This month’s column explores another reason Chicago’s literary scene is “lit”: the wide variety of live literature events held in neighborhoods across the city. From conversations with award-winning authors to unexpected poetry encounters and literary reading series in bars and coffee shops, Chicago has a robust lineup of live lit offerings to sample—and nearly all of them are free to attend. Here are just a few suggestions of how to supplement your audiobook addiction with the voice of an author IRL in August, and possibly discover your new favorite writer in the process.
Tuesday Funk Reading Series
Tuesday, August 6, 7:30 pm at Hopleaf Bar, 5148 N. Clark St.
Free event with registration online HERE; doors at 7 p.m.
Must be 21+ to attend
Hosted at Hopleaf by Andrew Huff and Erin Watson, Tuesday Funk is an eclectic monthly reading series ranging from fiction and poetry to essays and hybrid works that occasionally include musical accompaniment. The five authors slated for August 6, are Jitesh Jaggi, Rosamund Lannin, Sondra Morin, Kelly Swails and Lauren Whalen, plus a regularly featured haiku from Andrew. This month may or may not be Tuesday Funk’s 150th edition. According to the hosts: “Math is hard, that's why we deal in words.” The upstairs lounge at Hopleaf has limited seating, so they recommend you arrive when doors open at 7 p.m.
Poems While You Wait
Tuesday, August 6, 5:30–6:30 pm, at Millennium Park’s Pritzker Pavilion, 201 E. Randolph St.
Friday, August 9 from 5–9 pm, at Retro on Roscoe, 2000 W. Roscoe St.
Saturday, August 17, 2:30-6 pm, at Glenwood Avenue Arts Fest, 7000 N. Glenwood Ave.
Free events, registration not required
Let me set the scene: you’re at a public event—say, a film screening at Millennium Park, or one of Chicago’s innumerable summer festivals—when you discover a table of writers clacking away at vintage typewriters. They will write you an original poem, on the spot, on any topic of your choosing (with a short 10–15 minute wait for the poets to work their magic). These unexpected, whimsical poetry encounters are known as Poems While You Wait, one of my favorite live lit experiences in Chicago.
Founded in 2011, by authors Dave Landsberger, Kathleen Rooney, and Eric Plattner, Poems While You Wait and their rotating roster of typing poets make appearances this month at Millennium Park’s Pritzker Pavilion on August 6 (before a screening of the film American Fiction), at the Retro on Roscoe festival in Roscoe Village on August 9, and at the Glenwood Avenue Arts Fest in Rogers Park on August 17, among other pop-ups. All donations for poems support the nonprofit independent publisher Rose Metal Press—whether you requested a paean for Malört or a haiku honoring cat ladies.
Summer Graduate Reading from Northwestern University
Friday, August 16, 6:30 pm, at Northwestern’s SPS Mansion, 405 Church St., Evanston
Free event with registration required HERE; doors at 6 pm
Emceed by award-winning author Christine Sneed (Please Be Advised: A Novel in Memos), this event spotlights recent creative writing graduates from Northwestern University’s MFA in Prose and Poetry and MA in Writing Programs—a great opportunity to check out exciting new voices in Chicagoland. Featured readers include Nimra Chohan, Rachel Kennedy, Natalia Nebel, Michele Popadich, Josh Reuss, and Irene Yeh. For those coming from Chicago, the location is a few blocks from the Davis Purple Line CTA stop.
An Inconvenient Hour reading series
Saturday, August 17, 5 pm, at Metropolis Cafe, 1039 W. Granville Ave.
Free event, registration not required
Billed as “Chicago’s most awkwardly timed reading series,” An Inconvenient Hour takes place at the exact time on Saturday you might be considering starting dinner or taking a power nap before going out for the night, depending on your inclinations. Either way, this monthly series in the Edgewater neighborhood provides an intimate setting to hear work from local literary voices. The August 17 reading at Metropolis Cafe features authors Sarah Kain Gutowski (The Familiar), Cynthia Marie Hoffman (Exploding Head) and Natasha Mijares.
Sunday Reading Series: Poetry, Prose & Cocktails
Sunday, August 18, 7 pm, at Hungry Brain, 2319 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago
Free event, registration not required; doors at 6:30 pm
Must be 21+ to attend
Hosted by writers Simone Muench and Kenyatta Rogers, the monthly Sunday Reading Series has been going strong since 2018, presenting authors of poetry and prose at the Hungry Brain bar. Grab your drink of choice and soak in the words of Ananda Lima (Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil), Cassidy McFadzean (Crying Dress) and Ken Taylor (aeromancy garage) at this month’s edition. You might be inspired to start writing a new poem or short story on your cocktail napkin.
Looking ahead: Writers on Writing with Susan Choi and Rebecca Makkai
Thursday, September 19, 6 pm, at Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton St.
Free event; advance registration required HERE
Part Tonight Show, part MasterClass, each event in the Writers on Writing series from Newberry Library and StoryStudio Chicago celebrates an author’s work and craft in conversation with another literary legend. Free tickets are now available for the September edition, held both in-person and online. National Book Award-winning author Susan Choi (Trust Exercise) will discuss her career as a novelist and short story writer with fellow author and National Book Award finalist Rebecca Makkai (I Have Some Questions for You). Books by both authors are available for purchase at the Newberry, with a signing following the event.
If recently featured authors Jericho Brown and Hanif Abdurraqib are any indication, Writers on Writing is a series to watch—and speaking of, you can catch up on their recorded conversations on the Newberry’s YouTube channel HERE.
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