SEPTEMBER
friday14
Joe Meno | Quimby's Bookstore
The local writer reads from the new paperback edition of his novel Tender as Hellfire; he'll be joined by Mickey Hess (Is Hip-Hop Dead?) and Gretchen Kalwinski. | 773-342-0910
monday17
Judith Martin | Book Cellar
"Ms. Manners" promotes her travelogue No Vulgar Hotel: The Desire and Pursuit of Venice. | 773-293-2665
Stephen Holmes |
Harold Washington Library Center
The NYU law prof discusses The Matador's Cape: America's Reckless Response to Terror. | 312-747-4050
tuesday18
Gerald Nicosia |
Columbia College Film Row Cinema
Kerouac biographer Nicosia (Memory Babe) speaks on "Fifty Years on the Road: Kerouac Then, Now, and Right Here." | 312-344-7611
wednesday19
"On the Medical Frontlines" |
Harold Washington Library Center
This American Life host Ira Glass interviews Doctors Without Borders executive director Nicolas de Torrente and surgeon Mary Ann Hopkins | 312-747-4050
Gioia Diliberto |
Women & Children First
Local writer Diliberto reads from her new novel, The Collection. | 773-769-9299
Local Author Night | Book Cellar
With novelists Silvia Foti (The Diva's Fool), Julia Buckley (Madeline Mann), Robert Rodi (When You Were Me), and Stacey Ballis (The Spinster Sisters). | 773-293-2665
thursday20
Kurt Elling | 57th Street Books
Jazz singer Elling signs Lyrics, a collection of all his recorded writing. | 773-684-1300
Melissa Fay Greene |
Barnes & Noble in Evanston
Greene (Praying for Sheetrock) presents There Is No Me Without You: One Woman's Odyssey to Rescue Africa's Children. | 847-424-0848
Luis Alberto Urrea |
Lozano branch library
UIC prof Urrea discusses his novel The Hummingbird's Daughter and his nonfiction best seller The Devil's Highway. | 312-746-4239 or 312-747-4050
Tim Weiner | Pritzker Military Library
The Pulitzer-winning New York Times correspondent presents Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA. | 312-587-0234
friday21
Naomi Klein | Experimental Station
Klein (No Logo) discusses The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. | 773-752-4381
saturday22
Ragad | Quimby's Bookstore
The local lit zine hosts "Intersections: A Reading From the Streets" with local writers Ben Tanzer (Lucky Man), Pete Coco, Scott Stealey, C.T. Ballentine, and Nick Ostdick. | 773-342-0910
sunday23
Wangari Maathai |
Rockefeller Memorial Chapel
The Nobel Peace Prize winner discusses her memoir, Unbowed, for a Chicago Humanities Festival program. | chfestival.org
wednesday26
Bookslut Reading Series |
Hopleaf Bar
Featuring cartoonist Emily Flake (These Things Ain't Gonna Smoke Themselves) and poet Troy Jollimore. | bookslut.com
thursday27
Michael Gates Gill |
Borders on State
Gill discusses his memoir, How Starbucks Saved My Life. | 312-606-0750
Nicole Hollander |
Women & Children First
The cartoonist (Sylvia) offers Tales of Graceful Aging From the Planet Denial. | 773-769-9299
John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt |
International House
U. of C.'s Mearsheimer and Harvard's Walt discuss The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy. | 773-753-2270
Jonathan Messinger | Hideout
Release party for local writer Messinger's new story collection, Hiding Out. | 773-227-4433
saturday29
Banned Books Week Read Out! | Newberry Library
Authors Chris Crutcher, Carolyn Mackler, and Robie Harris are joined by "local Chicago celebrities" in reading passages from their favorite banned books. | 312-255-3700
sunday30
Edwidge Danticat |
Lookingglass Theatre
Victoria Lautman interviews novelist Edwidge Danticat about her new memoir, Brother, I'm Dying, as part of WFMT's Writers on the Record series. | 312-832-6789
Sunday Salon Chicago |
Charleston Bar
With fiction writers Rudolph Delson (Maynard & Jennica), Jennifer Harris (Pink), and others. | 773-489-4757
