South Side Literary Bus Tour

On this day-long adventure through Chicago's South Side literary history, we witnessed more than 25 unique sites. On this five-hour tour of Chicago, we visited sites associated with events like The Great Chicago Fire and the Leopold & Loeb Murder Trial; places like “Millionaires Row” and Chess Records; institutions like the old The Defender and Chicago Bee buildings; important authors ranging from Lorraine Hansberry to James T. Farrell; monuments to the likes of Gwendolyn Brooks and Ida B. Wells; and more. Along the way, and at each proper stop, we explored the Chicago literature associated with the sites. We moved through a variety of South Side neighborhoods, including Little Italy, Pilsen, Little Village, Bridgeport, Hyde Park, Woodlawn, Kenwood, Back of the Yards, and Bronzeville. We at a (sort of) quick lunch at Jimmy’s Woodlawn Tap, an old watering hole frequented by Saul Bellow, Phillip Roth, and The Compass Players, among others. A reading list and app was provided well in advance, for those who wanted to explore this literature more deeply. The tour began and ended at the Douglass Park.