bids in NOW!
We will close registration for the party when we hit the The Beat Kitchen's capacity. Register now.
Thursday, October 5, 2023
5 p.m.
Harold Washington Public Library
Cindy Pritzker Auditorium
400 S. State Street
Chicago, IL 60606
Scott Turow, the acclaimed author of 15 books, received CLHOF's highest honor for living writers, the Fuller Award. The ceremony took place at the Cindy Pritzker Auditorium, and was a signature event in the Chicago Public Library's 150th Anniversary Celebration. A reception at the Plymouth Restaurant & Rooftop Bar followed the ceremony. The event was free and open to the public.
The Chicago born and bred bestselling author rocketed onto the literary scene with his debut novel, the New York Times #1 Best Seller Presumed Innocent (1986) and has sustained his early, volcanic success these past 37 years, up to and including Suspect (2022). Presumed Innocent is the first in a series of twelve novels set in fictional Kindle County, which bears resemblance to Cook County. In addition he has written two nonfiction books, including One L about his experiences at Harvard Law School. One L remains a "must-read" for law students. His books have been translated into more than 40 languages, sold more than 30 million copies worldwide, and have been adapted into movies and television projects. He has frequently contributed essays and op-ed pieces to publications such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic. He also edited the two-volume Guilty As Charged: A Mystery Writers of America Anthology (1996, 1997), which was reissued as a single volume in 2017.
Turow was born in Chicago in 1949 and attended New Trier High School. He graduated with honors from Amherst College and received an Edith Mirrielees Fellowship to the Stanford University Creative Writing Center. He earned his law degree (J.D.) with honors from Harvard University in 1978. While serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Chicago he prosecuted several high profile cases including as lead counsel in Operation Greylord, the investigation into judicial corruption in Cook County. He continues to practice law, focusing on white collar criminal litigation, and resides in the Chicago area.
Bill Kurtis and Donna LaPietra emceed an event that included comments and readings by Aaron Freeman, Cornelia Grumman, Richard Guzman, Jane Hamilton, and Christie Hefner. Elizabeth Taylor led a conversation with Scott after he accepted the award. Partners for the evening included CPL, the Poetry Foundation, the Authors Guild, Brandt & Hochman Literary Agents, Inc, Dentons, Smith Gambrell Russell, Clifford Law Offices, Chicago Writers Association, Grand Central Publishing, Eli's Cheesecake and the American Writers Museum.
Saturday, September 9 and Sunday, September 10
9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Dearborn between Ida B. Wells and Polk
Printers Row Lit Fest returns for its 38th year. The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame will again be active throughout the weekend under our tent and as part of the programming. More details to come.
Sunday, August 6, 2023
2-6 p.m.
Private Residence
Oak Park, IL
The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame survives and thrives because of our wonderful army of supporters, including volunteers, board members, associate board members, our advisory council, and donors. Throughout the year, speakers and writers and educators and administrators lend their time to our various programs. Our regular independent contractors, such as printers and designers, go above and beyond the call of duty. We are only here because of the enormous generosity and talent of these people. Least we could do was throw them a party. We gathered in an Oak Park backyard in a few gracious hours between one rainstorm and another. Other than a light drizzle and lots of clouds, it was a fine summer day. We ate, drank, and listened to Anne-Marie Akin's superb music, including her original, "What Do You Do with a Drunken Writer?" and a duet with Ugochi Nwaogwugwu of Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds."
Tuesday, July 11, 2023
6-8 p.m.
Chopin Theatre
1543 W. Division Street
Chicago, IL 60642
The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame’s 14th class officially joined the canon of our city’s all-time literary greats at an induction ceremony and reception hosted by the stupendous Chopin Theatre. Nella Larsen, Bette Howland, and Finley Peter Dunne were honored and celebrated for their important literary contributions to Chicago and beyond. Larsen, born in the Levee District in 1868, published just two novels in her lifetime, but regard for her work has only increased over the decades. A librarian and active part of Harlem’s interracial arts scene, Larsen received critical acclaim for both novels, in particular the bold, important Quicksand (1928), an exploration of cross-cultural and interracial themes set partly in Chicago. A MacArthur Fellowship recipient, Howland’s relatively small output, like Larsen’s, made a vital, lasting impact, as her reputation only increased over time. Her debut effort, the memoir W-3 (1974), details her experiences as a patient in a Chicago hospital's psychiatric wing. Dunne, a celebrated Chicago newspaper columnist, won over legions of fans with his creation Martin Dooley, a South Side, Irish saloonkeeper who espouses wisdom and wit on any variety of current events and socially significant themes. Eight volumes of Dunne’s Dooley sketches were reprinted in book form.
Emcee J-L Deher-Lesaint led a speaking lineup that included Brad Armacost, Martha Bayne, Chaz Ebert, Mike Houlihan, Jennifer Smith, James R. Sullivan, and Rachel Swearingen as well as Howland’s sons Jacob and Frank Howland.
View the 2022 Chicago Literary Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Program
2022 Chicago Literary Hall of Fame Inductees: Finley Peter Dunne, Bette Howland, and Nella Larsen
Chicago Literary Hall of Fame
Email: Don Evans
4043 N. Ravenswood Ave., #222
Chicago, IL 60613
773.414.2603