OCTOBER
tuesday2
Ira Glass | Barnes & Noble in Evanston
This American Life host Glass introduces The New Kings of Nonfiction. | 847-424-0848
Beth Kohl |
Book Stall at Chestnut Court
The local writer presents Embryo Culture: Making Babies in the Twenty-first Century. | 847-446-8880
wednesday3
Steven Pinker | International House
The Harvard psychology prof discusses The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window Into Human Nature. | 773-753-2270
thursday4
Bookslut Reading Series |
Hopleaf Bar
Featuring fiction writers Benjamin Percy (Refresh, Refresh) and Porochista Khakpour (Sons and Other Flammable Objects) and poet George Murray (The Rush to Here). | bookslut.com
Richard Dawkins |
International House
The evolutionary biologist talks about The God Delusion. | 773-753-2270
Cynthia Rowley |
Museum of Contemporary Art
The fashion designer signs Slim: A Fantasy Memoir. | mcachicago.org
Glenn Stout |
Barnes & Noble DePaul Center
The sportswriter presents The Cubs: The Complete Story of Chicago Cubs Baseball. | 312-362-8795
Saturday6
Midwest Literary Festival |
Aurora
More than 50 authors gather for workshops, book signings, panel discussions, and more. Also Sunday 10/7. | midwestliteraryfestival.com
Todd Oldham |
Museum of Contemporary Art
The designer signs Charly Harper: An Illustrated Life and Handmade Modern: Mid-Century Inspired Projects for Your Home. | mcachicago.org
sunday7
Achy Obejas |
Centuries & Sleuths Bookstore
Local writer-editor Obejas presents Havana Noir: Mystery Tales of Havana, Cuba. | 708-771-7243
Sisters in Crime 20th-Anniversary Celebration |
Women & Children First
Mystery writers Sara Paretsky, Barbara D'Amato, and Libby Fischer Hellmann present the story anthology Sisters on the Case: Celebrating Twenty Years of Sisters in Crime. | 773-769-9299
wednesday10
Susan Faludi | Women & Children First
Faludi (Backlash) presents The Terror Dream: Fear and Fantasy in Post-9/11 America. | 773-769-9299
Eboo Patel | International House
Patel discusses his memoir, Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation. | 773-753-2270
thursday11
Wesley Clark | Borders on Michigan
Clark signs his memoir, A Time To Lead: For Duty, Honor and Country. | 312-573-0564
Kathleen Flinn |
Barnes & Noble DePaul Center
Flinn discusses her memoir, The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry: Love, Laughter, and Tears at the World's Most Famous Cooking School. | 312-362-8795
Nelson Peery | 57th Street Books
Peery presents his memoir Black Radical: The Education of an American Revolutionary, 1946-1968. | 773-684-1300
Katha Pollitt |
Women & Children First
The Nation columnist discusses her essay collection Learning to Drive: And Other Life Stories. | 773-769-9299
friday12
Erik Larson |
Barnes & Noble DePaul Center
Larson (The Devil in the White City) signs his latest, Thunderstruck. | 312-362-8795
Andrew Vachss |
Centuries & Sleuths Bookstore
Vachss signs his new thriller, Terminal. | 708-771-7243
saturday13
Richard King | Borders on Michigan
The local sportscaster discusses his memoir, My Maggie. | 312-573-0564
Gale Sayers | Barnes & Noble Skokie
The Hall of Fame Chicago Bear running back signs Sayers: My Life and Times. | 847-676-2230
sunday14
Erik Larson |
Centuries & Sleuths Bookstore
Larson (The Devil in the White City) signs his latest, Thunderstruck. | 708-771-7243
monday15
Ken Follett |
Borders on State, Barnes & Noble Skokie
Follett signs his new novel, World Without End. | 312-606-0750, 847-676-2230
A.J. Jacobs | Barbara's Oak Park
Jacobs (The Know-It-All) presents The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible. | 708-848-9140
Ann Patchett | Newberry Library
The novelist reads from her latest, Run. | 312-255-3700
tuesday16
The Literary Gangs of Chicago | Museum of Contemporary Art
