2018 Induction Ceremony

The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame will induct Henry Blake Fuller, Marita Bonner, and Robert Sengstacke Abbott as its newest class on Nov. 16. In large part because of Fuller's importance to the club, which got its name from his novel The Cliff-Dwellers, this event will be held at Cliff Dwellers. Though this is a private club, the event is open to the public. Reservations are required. Cost of dinner is $30; to reseve a seat for the program only costs $10. There is a cash bar beginning at 4:30 p.m.; dinner is served at 6:15 p.m.; the ceremony starts promptly at 7:15 p.m. Reservations can also be made by phone at 312-922-8080.

Speakers for the evening include Ethan Michaeli, author of the critically acclaimed book The Defender; Myiti Sengstacke-Rice, great grand-niece of Abbott; Richard Guzman, author of Black Writing from Chicago; and Bill Getzoff, prominent Cliff Dwellers member.

After seven classes of six writers, CLHOF has reduced its class size to three, partly in order to ensure the highest standards for selection and in part to allow more detailed commentary on each writer at the ceremony. All 45 CLHOF inductees, including this new class, were selected after a rigorous process that relied on the expertise and passion of the finest minds in our literary community. Nominators and selectors include a range of scholars, authors, artists, and others known for their close and relentless interest in Chicago literature.