Novelist-artist Audrey Niffenegger (The Time Traveler's Wife, The Three Incestuous Sisters) is the featured reader. | mcachicago.org
Cass Sunstein | 57th Street Books
The U. of C. law prof presents Republic.com 2.0. | 773-684-1300
Jamie Trecker |
Barnes & Noble DePaul Center
The local sportswriter signs Love and Blood: At the World Cup With the Footballers, Fans, and Freaks. | 312-362-8795
wednesday17
Elisabeth Squires |
Women & Children First
Squires promotes Boobs: A Guide to Your Girls. | 773-769-9299
A. Van Jordan, Tyehimba Jess |
School of the Art Institute
Poets Jordan (Rise) and Jess (Leadbelly) read their work. | poetrycenter.org
thursday18
Keir Graff | After-Words Bookstore
Release party for local writer Graff's new novel, My Fellow Americans. | 312-464-1110
Benjamin Percy | 57th Street Books
Percy reads from his story collection, Refresh, Refresh. | 773-684-1300
friday19
Civil War Saturday |
Pritzker Military Library
With historians Chandra Manning (What This Cruel War Was Over: Soldiers, Slavery, and the Civil War) and Donald A. Davis (Stonewall Jackson). | 312-587-0234
Geoffrey Stone | 57th Street Books
The U. of C. law prof presents Top Secret: When Our Government Keeps Us in the Dark. | 773-684-1300
sunday21
Andrea Barrett |
Lookingglass Theatre
Victoria Lautman interviews novelist Andrea Barrett (The Air We Breathe) as part of WFMT's Writers on the Record series. | 312-832-6789
Libby Fischer Hellmann |
Centuries & Sleuths Bookstore
The local mystery writer signs Chicago Blues: A New Collection of Short Stories About the Real Windy City. | 708-771-7243
Cathy Wilkerson |
Women & Children First
Wilkerson discusses her memoir, Flying Close to the Sun: My Life and Times as a Weatherman. | 773-769-9299
monday22
Garrison Keillor |
Oak Park Public Library
Keillor reads from his latest novel, Pontoon. | 708-383-8200
Kenneth J. Saltman |
57th Street Books
Saltman (Schooling and the Politics of Disaster) talks about Capitalizing on Disaster: Taking and Breaking Public Schools. | 773-684-1300
tuesday23
Shalom Auslander | Abbey Pub
Auslander discusses his new memoir, Foreskin's Lament. | nextbook.org
Bookslut Reading Series |
Hopleaf Bar
Featuring novelist Matthew Eck (The Farther Shore). | bookslut.com
Marc Falkoff | 57th Street Books
The local attorney presents Poems From Guantanamo: The Detainees Speak. | 773-684-1300
wednesday24
Cave Canem | Art Institute
Members of the poetry collective read from their new anthology, The Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South. | artic.edu
Frank Warren |
Barnes & Noble DePaul Center, Barbara's University Village
The creator of PostSecret.com offers A Lifetime of Secrets. | 312-362-8795, 312-413-2665
Friday 26
Dahr Jamail | International House
The journalist presents Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches From an Unembedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq. | 773-753-2270
saturday27
Chicago Humanities Festival |
Multiple Venues
See sidebar | Through 11/11 | chfestival.org
Scott Kenemore |
Barnes & Noble on Webster
The local writer promotes his humor book, The Zen of Zombie: Better Living Through the Undead. | 773-871-3610
sunday28
Sunday Salon Chicago |
Charleston Bar
Local novelist Samuel Park (Shakespeare's Sonnets) is the featured reader. | 773-489-4757
NOVEMBER
tuesday6
Paula Kamen |
Barbara's University Village
The local writer talks about Finding Iris Chang: Friendship, Ambition, and the Loss of an Extraordinary Mind. | 312-413-2665
wednesday7
Bookslut Reading Series |
Hopleaf Bar
Featuring Shalom Auslander with his new memoir, Foreskin's Lament. | bookslut.com
Fightin' Words: The Literature of War |
School of the Art Institute
Poets Brian Turner (Here, Bullet) and Bruce Weigl (Song of Napalm) read their work. | poetrycenter.org
thursday8
Julie M. Fenster |
Pritzker Military Library
The historian discusses The Case of Abraham Lincoln: A Story of Adultery, Murder, and the Making of a Great President. | 312-587-0234
Bobby Flay | Borders on Michigan
The restaurateur promotes Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill Cookbook. | 312-573-0564
friday9
John Theodore | 57th Street Books
Theodore presents Evil Summer: Babe Leopold, Dickie Loeb, and the Kidnap-Murder of Bobby Franks. | 773-684-1300
sunday11
Ann Packer |
Lookingglass Theatre
Victoria Lautman interviews novelist Ann Packer (Songs Without Words) as part of WFMT's Writers on the Record series. | 312-832-6789
tuesday13
Paul Budnitz |
Museum of Contemporary Art
The Kidrobot founder lectures and signs I Am Plastic: The Designer Toy Explosion. | mcachicago.org
Peter Cole |
School of the Art Institute
The poet and translator discusses The Dream of a Poem: Hebrew Poetry From Muslim and Christian Spain 950-1492 | nextbook.org
thursday15
Jeffrey Wasserstrom |
International House
The historian discusses China's Brave New World--And Other Tales for Global Times. | 773-753-2270
sunday18
Sunday Salon Chicago |
Charleston Bar
Local novelist Cris Mazza (Waterbaby) is the featured reader. | 773-489-4757
thursday29
Ralph Peters |
Pritzker Military Library
Peters discusses Wars of Blood and Faith: The Conflicts That Will Shape the Twenty-first Century. | 312-587-0234 Abbey Pub 3420 W. Grace | nextbook.org
After-Words Bookstore 23 E. Illinois | 312-464-1110
Art Institute of Chicago Michigan and Adams | 312-443-3600 | artic.edu
Barbara's Bookstore 1218 S. Halsted | 312-413-2665 | barbarasbookstore.com
Barbara's Bookstore 1100 Lake | Oak Park | 708-848-9140 | barbarasbookstore.com
Barnes & Noble DePaul Center | 1 E. Jackson | 312-362-8795 | depaul.bkstore.com
Barnes & Noble 1441 W. Webster | 773-871-3610 | barnesandnoble.com
Barnes & Noble 1630 Sherman, Evanston | 847-424-0848 | barnesandnoble.com
Book Cellar 4736 N. Lincoln | 773-293-2665, bookcellarinc.com
Book Stall at Chestnut Court 811 Elm | Winnetka | 847-446-8880 | bookstall.booksense.com
Bookslut Reading Series at Hopleaf Bar 5148 N. Clark | 773-334-9851 | bookslut.com
Borders 2817 N. Clark | 773-935-3909 | borders.com
Borders 830 N. Michigan, 312-573-0564 | borders.com
Borders 150 N. State, 312-606-0750 | borders.com
Centuries & Sleuths Bookstore 7419 W. Madison | Forest Park | 708-771-7243 | centuriesandsleuths.com
Charleston Bar 2076 N. Hoyne | 773-489-4757
Chicago Humanities Festival at Rockefeller Memorial Chapel University of Chicago | 5850 S. Woodlawn | 312-494-9509 | chfestival.org
Columbia College Film Row Cinema 1104 S. Wabash | 8th fl. | 312-344-7611 | colum.edu
Experimental Station 6100 S. Blackstone | 773-241-5458
57th Street Books 1301 E. 57th | 773-684-1300 | semcoop.booksense.com
Harold Washington Library Center 400 S. State | 312-747-4050 | chipublib.org
Hideout 1354 W. Wabansia | 773-227-4433 | hideoutchicago.com
International House, University of Chicago 1414 E. 59th | 773-753-2270
Lozano branch library 1805 S. Loomis | 312-746-4239 | chipublib.org
Museum of Contemporary Art 220 E. Chicago | 312-280-2660 | mcachicago.org
Myopic Books 1564 N. Milwaukee | 773-862-4882 | myopicbookstore.com
Newberry Library 60 W. Walton | 312-255-3700 | newberry.org
Oak Park Public Library 834 Lake | Oak Park | 708-383-8200 | oppl.org
Pritzker Military Library 610 N. Fairbanks | 312-587-0234, pritzkermilitarylibrary.org
Quimby's Bookstore 1854 W. North | 773-342-0910 | quimbys.com
School of the Art Institute 37 S. Wabash | nextbook.org
Women & Children First 5233 N. Clark | 773-769-9299 | womenchildren.booksense.com
Writers on the Record at Lookingglass Theatre 821 N. Michigan | 312-832-6789, wfmt.com
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